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Richard H. Kirk, a leading figure in industrial and electronic music known for his influential work with Cabaret Voltaire, has passed away. His label, Mute, confirmed the news, giving no cause of death. Kirk was 65.
Born in 1956, Kirk grew up in industrialized east Sheffield, where he was drawn to Communist politics and Dadaist art. Inspired by Roxy Music and Brian Eno’s “non-musical” approach to instrumentation, he co-founded Cabaret Voltaire, named after a Zurich club that helped incubate Dadaism, in 1973. The group has d ‘ first explored a kind of sound art combining industrial noise with extreme lyrics, often using cut-up techniques inspired by William S. Burroughs. At the same time, Kirk carried out outraged experiments with solo “attic bands”, whose songs he would later remake for the first Cabaret Voltaire records.
By 1974, the loose collective had been reduced to the dummerless trio of Kirk, Stephen Mallinder, and Chris Watson, using a Farfisa drum machine as the mechanical basis for their tape loops, synth collages, and heavily modulated organic instruments. Their stunning sounds and sometimes shocking lyrics suited the punk rush well, but it was in the vast post-punk church that they found a foothold in contemporary music. In 1979, now augmented by Kirk’s abrasive guitar playing and sampled vocals from film and television, the trio released Cabaret Voltaire’s debut album, To mix together, on Rough Trade. Developed on records such as 1981 Landmark Red mecca, the signature sound of Cabaret Voltaire helped define Sheffield’s pioneering electronic music scene, alongside bands like the Human League.
After Watson left the group in 1981, the group entered into a licensing deal with Virgin, released a series of relatively pop singles, became the first group to perform at Manchester’s iconic Haçienda nightclub, and signed a full deal. with the major label EMI which produced 1987 album Coded. But the emergence of house and techno in America caught Kirk’s ear. He began working on solo electronic music and eventually moved the group to Chicago to record the 1990s. Groovy, laid back and mean with House Pioneer Marshall Jefferson. The group was quickly abandoned by EMI and Kirk focused on solo projects such as Sandoz and Sweet Exorcist, his collaboration with Richard Barratt (aka DJ Parrot).
When Cabaret Voltaire went into hibernation in the mid-90s, Kirk embarked on a series of sporadic electronic outings and collaborations. He resurrected the name of Cabaret Voltaire for live shows in 2014 and, in 2020, he released the album Shadow of fear, running as a solo project. This year he released two drone albums on Mute: Decadron and BN9Drone.
In a statement, Mute wrote: “Richard was an imposing creative genius who led a unique and motivated path throughout his life and musical career. We will miss him so much. “
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