Cabaret Voltaire ‎– Red Mecca (LP)

The final album with co-founder Chris Watson, Red Mecca, came during a period when tensions were high on the streets of Britain and it was seen as the alternative soundtrack of the time.

Opener, A Touch Of Evil, sets the scene for the album with its post industrial jazz theme, ensuring the listener is aware that this is no album for the faint hearted. There are early signs of the incisive Cabaret Voltaire drum sound and throbbing bass which would become a trademark of the band in later years as Richard H Kirk and Stephen Mallinder continued to break new ground.

The distorted, twisted vocals on Sly Doubt accompany the raw feel of the track and the introduction of electronic dub is also prevalent. In the wake of Joy Division and before the explosion of Britain’s electronic brigade of the early 80s, the Cabaret Voltaire sound unwittingly set the scene for the fellow Sheffield band The Human League with their Reproduction and Travelogue albums. Indeed their single Being Boiled could be seen as a commercial extension to what they were doing at the time.

What Kirk and Mallinder did with Red Mecca had never been done before, and, has never been done since. Modern contempories such as Portion Control clearly have a lot to thank them for, particularly on tracks like Red Mask. Does Red Mecca sound dated? Well yes, it does, but at the time it was relevant and so many things have happened in music since then, but, time doesn’t make it irrelevant, in the same way that Punk is still a milestone in British music, so is Cabaret Voltaire.

Label: Base Record

Country: Italy

Media Condition: Very Good Plus (VG+)
Sleeve Condition: Very Good Plus (VG+)

Plays great but has some hairlines. Original inner sleeve included.