Cabaret Voltaire stand as the first British electronic music group, BBC's Radiophonic Workshop aside. Initiated in the early 1970s through Chris Watson's experiments with rudimental electronics and tape machines, by 1973 the trio of Watson, Richard H Kirk and Stephen Mallinder found themselves recording in Watson's attic in Sheffield. In the wake of punk, Cabaret Voltaire would set up their own studio Western Works, acting not just as the recording studio for the majority of their future work, but also as a hub for many other Sheffield bands of the post-punk era.

Watson left the group around 1981 to pursue a career in sound engineering for TV and, eventually, field recording. Kirk and Mallinder would forge ahead, reshaping the Cabs' sound through the 80s and into the 90s, working through electro-funk, early House and Sheffield Bleep styles. By the mid-90s, the Cabaret Voltaire name had been put on hold, with Mallinder leaving the UK for Australia to pursue an academic career. New work under the Cabaret Voltaire name would finally arrive in 2020, with Kirk's solo effort "Shadow of Fear". Richard H Kirk sadly passed away the next year, bringing Mallinder and Watson to reunite and celebrate his legacy with several tours scheduled from 2025 onwards.