Depeche Mode extracted from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia, distributed under the GNU Free Documentation License

This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. Please improve this article if you can. (February 2010)

This article's introduction section may not adequately summarize its contents. To comply with Wikipedia's lead section guidelines, please consider expanding the lead to provide an accessible overview of the article's key points. (December 2009)

Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode live the O2 Wireless Festival in June 2006 in London's Hyde Park.
Background information
Origin	Basildon, Essex, England, UK
Genres	Synth pop Synth rock New Wave
Years active	1980 – present
Labels	Mute Records Capitol Records EMI Records Sire Records Reprise Records Some Bizzare Records Hansa Records
Associated acts	Dave Gahan Martin Gore Yazoo Erasure Recoil
Website	www.depechemode.com
Members
David Gahan Martin Gore Andrew Fletcher
Former members
Vince Clarke (1980-1981) Alan Wilder (1982-1995)

Depeche Mode (IPA: [dɛˈpɛʃ], de-PESH) are an English electronic band who formed in 1980, in Basildon, Essex. The group's original line-up consisted of 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 (keyboards, drums, production) with Gore taking over songwriting. Wilder left the band in 1995 and since then Gahan, Gore, and Fletcher have continued as a trio.

Depeche Mode are one of the most successful, influential, longest-lived bands from the early 1980s. They have had forty-seven songs in the UK Singles Chart and #1 albums in UK, US and throughout Europe. According to EMI, Depeche Mode have sold over 100 million albums and singles worldwide¹, making them the most successful electronic music group in music history.²³Q Magazine calls Depeche Mode "The most popular electronic band the world has ever known".⁴

Contents 1 History 1.1 Formation (1977-80) 2 The Eighties 2.1 Speak & Spell (1981) 2.2 Clarke departs, Wilder joins (1981/1982) 2.3 A Broken Frame (1982) 2.4 Construction Time Again (1983) 2.5 Some Great Reward (1984) 2.6 Black Celebration (1986) 2.7 Music for the Masses (1987) 2.7.1 101 (1988) 3 The Nineties 3.1 Violator (1990) 3.2 Songs of Faith and Devotion (1993) 3.3 Wilder's departure (1995) 3.4 Ultra (1997) 4 Depeche Mode in the 21st Century 4.1 Exciter (2001) 4.2 Playing the Angel (2005) 4.3 Sounds of the Universe (2009) 5 Legacy and influence 6 Discography 7 Videography 8 Touring musicians 9 Notable instruments 10 See also 11 References 12 Footnotes 13 Further reading 14 External links

History

Formation (1977-80)

Depeche Mode's origins date back to 1977, when Vince Clarke and Andrew Fletcher formed a band called No Romance in China, with Clarke on vocals and guitar and Fletcher on bass.⁵ In 1979, Clarke played guitar in an "Ultravox rip-off band", The Plan, with friends Robert Marlow and Paul Langwith.⁶ In 1978–79, Gore played in an acoustic duo, Norman and The Worms, with school friend Philip Burdett on vocals and Gore on guitar.⁷ 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. On 31 May 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 or borrow 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 were 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."⁸ The band made their recording debut on the Some Bizzare Album, with the song "Photographic", later re-recorded for their debut album, Speak & Spell.

The Eighties

Speak & Spell (1981)

While playing a live gig at the Bridge House in Canning Town,⁹ the band were approached by Daniel Miller (an electronic musician and founder of Mute Records), who was interested in them recording a single for his burgeoning label.¹⁰ The result of this verbal contract was their first single "Dreaming of Me", recorded in December 1980 and 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 and was the first Depeche Mode song to get a music video. It is the only Depeche Mode video with Vince Clarke. 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",¹¹ while Rolling Stone was more critical, calling the album "PG-rated fluff".¹²

Clarke departs, Wilder joins (1981/1982)

During the touring and promotion for Speak & Spell, Clarke began privately to voice his discomfort at the direction the band were taking. He later expressed his agitation that "there was never enough time to do anything".¹³ In November 1981, Clarke publicly announced that he was leaving Depeche Mode.¹⁴ 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; it subsequently went to UK #2 for Clarke's new band, Yazoo),¹⁵ Gore, who had written "Tora! Tora! Tora!" and "Big Muff" for Speak & Spell, was forced to become the band's new songwriter.¹⁶

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.¹⁷

A Broken Frame (1982)

	"See You" (1982) A short sample of "See You"
Problems listening to this file? See media help.

