Depeche Mode () is an English electronic music band formed in 1980, in Basildon, Essex, England. The group's original line-up was Dave Gahan (lead vocals), Martin Gore (keyboards, guitar, vocals, chief songwriter after 1981), Andrew Fletcher (keyboards) and Vince Clarke (keyboards, chief songwriter 1980–81). Vince Clarke left the band after the release of their 1981 debut album, and was replaced by Alan Wilder (lead keyboards, production 1982–1995). Since Wilder's departure, Gahan, Gore, and Fletcher have continued as a trio.

Depeche Mode is one of the longest-lived, most successful and influential bands to have emerged from the New Wave era. It has had forty-five songs in the UK Singles Chart, as well as #1 albums in UK, US and throughout countries in Europe. According to EMI, Depeche Mode has sold over 75 million albums worldwideEMI "Depeche Mode signs worldwide exclusive deal with EMI Music - to include the US for the first time", press release, 7 October 2008, as part of total worldwide record sales (including singles) in excess of 100 million.http://www.emi.com/page/emi/AboutEMINews2009/0,,12641~1568634,00.htmlhttp://www.reuters.com/article/entertainmentNews/idUSTRE52K1W320090321

History

Formation (1977-1980)

Depeche Mode's origins can be traced back to 1977, when Vince Clarke and Andrew Fletcher formed a band called No Romance in China, with Clarke on vocals/guitar and Fletcher on bass. Band's first incarnation as "No Romance" In 1979, Clarke played guitar in an "Ultravox rip-off band", The Plan, with friends Robert Marlow and Paul Langwith.The Erasure Information Service, " Interview with Robert Marlow", - Retrieved on 10 December 2007.In 1978–79, Gore played in an acoustic duo, Norman and The Worms, with school friend Philip Burdett on vocals and Gore on guitar.philburdett.com, Phil Burdett Biography In 1979, Marlow, Gore, Clarke and friend Paul Redmond formed a band called The French Look, Marlow on vocals/keyboards, Gore on guitar and Redmond on keyboards. In March 1980, Clarke, Gore and Fletcher formed a band called Composition of Sound, with Clarke on vocals/guitar, Gore on keyboards and Fletcher on bass. In June 1980, The French Look and Composition of Sound played together at St. Nicholas School Youth Club, Basildon, Essex.

Soon after the formation of Composition of Sound, Clarke and Fletcher switched to synthesizers, working odd jobs, including carpentry, to buy them, or borrowing them from friends. Dave Gahan joined the band in 1980 after Clarke heard him perform at a local scout-hut jam session, crooning to a rendition of David Bowie's "Heroes", and Depeche Mode was born. When explaining the choice for the new name (taken from a French fashion magazine, Dépêche mode) Martin Gore has said, "It means hurried fashion or fashion dispatch. I like the sound of that."Max Bell, " Martin Gore - The Decadent Boy", No1 Magazine, 11 May 1985 - Retrieved on 29 October 2007.; the correct translation is 'fashion dispatch'. http://www.wordreference.com/fren/depeche

Speak & Spell (1981)

While playing a live gig at the Bridge House in Canning Town,Tickell, P., "A Year In The Life of Depeche Mode", The Face, January 1982 the band was approached by Daniel Miller (an electronic musician and founder of Mute Records), who was interested in them recording a single for his burgeoning label.Page, B., "This Year's Mode(L), Sounds Magazine, 31 January 1981 The result of this verbal contract was the single "Dreaming of Me", which was released in February 1981, reaching number 57 in the UK charts. Encouraged by this, the band recorded its second single "New Life", climbing to number 11 in the UK charts. Three months later, the band released "Just Can't Get Enough" - its first single to enter the UK Top 10, peaking at number eight. This record was in many ways a breakthrough for the band, and its success paved the way for its debut album - Speak & Spell, released in November 1981, and eventually reaching number ten on the UK album charts. Critical reviews were mixed - Melody Maker described it as a "great album... one they had to make to conquer fresh audiences and please the fans who just can’t get enough",Colbert, P., "Talking Hook Lines", Melody Maker, 31 October 1981 while Rolling Stone was more critical, calling the album "PG-rated fluff".Fricke, D., "Speak & Spell", Rolling Stone, May 1982 - Retrieved 6 February 2007

