Roland Kirk
Founding member of Cabaret Voltaire whose releases under his own name in the '90s have seen him increasingly accommodated by the rave generation. Kirk released his first solo set in 1981, following it with the double album, TIME HIGH FICTION two years later. His taste for dance music was probably most obviously previewed by the release of Cabaret Voltaire's James Brown, before further solo work in 1986 with BLACK JESUS VOICE, a mini-album, and UGLY SPIRIT. This was followed a year later by a collaborative project, HOODOO TALK, with the Box's Peter Hope. Further expansions in Cabaret Voltaire's dance sound were refined by the 1989 single Hypnotised, after the duo had visited Chicago. A year later Kirk released Test One, an excellent example of the acid house style, under the guise of Sweet Exorcist. It launched what became known as the 'bleep' sound, which was widely imitated and dominated clubs for almost a year. A second hugely popular 12-inch arrived with Clonk. Kirk currently enjoys his own Western Works studio in Sheffield, and looks to be one of the true survivors of the late '70s industrial scene centred in that town.