Richard H Kirk
NAG NAG NAG! And after a bit more nagging, here’s a playlist of some of the late great Richard H Kirk. It’s been a joy and a revelation to dig into his vast and all-over-the-shop back catalogue that takes in Cabaret Voltaire, Sweet Exorcist, Sandoz and about 500 other pseudonyms (‘Wicky Wacky’ being my personal favourite). Choosing five tracks has proved impossible – which I think is the whole point of these playlists.
Cabaret Voltaire – Nag Nag Nag
Sorry, but I had to start with this one. As a teenager navigating my way through the alternative music world, I was soon told that Cabaret Voltaire were Very Important and I needed to listen to them. I bought a tape with ‘Nag Nag Nag’ on it. I found most of the tape unlistenable, and could only just about hack listening to their greatest hit.
Sweet Exorcist – Testtwo
Named after a Curtis Mayfield album! One of the earliest releases on Warp Records, I loved this EP – rough, basic ‘bleep’ techno which exuded a sense of joy and playfulness. It took me several years to realise one half of ‘Sweet Exorcist’ was that bloke out of Cabaret Voltaire.
Sandoz – Lights In The Sky
Showing off the wide range of Kirk’s music, this starts off as beautiful shimmering ambience and then flips over into a dub-influenced track.
Richard H Kirk – Never Lose Your Shadow
Darkwave, Industrial, Minimal according to Discogs. All the way from 1982 and sounding like the precursor to electro and techno, all sprinkled with that trademark sense of slight unease that Kirk did so well.
Richard H Kirk – Reality Net
A deeply personal choice, as it was one of the tracks on Warp’s legendary ‘Artifical Intellience’ albums that I lapped up like an obsessed dog in the 1990s. Again, I don’t think I realised this was the same man who was in Sweet Exorcist and Cabaret Voltaire until a while later – one of the joys of the internet not being invented yet.
Ecclectic playlists and mixes curated by Ffrancon, Lazy Player and occasional random guests. Rhestrau gwrando a cymysgiadau eclectig wedi’u curadu gan Ffrancon, Lazy Player a gwestai eraill o bryd i bryd.
Previous episodes:
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15. A Tenuous Collection of Film Music – Sean T
14. Radio Babylon – The Highland Gnu
13. Is That All There Is? – Lightspeed Future Lullaby
12. Token Welsh Language Playlist
11. Climate Mix – Cahn Ingold Prelog
10. Blwyddynewydda
9. Messiaen Link – Plyci
8. Top Trumps
7. Hydrefol/Autumnal
6. A Funk and Soul Mix – EJ Steer
5. As Cold As Ice
4. Blade Runner Alternative Soundtrack – Bristol Dad
3. Black Lives (Still) Matter
2. Ennio Morricone
1. Fried Reich
FF R A N C O N 