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.¹⁸ 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.¹⁹ 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 (where much of David Bowie's trilogy of seminal electronic albums featuring Brian Eno had been produced). The album saw a dramatic shift in the group's sound, due in part to Wilder's introduction of the Synclavier and Emulator samplers, in addition to their previously-used analogue synths.²⁰ 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.²¹

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,²² which got to number six in the UK, also reaching the Top 30 in Ireland, South Africa, Switzerland, Sweden and West Germany. Wilder also contributed on the songwriting front, notably on "The Landscape Is Changing" and "Two Minute Warning".

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 West Germany, where it was used as the theme to West German TV's coverage of the 1984 Olympics. However, it belatedly reached #13 on the U.S. charts in mid-1985. The song has since become an anthem for the LGBT community and is regularly played at gay establishments and gay pride festivals.²³

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."²⁴ 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, and later became the first single sung by Gore. The album was also their first to enter the U.S. album charts, and made the Top 10 in several European countries.

The World We Live In and Live in Hamburg was the band's first video release. It's an almost complete film of a concert from their 1984 Some Great Reward Tour, in Hamburg, Germany. It was directed by Clive Richardson.²⁵

In 1985, Mute Records released a compilation, The Singles 81>85 (Catching Up with Depeche Mode in the U.S.), which included the new hit 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, KQAK ("The Quake") in San Francisco and WLIR on Long Island, New York, and hence, they appealed primarily to a alternative audience who were disenfranchised with the predominance of "soft rock and 'disco hell'"²⁶ 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.²⁷ In Germany and other European countries, Depeche Mode were considered teen idols, and were regularly featured in euro teen magazines.

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".²⁸.

The music video for "A Question of Time" was the first to be directed by Anton Corbijn,²⁹ beginning a working relationship that continues to the present day. Corbijn 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 album and single covers. "But Not Tonight", the B-side to "Stripped" was released in October as the third single for the US. It did not chart.

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),³⁰ 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.³¹ 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"³² and it made a breakthrough in the American market, something which the band had failed to achieve with their previous albums.

The group embarked on the Music for the Masses Tour in 1987–88. On 7 March 1988 they played an unofficial gig (as it was not officially announced that Depeche Mode were the band performing that night) in the Werner-Seelenbinder-Halle, East Berlin. By that time the communist regime were still in power and Depeche Mode were among the very few western bands that ever played in former East Germany (GDR).

101 (1988)

The world tour culminated on 18 June 1988 in a concert at the Pasadena Rose Bowl with paid attendance of 60,453³³³⁴(the highest in eight years for the venue). The tour meant a 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, notable for its portrayal of fan interaction. Became a bestseller in 1989 and is considered a live document of their 1981—1987 recording years³⁵³⁶. Group member Alan Wilder is credited with coming up with the name; the performance was the 101st and final performance of the tour (and coincidentally also a famous highway in the area).³⁷

The Nineties

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 up to that point.³⁸ The song was inspired by the book Elvis and Me by Priscilla Presley. According to songwriter Martin Gore: "It's a song about being a Jesus for somebody else, someone to give you hope and care. It's about how Elvis was her man and her mentor and how often that happens in love relationships; how everybody's heart is like a god in some way, and that's not a very balanced view of someone, is it?"³⁹

	Depeche Mode "Enjoy the Silence" (1990) 26 second sample from Depeche Mode's "Enjoy the Silence".
Problems listening to this file? See media help.

In January 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 whom were injured by being pressed against the store's glass by the crowd, and nearly caused a riot.⁴⁰ As an apology to the fans who were injured, the band released a limited edition cassette tape to 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. This album is the first of the band to achieve the Top 10 on the Billboard 200—reaching #7—and staying 74 weeks in the chart. It has also been certified triple platinum in America, selling over 3.9 million units there. As of 2009, Violator has sold more than 10.8 million copies. It remains the band's best selling album worldwide.

The subsequent World Violation Tour sold 40,000 tickets 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 hits in the U.K. with the former also charting in the U.S.

There were six videos for songs from Violator. There is one for each of the four singles "Personal Jesus", "Enjoy the Silence" , "World in My Eyes" and "Policy of Truth", plus two bonus videos, for "Halo" and "Clean", exclusive to Strange Too⁴¹, directed by Anton Corbijn, released in 1990.