Clarke's departure (1981)

During the touring and promotion for Speak & Spell, Clarke began privately to voice his discomfort at the direction the band was taking. He later expressed his agitation that "there was never enough time to do anything".Ellen, M., "A Clean Break", Smash Hits, February 1982 In November 1981, Clarke publicly announced that he was leaving Depeche Mode.Miller, p. 109 Soon afterwards, he joined with blues singer Alison Moyet to form Yazoo (Yaz in the U.S.) and later, the duo Erasure with Andy Bell. After initial talk of Clarke continuing to write material for the group ultimately amounted to nothing (Clarke offered the remaining members of Depeche Mode the track "Only You", but they declined and it subsequently went to UK #2 for Clarke's new band, Yazoo),Miller, p. 107 Gore, who had written "Tora! Tora! Tora!" and "Big Muff" for Speak & Spell, was forced to become the band's new songwriter.Miller, p. 110

Wilder joins (1982)

In late 1981, the band placed an anonymous ad in Melody Maker looking for another musician. Alan Wilder, a 22-year old keyboardist from West London, responded and after two auditions, he was hired in early 1982 initially on a trial basis as a touring member.Miller, p. 121

A Broken Frame (1982)

In January 1982, the band released "See You", their first single without Clarke, which against all expectations, managed to beat all three Clarke-penned singles in the UK charts, reaching number six.Miller, p. 113 In January 1982, the band embarked on their first world tour, the "See You" tour. In the ensuing months of that year, two more singles were released ("The Meaning of Love", and "Leave in Silence").

Depeche Mode began work on their second album in July 1982. Daniel Miller informed Wilder that he was not needed for the recording of the album, as the band wanted to prove that they could succeed without Vince Clarke.Miller, p. 134 Their second album A Broken Frame was released that September. In October 1982, the band embarked on their second tour that year, the "Broken Frame Tour".

Construction Time Again (1983)

A non-album single "Get the Balance Right!" was released in January 1983, and was Wilder's first musical contribution to the band.

For their third LP Construction Time Again, Depeche Mode worked with producer Gareth Jones, at John Foxx's Garden Studios and at Hansa Studios in West Berlin. The album saw a dramatic shift in the group's sound, due in part to the introduction of the Synclavier and Emulator samplers, in addition to their previously-used analogue synths. "The Singles 81-85", Shunt - Retrieved on 6 February 2007 By sampling the noises of everyday objects, the band created an eclectic, industrial-influenced sound, with similarities to groups such as the Art of Noise and Einstürzende Neubauten, the latter having been published under the same label.[1], Inga Humpe - Mit Depeche Mode in einer 2raumwohnung (German), Retrieved on 15 November 2007

Similarly, Gore's lyricism was rapidly evolving, focusing increasingly on political and social issues. A good example of the new sound was on the first single from the album "Everything Counts", a commentary on the perceived greed of multinational corporations,Moore, X., "Red Rockers Over the Emerald Isle", NME, 17 September 1983 which got to number six in the UK, also reaching the Top 30 in Ireland, South Africa, Switzerland, Sweden and West Germany.

