Cabaret Voltaire announce 2 archive releases: 'Chance Versus Causality' and '1974-76'

The cult act Cabaret Voltaire have announced the release of their 1979 soundtrack, “Chance Versus Causality”, which will be available officially for the first time since the film’s release. “Chance Versus Causality” will be out on limited edition transparent green vinyl, CD and digital formats on August 30 via Mute.

On the same day, “1974-76” will get its first vinyl release. The album, originally released on cassette via Industrial Records in 1980, was reissued on CD by The Grey Area of Mute (a division of Mute dedicated to reissues) in 1992 and will be available on limited edition transparent orange double vinyl and digital formats. “1974-76” is a selection of material recorded by Cabaret Voltaire in their formative years. Recorded in Chris Watson’s attic on a domestic reel-to-reel tape recorder, a number of the recordings were included in the now legendary limited edition cassette released by the band in 1976.

The lost “Chance Versus Causality” tapes

“Chance Versus Causality” was recorded in 1979 as the soundtrack for director Babeth Mondini’s film of the same name. The band originally met Mondini at the infamous Brussels Plan K show which saw Joy Division, Cabaret Voltaire and William Burroughs share a bill, and soon after, Mondini asked them to create the soundtrack for her film.

The soundtrack was recorded live by the original Cabaret Voltaire line up – Richard H. Kirk, Stephen Mallinder and Chris Watson – at the band’s Western Works studio with no prior knowledge of the film or instruction from the director.

Only one copy of the soundtrack existed on 2 reels of tape that were sent to Holland for inclusion in the split-screen 16mm film which was given a limited release and never even seen by the band. Around 15 years ago, the tapes were returned to Cabaret Voltaire and only recently resurfaced during discussions with Mute. The artwork for “Chance Versus Causality” was executed by Richard H. Kirk and Phil Wolstenholme.

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