Cabaret Voltaire (band)

Cabaret Voltaire
Richard H. Kirk, Stephen Mallinder, Chris Watson
Background information
Origin	Sheffield, England
Genres	Industrial, electronic, post-punk, EBM, experimental, synthpop, acid house
Years active	1973–1994; 2014 – present
Labels	Industrial Rough Trade Some Bizzare/Virgin Factory Mute
Associated acts	Electronic Eye Hafler Trio Sandoz Sweet Exorcist
Members	Richard H. Kirk
Past members	Stephen Mallinder Chris Watson

Cabaret Voltaire are an English music group formed in Sheffield in 1973 and initially composed of Stephen Mallinder, Richard H. Kirk, and Chris Watson The group was named after the Cabaret Voltaire, a nightclub in Zürich, Switzerland that served as a centre for the early Dada movement.

The early work of Cabaret Voltaire consisted primarily of Dada-influenced performance art and experimentation with tape machines, and the group would develop to become a pioneer of industrial music in the mid-1970s. Finding an audience during the post-punk era, they integrated their experimentalist sensibilities with new wave, dance, techno, and wider forms of pop music. They are often characterized as among the most innovative and influential electronic groups of their era.

The band formed in Sheffield in 1973 and experimented widely with sound creation and processing. Some of these early experiments were first documented on the Industrial Records cassette 1974-1976 (1980), then later on the triple album CD set Methodology '74/'78: The Attic Tapes (Mute 2002). The band eventually turned to live performance, often sharing the bill with Joy Division. In one incident, Mallinder was hospitalised with a chipped backbone after the band had objects thrown at them. However, the arrival of punk rock brought a more accepting audience for their industrial, electronic sound and they were championed by Sheffield punk fanzine Gunrubber edited by Paul Bower of local band 2.3.