Some Great Reward (1984)

In their early years, Depeche Mode had only really attained success in the UK, Europe, and Australia - however, this changed in March 1984, when they released the single "People Are People". The song climbed to #2 in Ireland and #4 on the UK and Swiss charts - and gave them their first #1 (in Germany). However, it belatedly reached #13 on the U.S. charts in mid-1985. Sire, the band's North American record label, released a compilation of the same name. In September 1984, Some Great Reward was released. Melody Maker claimed that the album made one "sit up and take notice of what is happening here, right under your nose."McIlheney, B., "Greatness and Perfection", Melody Maker, 29 September 1984 Some Great Reward saw the band experimenting with even darker subject matter, exploring sexual politics ("Master and Servant"), adulterous relationships ("Lie to Me"), and arbitrary divine justice ("Blasphemous Rumours"). Also included was the first Martin Gore ballad ("Somebody") - a concept that would be repeated on all following albums. The album was also their first to enter the U.S. album charts, and made the Top 10 in several European countries.

In 1985, Mute Records released a compilation, The Singles 81>85 (Catching Up with Depeche Mode in the U.S.), which included the new singles : "Shake the Disease" and "It's Called a Heart".

During this period, in some circles, the band became associated with the gothic subculture, which had begun in Britain in the late 70s, and was now slowly gaining popularity in the United States. There, the band's music had first gained prominence on college radio and modern rock stations such as KROQ in Los Angeles, and WLIR on Long Island, New York, and hence, they appealed primarily to a decidedly cultish, alternative audience who were disenfranchised with the predominance of "soft rock and 'disco hell'"loc. cit., Alan Wilder's history on the radio. This view of the band was in sharp contrast to that in Europe and the UK, despite the increasingly dark and serious tone in their songs.Adinolfi, F., "Dep Jam", Record Mirror, 22 August 1987 In Germany and other European countries, Depeche Mode were considered teen idols, and were regularly featured in euro teen magazines, providing their detractors with more ammunition to use against them.

Black Celebration (1986)

Arguably Depeche Mode's largest transformation came in 1986, with the release of their fifteenth single "Stripped", and its accompanying album Black Celebration. Jettisoning much of the "industrial-pop" sound that had characterised their previous two LPs (although they retained their often imaginative sampling), the band introduced an ominous, highly atmospheric and textured sound, accompanied by some darker, bleaker, lyrics, as written by Gore. Also included on the album was a revised version of the song "Fly on the Windscreen", which had originally appeared as the b-side to "It's Called a Heart". The band recognised the song's promise, and decided to improve it and include it on the album, renamed as "Fly on the Windscreen - Final".loc. cit., "The Singles 81-85"

The music video for "A Question of Time" was the first to be directed by Anton Corbijn, "The Singles 86-98", Shunt - Retrieved 7 February 2007 beginning a working relationship that continues to the present day. Anton has directed 19 more of the band's videos (the latest being 2006's "Suffer Well") and live performances, and has been responsible for some of the band's albums and singles covers.

Music For the Masses (1987)

1987's Music for the Masses saw further alterations in the band's sound and working methods. For the first time a producer not related to Mute —David Bascombe— was called to assist with the recording sessions (although, according to Alan Wilder, his role ended up being more that of an engineer),op. cit., "The Singles 86-98"and the band, for the most part, sided its sampling of industrial sounds in which their music used to rely, in favour of more synth experimentation.ibid. While the chart performance of the singles "Strangelove", "Never Let Me Down Again" and "Behind the Wheel" proved to be disappointing in Great Britain, they performed well in countries such as Canada, Brazil,West Germany, South Africa, Sweden and Switzerland, often reaching the top 10. Record Mirror described it as "the most accomplished and sexy Mode album to date"Levy, E., "Music for the Masses", Record Mirror, 3 October 1987 and it made a breakthrough in the American market, something which the band had failed to achieve with their previous albums.

101 (1988)

On the heels of Music for the Masses, the group played a follow-up world tour in 1987–88. The tour culminated on 18 June 1988 in a concert at the Pasadena Rose Bowl with paid attendance of 60,453[2]Jonathan Kessler quoted in the 101 film. His exact words are: "$1,360,192.50. Paid attendance was 60,453 people, tonight at the Rose Bowl, Pasadena, 18 June 1988. We're getting a load of money. A lot of money; a load of money - tons of money!" Link is to online version of Stripped: The True Story of Depeche Mode, by Jonathan Miller[3] Mute records web-page for the re-released 101 film on DVD, retrieved 29 November 2007.(the highest in eight years for the venue). The tour meant an unprecedented breakthrough and massive success in the United States and was documented in 101 - a concert film by D.A. Pennebaker and its accompanying soundtrack album.

