Music Review: Cabaret Voltaire, #7885 (Electropunk to Technopop 1978 – 1985)

By Noreen Sobczyk

#7885 (Electropunk to Technopop 1978 – 1985) continues the fruitful relationship between Cabaret Voltaire and Mute and includes revamped reissues of CDs and DVDs in box set form. These releases were initially broken into time periods, which for Cabaret Voltaire makes a whole lot of sense, because essentially you’re dealing with strikingly different sounds. #7885 is a distilled version of many creative ventures placing the entire era of the band together on one release for the first time.

For the uninitiated, consider it the musical equivalent of several miniature tasting spoons at a supremely twisted version of Baskin Robbins. Some of it goes down easy and some of it challenges your palettes. Some is singularly flavored and some mixes disparate ingredients. And like at said ice cream mecca—everyone has their opinion regarding which offering is the best. Some prefer the early experimental sound collages, some the Factory/Hacienda sound of the single “Nag Nag Nag,” and others the smoother dance sounds of “Sensoria.” But whatever your choice there’s something here for every adventurous electronic music lover.

Cabaret Voltaire began as a Dadaist performance experiment and shared kinship with bands such as Throbbing Gristle and Einstürzende Neubauten melding slowly towards The Swans and Coil. They began to blend more danceable (or commercial) elements and achieved Top 40 success with The Crackdown in 1983. I jumped aboard the bandwagon in 1987 with their album Code while listening to various “promos” as a young record store clerk. Already a fan of Skinny Puppy, I later realized that a debt was owed to Cabaret Voltaire not only by Skinny Puppy, but also Trent Reznor and many bands that wrong or right, fell under the umbrella title Industrial. This release makes that abundantly clear. The bold experimentation and blending of musical styles makes #7885 (Electropunk to Technopop 1978 – 1985) an essential listen for any fan of Post Punk, Industrial, and Acid House.

#7885 (Electropunk to Technopop 1978 – 1985) was released by Mute Records on June 23.