Here’s some history which few people remember but since Ben Watkins (Juno Reactor) mentioned it on his Facebook page – and since many think it’s an April Fools joke – we are going to unearth some old history also including Alan Wilder (ex-Depeche Mode, Recoil) and a band called The Hitmen.

The Hitmen were an English new wave band formed in 1979. They released seven singles and two albums on the Columbia label. Members of the band would later go on to have successful careers in other notable bands and in music production.

The band was formed in 1979 and consisted of members Ben Watkins (vocals, guitar), Pete Glenister (guitar), Stan Shaw (keyboards), Neil Brockbank (bass) and Mike Gaffey (drums). Shaw and Brockbank were later replaced by Alan Wilder (indeed) and John Jay (of Ian Mitchell Band) respectively. Alan Wilder had ended up with the band after playing in the bands The Dragons, Daphne & The Tenderspots, Real to Real and The Flatbackers.

In Australia, the band were known as The London Hitmen due to a naming conflict with the local band of the same name.

The band released two studio albums; “Aim for the Feet” in 1980 and “Torn Together” in 1981. The 1981 single “Bates Motel” became a minor hit, being played widely on UK radio and having its video featured on the newly-launched MTV channel in the United States.

After The Hitmen Ben Watkins went on to join Brilliant then later form the electronic bands the Flowerpot Men and Juno Reactor, as well as working with Killing Joke’s Martin ‘Youth’ Glover in the duo The Empty Quarter. Pete Glenister went on to play guitar, write and produce for other artists such as Kirsty MacColl, Alison Moyet, Terence Trent D’Arby, Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Bruce Foxton, Fischer-Z and Bryan Ferry, among many others. Alan Wilder became the keyboardist for Depeche Mode in 1982, produced Nitzer Ebb and then continued his solo project Recoil (which he had started in 1986) after leaving the band in 1995. Neil Brockbank became an audio engineer and producer for many artists including Nick Lowe, Mary Coughlan, Alison Moyet, Tanita Tikaram, Bryan Ferry and Ocean Colour Scene. He died in 2017 of cancer.

Here are two tracks featuring Alan Wilder and Ben Watkins.

Further production work and collaborations from Alan Wilder

Throughout his career, Alan Wilder has been involved in numerous collaborations. In 1989, he produced the Euro-Tech Version of Toni Halliday’s “Time Turns Around”. Two years later, in 1991, Wilder created the Wilder Mix Full Version of Nitzer Ebb’s “I Give to You” and mixed Nitzer Ebb’s “Come Alive” for their “As Is” EP. That same year, Wilder and Flood joined forces to produce Nitzer Ebb’s “Ebbhead” album.

Fast forward to 2001, Wilder contributed strings and ambient sounds to the song “Polaroid” from the album “Gift” by Curve. A couple of years later, in 2003, he provided strings and sounds for The Digital Intervention’s track “Coma Idyllique” from the album “Capture”. One of its members is ‘PK’, a longtime collaborator of Recoil, which also includes Olivia Louvel.

In 2010, he produced a remix for Nitzer Ebb’s “I Am Undone”. Following that, in 2011, he revisited his Depeche Mode roots by remixing their song “In Chains”, which became an instant fan favourite. That same year, he also created the Expansion Mix for Sonoio’s “Minutes.”

In 2012, Wilder took part in covering two tracks for a Talk Talk tribute album (double) CD/book set called “Spirit of Talk Talk”. The tracks were “Inheritance” featuring Linton Kwesi Johnson & Paul Marshall and “Dum Dum Girl” featuring Shara Worden. Additionally, he became the executive music producer for the album.

In 2016, Wilder provided music and arrangements for “Calling the Clock” by Dede, featuring his contributions as well.

About Ben Watkins

In 1979 Ben Watkins fronted the London new wave band The Hitmen, singing and playing guitar. The group released the albums “Aim for the Feet” in 1980 and “Torn Together” in 1981, while the single “Bates Motel” became their best-known release. After The Hitmen, Watkins moved briefly into Brilliant, the band formed by Martin “Youth” Glover after leaving Killing Joke.

That period led directly into Watkins’ first fully electronic work. He met Youth in 1982, joined Brilliant for a short spell, toured the UK and Spain, and then recorded with him as The Youth & Ben Watkins on “The Empty Quarter”. That 1984 release was issued as the soundtrack to Jonathan Moore’s stage play “Street Captives”. A second album, “Delirium”, followed under the name The Empty Quarter and musically went further into a rhythm-led electronic direction.