Violator (1990)

In mid-1989, the band began recording in Milan with producer Flood and engineer François Kevorkian. The initial result of this session was the single "Personal Jesus". Prior to its release, a marketing campaign was launched with advertisements placed in the personal columns of UK regional newspapers with the words "Your own personal Jesus." Later, the ads included a phone number one could dial to hear the song. The resulting furore helped propel the single to number 13 on the UK charts, becoming one of their biggest sellers to date; in the U.S., it was their first gold single and their first Top 40 hit since "People Are People", eventually becoming the biggest-selling 12-inch single in Warner Bros. Records' history. Personal Jesus (#3), Allmusic

In February 1990, "Enjoy the Silence", became one of Depeche Mode's most successful singles to date, reaching number six in the UK; a few months later in the U.S., it became Depeche Mode's biggest hit, reaching number eight, and earning the band a second gold single. It won 'Best British single' at the 1991 Brit Awards. To promote their new album Violator, they held an in-store autograph signing at the Wherehouse Entertainment store location in West Los Angeles, which attracted approximately 20,000 fans, some of which were injured by being pressed against the store's glass by the crowd, and nearly caused a riot.Sanner, S., "Depeche has faith in new 'Songs'", Variety, 22 March 1993 As an apology to the fans who were injured, the band released a limited edition cassette tape to the fans living in Los Angeles and was distributed through radio station KROQ, the sponsor of the Wherehouse event. Violator went on to reach Top 10 in the UK and U.S. It has also been certified triple platinum in America, selling over 3.5 million units there. The subsequent World Violation Tour was another notable success, with 40,000 tickets sold within eight hours for the New York Giants Stadium (in East Rutherford, New Jersey) show, and 48,000 tickets for the Los Angeles Dodger Stadium show sold within an hour of going on sale. Two more singles from the album, "Policy of Truth" and "World in My Eyes" were UK and U.S. hits.

Songs of Faith and Devotion (1993)

In 1993 Songs of Faith and Devotion saw them experimenting with more organic arrangements, based as much on heavily distorted electric guitars, keyboards and live drums (played by Alan Wilder, whose debut as a studio drummer was the track "Clean" on Violator).op. cit., "The Singles 86-98 Live strings, uillean pipes and female gospel vocals were other new additions to the band's sound.The album debuted at number one in both the UK and the U.S., on the heels of the bluesy, grunge-influenced single "I Feel You". The 14-month Devotional world tour followed. It was documented by a concert video of the same name, and a second live album, Songs of Faith and Devotion Live. The live album was essentially a track-by-track reproduction of the eponymous album, designed to help boost sales figures of the studio album, and it proved to be a critical and commercial failure. Dave Gahan's heroin addiction was starting to affect his behaviour, causing him to become more erratic and introverted. Martin Gore experienced a series of seizures, and Andy Fletcher declined to participate in the second "exotic" leg of the tour, due to "mental instability". During that period, he was replaced on-stage by Daryl Bamonte, who had worked with the band as a personal assistant for many years.op. cit., "The Singles 86-98"

Wilder's departure (1995)

In June 1995, Alan Wilder announced that he was leaving Depeche Mode, explaining,

Wilder continued to work on his personal project Recoil, releasing a fourth album (Unsound Methods) in 1997.

Following Wilder's departure, many were skeptical of whether Depeche Mode would ever record again. Gahan's mental state and drug habit became a major source of concern, with a near-fatal overdose at a hotel in Los Angeles.

