Over the years Cabaret Voltaire's music continued to evolve, from its experimental, Velvet Underground-inspired beginnings in the mid 1970s to the pop-oriented dance music in the early 1990s. Each consequent phase saw the band pushing the boundaries of its time, proving highly influential for the many electronic artists that followed in its footsteps. The band pioneered many techniques that for years fuelled industrial music and consequent electronic genres such as house and techno. Among these were the cut-up techniques of William S. Burroughs and Brion Gysin, using snippets of spoken word (pre-dating sampling), and incorporating experimental video in their live shows (pre-dating VJ-ing).
The band first came to public attention in the late 1970s, during the era of post-punk and industrial music, with their debut album Mix-Up (1979) and the EP Nag Nag Nag with its seminal noise-punk title track. They honed their style with the follow-up albums Voice of America (1980) and Red Mecca (1981).
The early 1980s was an important transitional phase for the band, as it shifted towards more structured dance music. In late 1981, halfway during the recording of the album 2X45 (released in 1982), Watson left the group, which continued as a duo until their (de facto) disbandment in 1994.
In 1983, with the album The Crackdown, the Cabs switched labels from Rough Trade to Virgin and started using increasingly more digital technology. A prime example is their industrial funk dance floor hit Sensoria from 1984, which got picked up by MTV and saw the band starting to infiltrate the mainstream.
In the late 1980s and early 1990s Cabaret Voltaire continued their trajectory towards dance pop incorporating house and techno styles, with many tracks like Easy Life and later Colours fusing hooks with all the excitement of the then burgeoning rave scene in the UK.
By 1994, on the duo's last album The Conversation, Mallinder's input had become insignificant and he left the band after its release. From then on until his death in 2021, Kirk had sole legal ownership of the Cabaret Voltaire name. His view was that, as Watson and Mallinder had both left the band, he was left to carry it on. He used the name for remix projects of Kora and The Tivoli in 2010, and for the albums Shadow Of Fear (2020), Dekadrone (2021) and BN9Drone (2021).
Kirk had a staggering amount of solo outings under various names. His Sweet Exorcist collaboration with DJ Parrot opened the doors for Warp Records in their "bleep" days, was the harbinger for the sonic experimentation of Aphex Twin, Autechre, The Black Dog, and more. Other solo projects of Kirk were Sandoz, Biochemical Dread, Bit Crackle, Blacworld, Chemical Agent, Cold Warrior and Dark Magus, to name but a few.
Mallinder has since been involved in various projects, such as Ku-Ling Bros., Sassi & Loco, Hey, Rube! and most recently Wrangler.
As well as working on his own aural experiments, Watson now works as a critically-acclaimed sound recordist, developing some innovative techniques for Natural History radio and TV, such as the BBC's Galapagos series in 2006.
Just Fascination
Cabaret Voltaire Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Your eyes know, your body lies.
This fascination. This fascination. This, fascination.
Your thoughts, closed off.
But it's no concern, concern of yours.
Just fascination. Just fascination. Just private, fascination.
You chop away this fantasy.
This private fascination. This private, fascination.
But if they knew, you'd shoot yourself.
A beast, you'd shoot yourself.
This private, fascination.
Just fascination. This fascination. This private fascination.
Glances back, slip in the way, swift.
You've found another way of,
Slipping into your disguise,
Your eyes know, your body lies.
This fascination. This fascination.
Just fascination. Just fascination. Just private, fascination.
This private, fascination.
Drive away in privacy,
You chop away this fantasy.
Your thoughts, closed off.
But it's no concern, concern of yours.
Just fascination. Just fascination. Just fascination.
Just private, fascination. Just private, fascination.
A glance back, slipping away, the slip.
You pack another way.
But if they knew, you'd shoot yourself.
A beast, you'd shoot yourself.
This private fascination. This fascination. This fascination.
This private fascination.
This fascination. This fascination. This fascination.
This private, fascination. This private, fascination.
The lyrics to Cabaret Voltaire's "Just Fascination" describe someone slipping into a new disguise, hiding away their thoughts and creating a private fascination that they keep secret from the world. The chorus repeats the word "fascination," emphasizing just how all-consuming and powerful this private interest is for the singer. The lyrics also include a warning of sorts, that if others were to discover this fascination, the singer would be so embarrassed they'd "shoot [them]self."
These lyrics dive into the psyche of a person who may not want to share their interests with others for fear of ridicule or embarrassment. By creating a private fascination, they're able to explore their interests without the fear of outside judgment. The repeated use of the word 'fascination' amplifies this concept, creating a sort of hypnotic, mental state that the singer gets lost in.
