We were iconoclastic. We weren't there to sort of follow the trends really. So it was important that we were making a statement against that.

Going there [Japan] in the early 80s was quite a culture shock. I think the bombardment of Shinjuku and all that would have filtered through, which certainly informed things we later filmed.

One of the tropes of our videos is that they were very rhythmic with clipped edits.

We've always been observant of things, and I think Crackdown was very much like that and the film interpretation was that journalistic view of that situation.

Even if that statement was ambiguous, we kind of wanted to cause a stir. We thought that by having the name "Cabaret Voltaire", that with it came a certain responsibility. It wasn't meant to be purely entertainment; it was meant to be something a little bit more serious - and to provoke people - wrapped within an outer wrapping of entertainment.

We've always been journalists - and have seen ourselves in that way. But we sort of recontextualized it through music.

I think you have a certain level of confidence in what you do. "Arrogance" is the wrong word. I think when you go into it, you're aware that you're doing it for the right reasons - and you have your own moral and ethical code. And we weren't driven by money, but by a a desire to make music and make a statement.