Ultra (1997)

Despite Gahan's increasingly severe personal issues, Gore tried repeatedly during 1995-1996 to get the band recording again. However, Gahan would rarely turn up to scheduled sessions, and when he did, it would take weeks to get any vocals recorded. Gore was forced to contemplate breaking the band up, and releasing the songs he had written as a solo album. Martin L. Gore interview, Pavement, 16 April 1997 In mid-1996, Gahan entered a drug rehabilitation program to battle his heroin addiction.Cameron, K., "Dead Man Talking", NME, 18 January 1997 With Gahan out of rehab in 1996, Depeche Mode held recording sessions with producer Tim Simenon; the next year, the album Ultra, and its two preceding singles, "Barrel of a Gun" and "It's No Good", were released. The album debuted at #1 in the UK and #5 in the US.

A second singles compilation The Singles was released in 1998, preceded by the new single "Only When I Lose Myself", which had been recorded during the "Ultra" sessions. The band set off on a four month tour. The same year, a tribute album For the Masses was released, featuring Depeche Mode covers by bands such as The Smashing Pumpkins, The Cure, Rammstein and The Deftones.

Exciter (2001)

In 2001, Depeche Mode released Exciter, which was produced by Mark Bell (of the pioneering techno group LFO). Bell introduced a minimalist, digital sound to much of the album, influenced by IDM and glitch. The album failed to achieve the same levels of sales as the band's previous three releases, and was the first studio album by Depeche Mode to chart higher in the U.S. than the UK, although it reached the Top 10 in both countries. The critical response to the album was mixed. Whilst it received reasonably positive reviews from some magazines (NME, Rolling Stone and L.A. Weekly), others (including Q, PopMatters, and Pitchfork Media) derided it as sounding underproduced, dull and lacklustre. "Depeche Mode: Exciter (2001): Reviews", Metacritic - Retrieved on 10 February 2007

In 2004, Mute released the DVD version of Devotional, filmed during their 1993 world tour, as well as a new remix compilation album Remixes 81 - 04 that compiled new and unreleased promo mixes of the band's singles from 1981 to 2004, including a reinterpreted version of "Enjoy the Silence" by Mike Shinoda entitled "Enjoy the Silence 04", which was released as a single, and reached #7 on the UK charts.

Playing the Angel (2005)

On 17 October 2005, the band released their 11th studio album Playing the Angel. Produced by Ben Hillier, this Top 10 hit (peaking at #1 in 17 countries) featured the hit single "Precious", peaking at #4 in the UK charts. The album was backed by the band's first in-store signing since 1990, on the day of release in New York City. This is the first Depeche Mode album to feature lyrics written by Gahan and, consequently, the first album since 1984's Some Great Reward featuring songs not written by Gore.

With a prototypical version having been leaked onto the Internet some months earlier, Depeche Mode single leaked online the official video for "Precious" was released on 12 September on the Depeche Mode website, www.depechemode.com. The second single from the album, "A Pain That I'm Used To," was released on 12 December, and the third single from the album was "Suffer Well," the first ever post-Clarke Depeche Mode single not to be written by Gore (lyrics by Gahan, music by Philpott/Eigner). The last single from the album was "John the Revelator", an uptempo electronic track with a running religious theme, accompanied by Lilian, a lush track that was a hit in many clubs all over the world.

concert in Bremen (Germany) in June 2006]]To promote Playing the Angel, the band launched the worldwide Touring the Angel in November 2005, taking them to North America and Europe. The tour continued through the first half of 2006. Depeche Mode also headlined both the 2006 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, in California, and the O2 Wireless Festival, which took place on the last weekend of June 2006 in London's Hyde Park. Some of the gigs were their first ever shows in certain countries like Romania and Bulgaria. In March 2006, the website announced two dates in Mexico (a country they had not visited for twelve years). More than 55,000 tickets for a stadium in Mexico City were sold immediately, causing the band to schedule another date for the same venue. Recordings of 43 of the shows were officially released on CDs. These limited edition Depeche Mode live albums published under the scheme title Recording the Angel were much sought after by collectors.