Overall, the song speaks to the complexities of human nature and the fear of being judged for one's interests or passions. By creating a private world, one can explore these passions without feeling the burden of societal norms and expectations.
Line by Line Meaning
Slipping into new disguise,
Changing your personality to hide your true self
Your eyes know, your body lies.
Your physical appearance contradicts your true feelings
This fascination. This fascination. This, fascination.
Your obsession with hiding who you really are
Your thoughts, closed off.
You refuse to share your true thoughts and feelings with others
But it's no concern, concern of yours.
You don't care about others knowing who you really are
Just fascination. Just fascination. Just private, fascination.
Your obsession with keeping your true self hidden
Hide away in secrecy,
Isolating yourself to maintain your disguise
You chop away this fantasy.
You actively work to maintain your false persona
But if they knew, you'd shoot yourself.
You're so afraid of being exposed that you'd rather die
A beast, you'd shoot yourself.
You see yourself as a monster for hiding your true self
Glances back, slip in the way, swift.
Quickly and quietly leaving to avoid suspicion
You've found another way of,
You've developed new tactics to hide your true self
Drive away in privacy,
Leaving while no one is looking
Just fascination. Just fascination. Just fascination.
Your persistent obsession with hiding who you really are
You pack another way.
You're always prepared to hide your true identity
This fascination. This fascination. This fascination.
Your overwhelming fixation with maintaining your disguise
This private, fascination. This private, fascination.
Your extremely personal and private obsession with hiding who you really are
Lyrics © Mute Song Limited
Written by: KIRK, RICHARD HAROLD MALLINDER, STEPHEN WILLIAM
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Bob Dobalina
Rest in peace, Kirky. Man this one hurt. Ground-breaking pioneers. They were making proto-techno in the late 70s/early 80s. I used to LOVE them, they helped me thru a very difficult childhood - wracked with pain, they offered me an oasis of happiness, a sliver of solace. Growing up in the states, I remember the fight, the battle, to try to get our hands on ONE MORE hard to find import 12" single or album of theirs. But u know what? The work that it took made it all the sweeter when we finally got it onto our turntable. Man were those times great. But now, one-by-one, the lights are going out, we are leaving the party. So sad, but those that experienced them will cherish those days in our hearts forever, and sip the memories like fine wine that has aged well. Thanks for all the good times Kirk and Mallinder. Legends.
Claire BAER
I had a dream about Cabaret Voltaire, and some invite said let's be funny, let's make music. Not many will ever get it, but those that do are enough. I was invited to their party, but I was stressed out to the max. I knew I loved their music, but wasn't sure about them, in person. I went, and I mustered enough energy to walk around, and I just quickly woke up, never knowing if I experienced anything special, whatsoever, and I just somehow knew I never did find anything special. I will always love their music, that is a promise from the real me.
Andrew Buchanan-Carter
Damn dude, thanks for sharing. Well stated, and Hapax had the same positive effect on me. There are definitely artists that emulate and create similar music as Cabaret Voltaire does. Check out Buzz Kull, High Functioning Flesh, and an album titled Seedstate from a band called Head Of David. It sounds like a cross between Nitzer Ebb, Cabaret Voltaire and Godflesh.
malcolm lowrey
A pioneering band indeed. Ahead of the game and foresaw many later bands and established a cool genre....
Miss NovemberTuesday
I also listened to them during some hard times in the mid to late '80s. Radio died out for me around 1986 and I began to dive deeper into some bands' back catalogues. I always liked them and went to see them play the Palace in Hollywood in May 1985. I was right down front. I always had a bit of a thing for Mal. Great night!
Nava Lerman
The real fascination was at the age when I danced to the song and waited for it in the clubs, since then, even though I love my two sons very much, there has never been a more beautiful time in my life than this. Nothing like the 80s.
Jacqueline Iona
Wow, this is the first time I’m hearing the recorded version! I really love the live version and it’s great to finally hear this 🎉I’m 59 and I never had the pleasure of hearing this when it came out! TY YouTube and people who upload great music GREAT MUSIC ❤
JokerfleckCast
2021 and this still sounds futuristic.
Andy2018 Wat
Absolutely brilliant track. Cannot believe it's 40 years old! RIP Kirky. Such an original band and sound.
Thyristor Z
RIP Richard,
I used to dance to your music through the 80‘s…