Violator had reached number 17 on the Billboard Year End chart of 1990.⁴²

In 2003, the album was ranked number 342 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. It is included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. Also, the most successful song from the album, "Personal Jesus", was ranked number 368 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. It is also on Q's 1001 Best Songs Ever.⁴³

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).⁴⁴ Live strings, uilleann 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. following the release of bluesy, grunge-influenced single "I Feel You". The other singles, "Walking in My Shoes" and "In Your Room" were also influenced by grunge, while "Condemnation" highlighted another influence on the album, gospel. The music video for "One Caress" was frequently broadcast on MTV's Alternative Rock video block 120 Minutes. On 2 September 1993, "I Feel You" was nominated (it didn't win) in the MTV Video Music Awards.⁴⁵ As of 2009, Songs of Faith and Devotion has sold more than 1,450,000 units in the United States.

The Devotional⁴⁶ world tour followed. It was documented by a concert film of the same name⁴⁷. The film was directed by Anton Corbijn and earned the band their first Grammy nomination for Grammy Award for Best Long Form Music Video in 1995.⁴⁸ This tour was particularly notable for the personal troubles the band members were struggling with at the time, most notably Dave Gahan's heroin addiction. A second live album, Songs of Faith and Devotion Live was released 6 December 1993⁴⁹. 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. This album was not successful commercially. It was one of very few such missteps in the band's long career. Reaching #46 in the UK, it reached #193 in the U.S.⁴⁹, selling 150,000 units there as of 2009.

The tour continued into 1994 with the Exotic Tour, which began on 9 February 1994, in South Africa and took the band to many countries they had not previously performed in, ending on 16 April in Mexico. A fourth leg of Devotional, comprising more North American dates, followed shortly thereafter and ran until July.

Dave Gahan's heroin addiction was starting to affect his behaviour, causing him to become more erratic and introverted. Martin Gore experienced seizures and Andy Fletcher declined to participate in the second half of the Exotic 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.⁵⁰

As a whole, the Devotional Tour is to date the longest and most geographically ambitious Depeche Mode world concert tour, spanning eighteen months and 162 individiual performances.

Wilder's departure (1995)

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

“

Since joining in 1982, I have continually striven to give total energy, enthusiasm and commitment to the furthering of the group's success and in spite of a consistent imbalance in the distribution of the workload, willingly offered this. Unfortunately, within the group, this level of input never received the respect and acknowledgement that it warrants.51

”

He 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)

	Depeche Mode "It's No Good" (1997) 30 second sample from Depeche Mode's "It's No Good".
Problems listening to this file? See media help.

Despite Gahan's increasingly severe personal issues, Gore tried repeatedly during 1995 and 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.⁵² In mid-1996, Gahan entered a drug rehabilitation program to battle his heroin addiction.⁵³ 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. "Home" and "Useless" were also released from the album, becoming a double A-side in the US.

To promote the album the band perfomed two short concerts known as the "Ultra Parties".⁵⁴

In 1997 the band launched their official website.⁵⁵

The long period which separated this album from the previous was due to David Gahan's near death and recovery from addiction to drugs. These two events caused many to speculate about the end of Depeche Mode.⁵⁶

A second singles compilation The Singles 86–98 was released in 1998, preceded by the new single "Only When I Lose Myself", which had been recorded during the Ultra sessions. On April 20th, Depeche Mode held a press conference at the Hyatt Hotel in Cologne, Germany, to announce the Singles Tour.⁵⁷ The band set off on a four month tour. With the compilation made a short tour, The Singles Tour⁵⁸, for which he recruited two backing musicians in place of Alan Wilder, Austrian drummer Christian Eigner who had played in the Ultra Parties and keyboardist Peter Gordeno.

Also in 1998, the tribute album For the Masses was released. It featured Depeche Mode covers by among others The Smashing Pumpkins, The Cure and The Deftones.

In 1999 Martin Gore was presented with an award for "International Achievement", by the British Academy of Composers & Songwriters, at the 44th Ivor Ivor Novello Awards, at The Grosvenor House Hotel in Park Lane. Martin was presented with his award by Daniel Miller, whose speech commended Martin's work as Depeche Mode's songwriter, and the fact that for nearly 20 years the band have managed to connect, through their music, with people all over the world.