On 3 April 2006, remastered editions of Speak & Spell, Music for the Masses, and Violator were released, featuring remastered audio in two-channel stereo and 5.1 multichannel on Super Audio CD and DVD, extra tracks and B-sides. In addition, each album comes with its own documentary charting the history of the band and the production of each album. The second instalment of remastered albums were A Broken Frame, Some Great Reward and Songs of Faith and Devotion, all of which were released on 2 October 2006. Construction Time Again and Black Celebration were released on 26 March 2007. Both Ultra and Exciter were released on 1 October 2007.

On 25 September 2006 Depeche Mode released their live DVD-CD set Live in Milan, directed by Blue Leach and recorded at Milan's Fila Forum on 18 February, and 19 February 2006. The DVD has a full concert on disc 1, bonus live songs "A Question of Lust" and "Damaged People" along with a 20-minute documentary featuring Anton Corbijn, official tour announcement from Germany in the summer of 2005, and the Playing the Angel electronic press kit on disc 2, and disc 3 is a CD with live versions of tracks from Playing the Angel.

In addition, a "best-of" compilation was released in November 2006, entitled The Best Of, Volume 1 featuring a new single "Martyr", an outtake from the Playing the Angel sessions.

On 2 November, Depeche Mode received the MTV Europe Music Award in the Best Group category. During that same period Fletcher confirmed that the band was on a long break after the massive "Touring the Angel".

In December 2006, Depeche Mode were nominated for a Grammy Award, for Best Dance Recording, for "Suffer Well." This is their third Grammy Award nomination. The first being a Best Long Form Music Video award in 1995 for Devotional and the second being for Best Dance Recording for "I Feel Loved".

In mid-December 2006, iTunes released The Complete Depeche Mode as its fourth ever digital box-set (following The Complete U2 in 2004, The Complete Stevie Wonder in 2005, and The Collection earlier in 2006).

Sounds of the Universe (2009)

In August 2007, during promotion for Dave Gahan's second solo album, Hourglass, it was announced that Depeche Mode were heading back in studio in early 2008 to work on their upcoming twelfth studio album. New Depeche Mode album in the pipeline for 2008

In March 2008, rumours surfaced that Ben Hillier would be the producer of the forthcoming album. Depeche Mode return to studio with U2 producer Ben Hillier while Gahan wants to stop old suicide rumours In May 2008, the band returned to the studio to work on some songs that Martin Gore had been working on at his home studio in Santa Barbara, California.

In August 2008, it was announced that Depeche Mode were splitting from their long-term U.S. label, Warner Music, and will be signed to EMI Music worldwide.

At a press conference on 6 October 2008 at the Olympiastadion in Berlin BBC - Depeche Mode tour the band announced plans for its Tour of the Universe, the group’s first-ever stadium tour in which they will perform in 28 cities across 21 countries throughout Europe NME - Depeche Mode announce 2009 European tour and will commence on May 10, 2009 in Tel Aviv, Israel. Depeche Mode prepares for Tour of the Universe, by Kerri Mason, Reuters News, Published March 21, 2009. Dates in North America and a return to South America for the first time since the Exotic Tour of 1994 are to follow but have not yet been announced. Billboard - Depeche Mode Readies New CD, Tour At the press conference, clips from two new songs, "Wrong" and "Peace" were previewed. "Wrong" is a Dave Gahan-sung track with a lot of electronics, "Peace" a Gore/Gahan duet. http://www.dailymotion.com/YourUselessAdvice/video/x6zlq1_depeche-mode-wrong-peace_music

Posted on YouTube are videos shot by Andy Fletcher of the construction of a new song from the album. Depeche Mode present birth first song in 4 video postings

On 15 January 2009, the official Depeche Mode website announced that the new album would be called Sounds of the Universe. DEPECHE MODE ANNOUNCES THE RELEASE OF SOUNDS OF THE UNIVERSE APRIL 21, 2009. The album was released internationally on 20 April 2009 and in the U.S. on 21 April 2009. Depeche Mode leave Warner

"Wrong" is the first single from the album, released digitally on 21 February 2009, and physically on 6 April (7 April in the U.S.). The video is directed by Patrick Daughters.

