Cabaret Voltaire reissuing ‘Red Mecca’ on vinyl; giant box set, new comp on way

Mute Records is embarking on a new series of Cabaret Voltaire releases that will begin this summer with a vinyl reissue of the group’s 1981 album Red Mecca, to be followed this fall by a new 6CD/2DVD/4LP box set collecting four early- to mid-’80s albums “alongside bonus CDs and DVDs” and, in early 2014, a new compilation spanning the years 1978 to 1985.

On top of that, band member Richard H. Kirk tells The Wire that he also is prepping a three-disc box set featuring a trio of Cabaret Voltaire live shows from the ’80s for release on his label Intone.

The upcoming releases include:

• First up, from Mute, is the first release of Red Mecca on vinyl since 1990. Due July 22, the limited-edition, 180-gram audiophile pressing is remastered by engineer Stefan Betke and includes the album on CD, too; below, you can stream “Spread the Virus” from the Red Mecca album.

• In late August or early September, Kirk is planning to release his 3CD box set featuring two concerts from 1982 recorded at The Warehouse in Liverpool and The Lyceum in Sheffield, as well as a 1985 concert recorded in Toronto.

• In November, Mute will release the box set #8385 (Collected Works 1983–1985), which includes remastered editions of The Crackdown (1983), Micro-Phonies (1984), Drinking Gasoline (1985) and The Covenant, The Sword and the Arm of the Lord (1985), plus B-sides, remixes, 2 live concerts, the “Gasoline In Your Eye” video compilation and previously unreleased material, all spread across six CDs, two DVDs and four vinyl records.

• And in early 2014, Mute will release #7885 (Electro Punk to Techno Pop 1978–1985), which “will compile for the first time both periods of Cabaret Voltaire together on one release,” according to Mute. No tracklist has yet been revealed.

Watch Cabaret Voltaire’s online store for pre-ordering information on the Collected Works the box set.

Cabaret Voltaire, “Spread the Virus”