Depeche Mode in the 21st Century

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. "Dream On", "I Feel Loved", "Freelove" and "Goodnight Lovers" were released as singles in 2001 and 2002. The critical response to the album was mixed. Whilst it received reasonably positive reviews from some magazines (NME, Rolling Stone and LA Weekly), others (including Q, PopMatters, and Pitchfork Media) derided it as sounding underproduced, dull and lacklustre.⁵⁹, and on tours following the Exciter Tour (Touring the Angel and Tour of the Universe), the band have chosen to play only one ("Goodnight Lovers") or no songs whatsoever from the Exciter album.

On March 13th, 2001 Depeche Mode held a press conference at the Valentino Hotel in Hamburg, Germany, to announce the Exciter Tour.⁶⁰. The concerts held in Paris in the Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy were filmed and later released in May 2002 as a live DVD entitled One Night in Paris. It was directed and filmed by Anton Corbijn, and released in 2002.⁶¹

The band won the first-ever Q Magazine "Innovation Award" on 22 October 2002.⁶²

The band performed on the 2001 MTV Europe Music Awards. The band were also nominated for the "Best Band Website" award, but lost to Limp Bizkit.⁶³

Depeche Mode won the "Best International Artist" award at the "Viva COMET Awards", broadcast August 18, 2001 (the other nominees were Destiny's Child, Madonna, Jennifer Lopez and U2).⁶⁴

In 2003 Dave Gahan made his first solo album,Paper Monsters, where he composed much of his own songs and with which even went on tour. Also released in 2003 was the second solo album by Martin Gore's Counterfeit².⁶⁵ Andrew Fletcher also founded his own record label,Toast Hawaii,specializing in promoting electronic music, where is the duet Client.

A new remix compilation album Remixes 81–04 was released in 2004. It collected 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 June 16th, 2005 Depeche Mode held a press conference at the LTU Arena in Düsseldorf, Germany, to announce the "Touring the Angel".⁶⁶

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,⁶⁷ 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 song, re-recorded in Simlish, was also included in the Open for Business expansion pack for the hit game, The Sims 2.⁶⁸ 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.

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, causing the band to schedule another date for the same venue. In total, the band played to more than 2.8 million people across 31 countries⁶⁹⁷⁰. Speaking about the tour, Gahan praised it as "probably the most enjoyable, rewarding live show we've ever done. The new material was just waiting to be played live. It took on a life of its own. With the energy of the crowds, it just came to life".⁷¹ Recordings of 43 of the shows were released on CD under the title Recording the Angel⁷². Touring the Angel was one of the most successful, highly grossing and critically acclaimed tours of 2005/06.⁷³

On 25 September 2006 Depeche Mode released their live DVD-CD set Touring the Angel: Live in Milan, directed by Blue Leach and recorded at Milan's Fila Forum on 18 February, and 19 February 2006.

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 category⁷⁴. 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." 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 Bob Dylan: The Collection earlier in 2006).

Sounds of the Universe (2009)

On May 11 2007, Dave performed at The Music Box (at the Henry Fonda Theater, in Hollywood, CA.) for the "Third Annual MusiCares MAP Fund Benefit Concert To Honor Chris Cornell and Jeff McClusky".⁷⁵

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.⁷⁶

In March 2008, rumours surfaced that Ben Hillier would be the producer of the forthcoming album.⁷⁷ 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, Germany,⁷⁸ the band announced plans for its Tour of the Universe⁷⁹, which commenced on 6 May 2009 with a warm-up show at Rockhal, Luxembourg.⁸⁰ and officially started on 10 May 2009 at Ramat Gan Stadium, Israel since the appearance at the venue which would have been the final one during the Touring the Angel tour was cancelled due to political instability in the region,.⁸¹ Dates in North America and a return to South America for the first time since the Exotic Tour of 1994 were announced in early 2009. Two new songs, "Wrong" and "Peace", were previewed at the press conference.⁸²

Posted on YouTube are videos shot by Andy Fletcher of various activities in the studio, whilst the album was being made.⁸³

On 15 January 2009, the official Depeche Mode website announced that the new album would be called Sounds of the Universe.⁸⁴. The album was released internationally on 20 April 2009 and in the U.S. on 21 April 2009.⁸⁵

The single officially debuted on February 21, 2009, when the band performed at the Echo Awards in Germany.⁸⁶

"Wrong" was 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 was directed by Patrick Daughters.

"Wrong" has received a positive response on United States alternative rock radio, becoming one of the 30 most-played songs in its first week of release.⁸⁷

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." ⁸⁸

"Peace" was the second single from Sounds of the Universe; it was released on 15 June 2009 as a European only single. Later that summer, "Perfect" was released as a promotional-only (non-commercial) single in the U.S.