The full album was leaked over the Internet on 26 March 2009, when it was sold ahead of time through iTunes Pass.

Andy Fletcher says the idea for their iTunes Pass was a combination of the band's and iTunes'. "I think the digital and record companies are starting to get their act together. They were very lazy in the first 10 years when downloads came in. Now they’re collaborating more and coming up with interesting ideas for fans to buy products." The Who's News Blog, April 21, 2009

Depeche Mode's Andy Fletcher has told the indie electronic magazine Side-Line that several demos from the band have gone missing Depeche Mode has lost several demos, including the one for 'Personal Jesus' - exclusive. One of the missing demos is "Personal Jesus".

Legacy and influence

Depeche Mode influenced many of today's popular recording artists, in part due to their recording techniques and innovative use of sampling. For example, Pet Shop Boys cited Violator (and "Enjoy the Silence" in particular) as one of the main sources of inspiration during recording of their critically acclaimed album Behaviour. Neil Tennant says, “We were listening to Violator by Depeche Mode, which was a very good album and we were deeply jealous of it.” Bandmate Chris Lowe agrees, “They had raised the stakes.”" 10 years of Being boring" - Retrieved on 9 September 2007. " Interviews - Behaviour - The end of the world", Absolutely Pet Shop Boys - Retrieved on 9 September 2007.

Techno pioneers Derrick May, Kevin Saunderson and Juan Atkins regularly cited Depeche Mode as an influence on the development of techno music during the Detroit Techno explosion in the mid 1980s.McCready, J., "Modus operandum", The Face, February 1989 Appreciation of Depeche Mode within today's electronic music scene is shown by the numerous Depeche Mode remixes by contemporary DJs such as Ricardo Villalobos' remix of "The Sinner in Me" or Kruder & Dorfmeister's remix of "Useless".

According to Matt Smith, the former music director of the modern-rock radio station KROQ, "The Killers, The Bravery, Franz Ferdinand — that whole wave of music owes a tremendous amount to Depeche Mode." " Depeche Mode", Washington Post (Sept 11, 2005) - Retrieved on 9 September 2007.

In an accompanying interview for his piece in The New Yorker evaluating the impact of British acts on the US market, Sasha Frere-Jones claims that "probably the last serious English influence was Depeche Mode, who seem more and more significant as time passes." "[4]", New Yorker (June 5, 2006) - Retrieved on 10 December 2008.

Radiohead frontman, Thom Yorke cites Depeche Mode as an influence with Mode's early 90's album, Violator.

Ken Jordan, member of the LA electronic duo The Crystal Method has said that Depeche Mode is one of The Crystal Method's main influences in music.

Chester Bennington, vocalist of Linkin Park, was inspired by the band. " Chester Bennington", mtv.com - Retrieved on 9 September 2007. " LINKIN PARK Singer Says Solo Album Will Have 'Driving Beats And Walls Of Guitars' - Aug. 19, 2005", BLABBERMOUTH.NET - Retrieved on 9 September 2007. Another Linkin Park member Mike Shinoda has said, "Depeche Mode is one of the most influential groups of our time. Their music is an inspiration to me..." " Depeche Mode "Remixes 81-04"", [5] - Retrieved on 9 September 2007.

