Issue 71

We're celebrating the return of Cabaret Voltaire in this month's Electronic Sound. And to accompany the issue, we have an exclusive Cabaret Voltaire seven-inch, which is a limited edition pressing on purple vinyl.

Our cover star is Richard H Kirk, who is now the sole member of Cabaret Voltaire. Inside the magazine, Kirk gives us the lowdown on 'Shadow Of Fear', the first new Cabs album for 26 years and one of the most significant releases of 2020. He also talks about playing live, Sheffield, Salvador Dali, how he feels about working alone, and lots more besides. As well as our in-depth conversation, we document the countless names Kirk has recorded under over the decades. Some of them you will recognise, Sandoz and Sweet Exorcist for example, but the likes of Frightgod and Ubu Rahmen may be unknown to you.

There’s plenty of other good stuff elsewhere in this issue, including interviews with Sigue Sigue Sputnik top man Tony James and San Francisco synth maestro Doug McKechnie. McKechnie was one of the first people to make music on a Moog, beginning in 1968 on a machine with the serial number 004. We also strongarm Norman Cook into revealing his influences, share bamboo shoots with The Lost Stoned Pandas, get serious with Tunng, and wonder if Working Men’s Club are the best new band in Britain at the moment. The answer, by the way, is yes.

This month's magazine and vinyl bundle includes a fantastic Cabaret Voltaire seven-inch. The record is pressed on purple vinyl and features Daniel Miller edits of two tracks from the 'Shadow Of Fear' album, 'Vasto' and 'The Power (Of Their Knowledge)'. Both are prime Cabs cuts – dark, gritty, abrasive and remorseless. Richard H Kirk named 'Vasto' after a town on the Italian coast, but he is quick to point out that "it's not exactly a seaside song", while 'The Power (Of Their Knowledge)' builds on the line, "You start with nothing and you end with nothing". Kirk says the track is "about the shadow of death, which is something looming over us all nowadays". Dark stuff indeed.