On 14 May 2009, Depeche Mode announced they had been forced to cancel six shows on their Tour of the Universe due to further complications from singer Dave Gahan's severe bout of gastroenteritis. On 28 May 2009, Depeche Mode announced that Dave Gahan recovered from gastroenteritis after doctors found a "low-grade malignant tumour" in his bladder during tests and removed it.⁸⁹ Also, doctors ordered him to rest until 8 June, when the band resumed touring starting in Leipzig, Germany.

On 9 July 2009, Gahan suffered a leg injury at a gig in Bilbao, Spain. This forced the band to cancel the final two shows of the European tour, one of which was scheduled for two days after, in Oporto, Portugal. In July 2009, the group commenced a tour of the U.S. and Canada, which featured a headline slot at the Lollapalooza Festival in Chicago⁹⁰.

As with the previous tour, recordings of some of the Touring the Universe concerts were made available in double CD format or as digital downloads under the generic name Recording the Universe⁹¹.

On 30 September 2009, "Wrong" has been nominated in both the "Best Rock Video" category and the "Best Visual Effects In A Video" category! in the "UK MVA" Award.⁹²

"Fragile Tension / Hole to Feed", a double A-side single was released as the third single from Sounds of the Universe on 7 December 2009.

On 3 December 2009, "Sounds of the Universe" was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Alternative Album. They received a second nomination for the video "Wrong" : for Best Short Form Music Video at the 52nd Grammy Awards.

Perfect, the US-only promotional single hit #1 on the US Dance Chart, becoming the band's 9th #1 single on that chart.

Depeche Mode announced a Concert For Teenage Cancer Trust in the Royal Albert Hall the 17 February 2010.⁹³

As reported by Billboard, Tour of the Universe has become one of the 25 most profitable in 2009. The list headed by U2 and Madonna compares gross revenues billed by artists who were on tour between 6 December 2008 and 21 November 2009. Depeche Mode is located in 20th place in the list, with a total gross revenue of $45,658,648.⁹⁴

Legacy and influence

Depeche Mode became "The most popular electronic band the world has ever known" according to Q magazine and "One of the greatest British pop groups of all time" according to Sunday Telegraph.⁹⁵⁹⁶

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”.⁹⁷⁹⁸

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.⁹⁹ 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."¹⁰⁰

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."¹⁰¹

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.¹⁰²

Chester Bennington, vocalist of Linkin Park, was inspired by the band.¹⁰³¹⁰⁴ 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..."¹⁰⁵

Industrial Metal band Dope covered the song "People Are People" on their 2005 album, American Apathy.

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".¹⁰⁶ 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."¹⁰⁷

Colombian singer Shakira is also highly influenced by Depeche Mode. Ximena Diego, the author of the book Shakira - Woman Full of Grace wrote in this book: "At thirteen Shakira especially liked Depeche Mode, an electronic rock band from Great Britain. One day she was listening to the band's song, "Enjoy the Silence". She noticed that she was not only hearing the music but also feeling the music in her body. She said to her mother, "Every time I hear that guitar riff [a rhythmic musical phrase] I feel this weird thing in my stomach".¹⁰⁸

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.

"I feel more connected to Depeche Mode" (compared to other acts of the 80s) claimed Magne Furuholmen, the keyboardist of a-ha. In July 2009, a-ha performed a cover of "A Question of Lust" during a live performance for BBC Radio 2 - The Dermot O'Leary Show.¹⁰⁹

Christian rock band Mad at the World leader Roger Rose cited the band as an influence musically, although lyrically he was very different, on the band's first disc Mad At The World.¹¹⁰

They are featured in the hit game, Left 4 Dead 2, in which Rochelle wears a Depeche Mode shirt which is also an unlockable avatar item. They also provide some of the soundtrack.¹¹¹

The Posters Came from the Walls is a documentary about Depeche Mode fans around the world co-directed by Turner Prize winning artist Jeremy Deller and filmmaker Nicholas Abrahams.

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)

Videography

Like all groups and musicians of their generation, Depeche Mode have supported their career with music videos¹¹².

In 1986 the band chose celebrated photographer and director Anton Corbijn to direct "A Question of Time", since then Depeche Mode have had an enduring relationship with Corbijn, with Corbijn directing many more of their videos.