The band's influence is spread throughout different genres of music. Raymond Herrera, the drummer of the heavy metal band Fear Factory, says, "A lot of different music influenced the way I play now. Like the band Depeche Mode. If I could sound like Depeche Mode, but be fast like Slayer, I think I might be onto something".Anthony Roldan, " An exclusive interview with Fear Factory's Raymond Herrera", PROG4YOU - Retrieved on 12 September 2007. According to Darren Smith, the guitarist of the post-hardcore band Funeral for a Friend, "dark, moodier stuff" in his band's music was "Depeche Mode-influenced."Tony Pascarella, " Darren Smith of Funeral For A Friend", The Trades - Retrieved on 12 September 2007. Depeche Mode's influence on heavy metal bands is clear through the numerous covers of their songs. Examples include Lacuna Coil's cover of "Enjoy the Silence", Arsis' cover of "The Things You Said", Rammstein's "Stripped", Marilyn Manson's "Personal Jesus", A Perfect Circle's "People are People", Sonata Arctica's "World in My Eyes" and In Flames' "Everything Counts". Other artists to have covered the band's songs include Tori Amos ("Enjoy the Silence"), Johnny Cash ("Personal Jesus") and more recently The Saturdays ("Just Can't Get Enough").

In August 2008, Coldplay released a "cover version" of the video for "Enjoy the Silence" as an alternate video for their single "Viva la Vida". On their website where the video is shown, they are quoted as saying, "This is our attempt at a video cover version, made out of love for Depeche Mode and the genius of Anton Corbijn." The video shows Chris Martin dressed as a king like Dave Gahan, walking through The Hague, Anton Corbijn's place of birth.

In May 2009 a massive Depeche Mode tribute compilation "Alfa Matrix re:covered" will be released (Release date: May 15th, 2009) holding 32 covers by bands such as FRONT 242, Komor Kommando, Ayria etc www.depeche-mode-tribute.com. A special free DJ EP is available as well but only for online orders.

Live supporting musicians

• Peter Gordeno – keyboards, occasional electric bass and electric guitar (1998—Present)
• Christian Eigner – occasional songwriting, drums (1997—Present)
• Jordan Bailey – backing vocals (1998–2001)
• Hildia Campbell – backing vocals (1993–1994)
• Samantha Smith – backing vocals (1993–1994)
• Daryl Bamonte – keyboards (1994)
• Dave Clayton – keyboards (1997)
• Janet Ramus – backing vocals (1998)
• Georgia Lewis – backing vocals (2001)

Between 1998 and 2010, both Gordeno and Eigner were/going to be present on four consecutive tours; with Eigner on drums (and contributing to some of the songwriting on Playing the Angel and Sounds of the Universe with Gahan and Andrew Philpott) and Gordeno on keyboards.

Discography

• Speak & Spell (1981)
• A Broken Frame (1982)
• Construction Time Again (1983)
• Some Great Reward (1984)
• Black Celebration (1986)
• Music for the Masses (1987)
• Violator (1990)
• Songs of Faith and Devotion (1993)
• Ultra (1997)
• Exciter (2001)
• Playing the Angel (2005)
• Sounds of the Universe (2009)

See also

• Depeche Mode tours
• List of artists who reached number one on the US Dance chart

References

• Miller, Jonathan. Stripped: The True Story of Depeche Mode. Omnibus Press, 2004. ISBN 1-84449-415-2

Footnotes

Further reading

• Corbijn, Anton. Depeche Mode: Strangers. Prentice Hall, 1990. ISBN 0-7119-2493-7
• Malins, Steve. Depeche Mode : A Biography. Cooper Square Press, 2001. ISBN 0-8154-1142-1
• Thompson, Dave. Depeche Mode : Some Great Reward. Pan Macmillan, 1995. ISBN 0-283-06243-6
• Zill, Didi. Depeche Mode. Photographs 1982-87. Schwarzkopf & Schwarzkopf, 2004. ISBN 3-89602-491-4

External links

1980s music groups1990s music groups2000s music groupsBritish electronic music groupsBritish New Wave music groupsEnglish dance music groupsMusical groups established in 1980Post-punkSynthpopWarner Music Group artists

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