It isn't without reason that 'Red Mecca' from 1981 originally released on Rough Trade is often referred to as one of Cabaret Voltaire's most cohesive and brilliant records. It's a taught, dense, horrific slab lacking a lull. Dashes of Richard H Kirk's synthesizer are welded to Chris Watson's tape effects for singed lashes of white noise, best heard on the lurching 'Sly doubt' and the jolting 'Spread the Virus.' Throughout, Mallinder's sinister jibber jabbering punctuates the high-pitched menace. What he's ranting about is rarely obvious, as the clarity of his voice is often obstructed by the tape effects, synth work, and other random whip-cracks (Watson's periodic surges of organ are another treat).
It isn't without reason that 'Red Mecca' from 1981 originally released on Rough Trade is often referred to as one of Cabaret Voltaire's most cohesive and brilliant records. It's a taught, dense, horrific slab lacking a lull. Dashes of Richard H Kirk's synthesizer are welded to Chris Watson's tape effects for singed lashes of white noise, best heard on the lurching 'Sly doubt' and the jolting 'Spread the Virus.' Throughout, Mallinder's sinister jibber jabbering punctuates the high-pitched menace. What he's ranting about is rarely obvious, as the clarity of his voice is often obstructed by the tape effects, synth work, and other random whip-cracks (Watson's periodic surges of organ are another treat).