Stephen Mallinder of Cabaret Voltaire told us about his love for his Kaoss Pad and MXR Harmoniser...
Stephen Mallinder: These are two pieces of technology that are default for me… I’m picking two very functional and still-used pieces - one when used live and one in the studio.
First pick is the Kaoss Pad, mainly because I've been using Kaoss Pads for about 20 years - they brought them out around 2000. I've got about three of them I use them in various forms. We even had a Video Kaoss Pad at one point. I use it because I love the idea of ordered chaos. It's useful for its immediacy and real time touch facility. I use it for delays live, for my voice and just for the ability to live manipulate sounds.
My second choice is a piece of studio equipment, the MXR Harmoniser and I'm picking this just because it's been a continual touchstone in the studio for me, used for so many things with Cabaret Voltaire but also all the way through to Wrangler and my solo stuff. The idea of being able to pitch and mess with the voice, instrument or drum sounds and being able to manipulate something with touch in real time. It messes with the fabric of the sound. It inverts time. it’s been so important to me and been used on all of my records since the late '70s or early '80s.
Cabaret Voltaire is on tour in September and October. Find their dates online.
Photo by Paul Heartfield
