Experimental electronic musician and founding member of the Sheffield-based band Cabaret Voltaire
Richard H Kirk, who has died aged 65, was a key figure in the development of British electronic and DIY music, from his co-founding of the Sheffield-based band Cabaret Voltaire in the 1970s, through his 90s recordings for Warp Records, and to his later solo work fusing electronics, funk and dub.
Cabaret Voltaire, formed in 1973 by Kirk, Chris Watson and Stephen Mallinder, predated the famous “steel city” electronic scene that included the Human League, Vice Versa (later ABC) and Heaven 17, and impacted on Pulp and Moloko’s hits years later.