Description

Stephen Mallinder, cofounder and frontman of the iconicnbspCabaret Voltaire, has returned with his first solo album in over 35 yearsnbspUm Dada. Laced with leftfield house and cutup sound collages,nbspUm Dadanbspis a melding of energies that are an exercise in simplicity and motion. Sincere, playful realism that beckons your body to move, always reminding you to never take yourself too seriously without forfeiting your agency.While steeringnbspCabaret Voltairenbspthrough the 1980rsquos, Mallinder was already busy piecing together his first solo album entitled ldquoPow Wowrdquo, which would help define Mallinderrsquos interest in the more leftfield electro sounds shaping England at the time. It was this diverse and abstract hybrid that helped inspire generations of artists and musicians through steeping raw machine funk within the whimsical and absurdist ideology.nbspSince the release of ldquoPow Wowrdquo in 1982, Mallinder continued his pioneering work with Cabaret Voltaire, as well as recording and touring with his electro projectsnbspWrangler,nbspCreep Show,nbspHey Rube,nbspKula, andnbspCobby amp Mallinder. In addition to his nonstop schedule in electronic music, his professional life as a journalist, broadcaster, producer and now a professor of Digital Music amp Sound Art at the University of Brighton, has lead Mallinder to a unique point in his career. Most in his position would be caught up in rosy retrospection, but Mallinder himself says, ldquoTherersquos too much digital fingerlicking right now every thought and desire at the turn of a dialhellip well a click of the mouse. And therersquos a giddy, false nostalgia about the analogue past. Sorry to burst your bubble but the truth of history is more mundane practical, pragmatic…Um Dadanbspis about lsquoplayrsquo ndash cut and paste, lost words, twisted presets, voice collage, simple sounds ndash things that have been lost to technologyrsquos current determinism. Let the machines talk to each other, let them dance .. they lead, we follow.rdquoUm Dadanbspopens up with the exact machineled surrealism that Mallinder recommends in ldquoWorking You Arerdquo. A thick, stripped back dance floor groove provides the ideal foundation for Mallinderrsquos eccentric vocal cuts. The frisky chops present an almost twisted irony, subtly bringing to mind the role wersquore all forced to play as just another cog in the ever grinding capitalist machine of life. Yet, somehow, the listener is left feeling optimistic. A prime example of simplicity at work.nbspTracks such as ldquoSatelliterdquo give a skillful illustration of Mallinderrsquos adeptness with his musical expertise while preserving his core historical context as only simple reference. The underlying bassline and percussion, coupled with the floating melodies and airy vocal refrain disclose the vulnerabilities of love and loss without a hint of irony or nostalgia.Um Dada is mischievously idealist, however never loses touch with reality. Offering structure while simultaneously dismantling any and all preconceptions. The spirit of sincerity that sustained Cabaret Voltairersquos lengthy career is abundantly present within founder Stephen Mallinderrsquos journey through his own whimsical utopian consciousness and staking claim to an identity that is solely his own. Stephen Mallinder Heavyweight-LP is available for home delivery from Vinyl Records London, only £25