Dekadrone

Dekadrone is the first of two long-form experimental ambient releases from Richard H. Kirks solo reactivation of Cabaret Voltaire, following the beat-driven 2020 comeback album Shadow of Fear and companion EP Shadow of Funk. The continuous 50-minute piece is filled with washed-out distorted noise and incomprehensible sinister voices, all of which blare away loudly but distantly in the background. Closer to the front is a pulsating arpeggio sequence that gradually shifts, sometimes pitching up before snapping back, and sometimes smudging like a record being thumbed while its spinning on the turntable. Despite these momentary blips, the piece approaches a sensation close to flying over a vast, burning wasteland and trying not to get scorched by gigantic, out-of-control flames. It often seems extremely harsh and agitated, yet it maintains a sense of balance, serving as an audio mantra for an era that seems constantly on the verge of destruction. ~ Paul Simpson