Touring musicians

• Peter Gordeno – keyboards, backing vocals (1998—present)
• Christian Eigner – drums, keyboards (1997—present)
• Daryl Bamonte – keyboards (1994)
• Dave Clayton – keyboards (1997)
• Hildia Campbell – backing vocals (1993–1994)
• Samantha Smith – backing vocals (1993–1994)
• Jordan Bailey – backing vocals (1998 & 2001)
• Janet Ramus – backing vocals (1998)
• Georgia Lewis – backing vocals (2001)

Notable instruments

Depeche Mode is considered one of the best exponents of the genre of electronic music. Notable instruments used by the band over the years include: Minimoog, ARP 2600, Yamaha Dx7, Roland Juno 106, Oberheim Matrix 12, Prophet 5, Gretsch guitars.

Martin Gore plays a Gretsch guitar in most live performances.

See also

• Depeche Mode tours
• List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. dance chart

References

• Miller, Jonathan. Stripped: The True Story of Depeche Mode. Omnibus Press, 2004. ISBN 1-84449-415-2
• Corbijn, Anton, Depeche Mode: Strangers, 1990, Prentice Hall, ISBN 0-7119-2493-7

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

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Depeche Mode

• Official website
• Old official website
• The Official Depeche Mode MySpace.com page

v • d • e Depeche Mode Dave Gahan · Martin Gore · Andrew Fletcher Former members: Vince Clarke · Alan Wilder Touring members: Christian Eigner · Peter Gordeno Studio albums Speak & Spell · A Broken Frame · Construction Time Again · Some Great Reward · Black Celebration · Music for the Masses · Violator · Songs of Faith and Devotion · Ultra · Exciter · Playing the Angel · Sounds of the Universe Compilation albums People Are People · The Singles 81→85 · Catching Up With Depeche Mode · Greatest Hits  · The Singles 86>98 · Remixes 81–04 · The Best of – Volume 1 · The Complete Depeche Mode Live albums 101 · Songs of Faith and Devotion Live · Recording the Angel · Recording the Universe Singles "Dreaming of Me" · "New Life" · "Just Can't Get Enough" · "See You" · "The Meaning of Love" · "Leave in Silence" · "Get the Balance Right!" · "Everything Counts" · "Love, in Itself" · "People Are People" · "Master and Servant" · "Blasphemous Rumours"/"Somebody" · "Shake the Disease" · "It's Called a Heart" · "Stripped" · "A Question of Lust" · "A Question of Time" · "But Not Tonight (US)" · "Strangelove" · "Never Let Me Down Again" · "Behind the Wheel" · "Little 15" · "Strangelove'88 (US)" · "Everything Counts (Live)" · "Personal Jesus" · "Enjoy the Silence" · "Policy of Truth" · "World in My Eyes" · "I Feel You" · "Walking in My Shoes" · "Condemnation" · "In Your Room" · "Barrel of a Gun" · "It's No Good" · "Home" · "Useless" · "Only When I Lose Myself" · "Dream On" · "I Feel Loved" · "Freelove" · "Goodnight Lovers" · "Enjoy the Silence 04" · "Precious" · "A Pain That I'm Used To" · "Suffer Well" · "John the Revelator"/"Lilian" · "Martyr" · "Wrong" · "Peace" · "Fragile Tension"/"Hole to Feed Videos The World We Live In and Live in Hamburg · Some Great Videos · Strange · 101 · Strange Too · Devotional · The Videos 86>98 · One Night in Paris · Touring the Angel: Live in Milan · The Best of Depeche Mode Videos Tours 1980 Tour · 1981 Tour · See You Tour · A Broken Frame Tour · Construction Time Again Tour · Some Great Reward Tour · Black Celebration Tour · Music for the Masses Tour · World Violation Tour · Devotional Tour · Exotic Tour/Summer Tour '94 · Ultra Parties · The Singles Tour · Exciter Tour · Touring the Angel · Tour of the Universe Tribute albums I Sometimes Wish I Was Famous · For the Masses · Color Theory Presents Depeche Mode · Goth Electro Tribute to Depeche Mode · Techno Tribute to Depeche Mode · Electronic Tribute to Depeche Mode · String Quartet Tribute to Depeche Mode · Enjoy the Sounds (A Tribute to Depeche Mode) · Destruction Time Again by Louis Guidone Related articles Depeche Mode discography · Depeche Mode videography · Awards and nominations · Synthpop · Mute Records (discography)