Watkins then formed The Flowerpot Men with Adam Peters. That project produced the singles and EPs “Jo’s So Mean”, “Walk On Gilded Splinters”, “Alligator Bait”, and “Watching the Pharoahs”. The duo toured with Dead Or Alive and Siouxsie and the Banshees. Not surprisingly Steven Severin produced their debut single. The Flowerpot Men also recorded “Beat City”, which was used in “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off”. When Watkins and Peters signed to Polydor, they continued as Sunsonic and released the album “Melting Down On Motor Angel” in 1990.

Juno Reactor began in 1990 as Watkins’ art-driven project, with the first single “Laughing Gas” arriving in 1993 followed by the albums “Transmissions” (1993), “Luciana” (1994), “Beyond the Infinite” (1995), “Bible of Dreams” (1997), “Shango” (2000), “Labyrinth” (2004), “Gods & Monsters” (2008), “The Golden Sun of the Great East” (2013), and “The Mutant Theatre” (2018). Across that period, Juno Reactor released material through NovaMute, Inter-Modo, Blue Room Released, and later Metropolis Records.

Watkins’ work with Juno Reactor later entered film on a larger scale through “The Matrix Reloaded” and “The Matrix Revolutions”, which is why “Mona Lisa Overdrive” remains one of the key titles in his catalogue.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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The Devout – the UK Depeche Mode tribute featuring Reza Udhin, Keith Trigwell and Barclay Quarton – sat down with Alan Wilder (ex-Depeche Mode; Recoil) for a technical, candid interview about tools, touring, archives and the state of modern production.

Recorded in September 2025, the exchange with Alan Wilder focuses on practical craft rather than nostalgia, with Wilder addressing AI, sampling, and why authenticity in live tribute shows still matters. Here are some of the elements discussed in the interview, but make sure to read the complete interview as it holds a lot more info, including info on how “Death’s Door” was recorded, a Killing Joke studio surprise in Berlin, and much much more.

Modern music tools, AI and creativity

Asked how modern tools affect creativity, Alan Wilder was unequivocal: “All tools are exactly that – devices to be used intelligently and to one’s advantage. Good tools make tasks easier and… should tickle the imagination.” He traced a through-line from multitrack expansion to early synthesisers and digital sampling, noting that innovation arrives when “the creatives who understand what a tool is… apply sharp human ideas.”

On AI, Wilder called it “an incredibly powerful tool that may be used to one’s advantage if utilised by creative minds,” while stressing the need for safeguards: “AI has worrying connotations… musicians and artists may be exploited and abused… Copyright is complicated.”

Reflecting on Depeche Mode’s classic studio tactics – re-amping through PAs, unusual reverbs, found-sound sampling – Wilder said he wouldn’t impose limits today: “I would use AI technology as well as performance, electronics, sampling, digital processing – anything and everything if appropriate to the ideas/songs.” He added a practical caveat about chasing perfection past its peak: “The tipping point of boredom can work against you… passing the peak of a good idea and travelling up your own arse!”

Recoil masters recovered – and a cautious “you never know”

With EMU digital multitrack machines revived and Recoil multis for “Bloodline” (1992) and parts of “Unsound Methods” (1997) transferred, Wilder acknowledged the possibility of new work: “I make absolutely no promises… I have been thinking… of remixing some earlier works or reworking something… But this may not happen at all.” He added that Mute has discussed reissues of “Bloodline” and early material but “it still hasn’t been scheduled definitively.”

Alan Wilder also confirmed he recently downsized, letting go of his vinyl and CD collections after creating listening copies, and rediscovered “old multitrack tapes… sample disks… bits of gear and memorabilia.” On a follow-up sale: “I would like to hold a second auction… [but] it takes a lot of organising and cataloguing.” He said his priorities now favour fewer possessions and more time for family history research, which he described as “detective work” with creative parallels.

About Alan Wilder and The Devout

Alan Wilder (b. London, 1959) is a classically trained musician and producer best known for his tenure in Depeche Mode (1982-1995) and his solo project Recoil, founded in 1986 while still in the band. Early Recoil releases included “1 + 2” (1986) and “Hydrology” (1988), followed by “Bloodline” (1992) featuring Douglas McCarthy, among others.

After leaving Depeche Mode in 1995, Wilder established his own studio and issued “Unsound Methods” (1997) and subsequent works via Mute. Recoil has operated as a collaborative studio project led by Wilder with guest vocalists and engineers such as Paul Kendall.

The Devout is a UK Depeche Mode tribute project formed as a continuation/reboot of Speak & Spell. The current line-up features Barclay Quarton (lead vocals), Reza Udhin (vocals, guitars, keyboards; ex-Killing Joke, Inertia) and Keith Trigwell (programming/production), with shows built around the band’s classic-era tours and productions.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Monospore is a Danish duo set up in 2009 by Jannik Vittrup and Søren Brandstrup. They last year released their second full length album “Into Darkness”. The opus features ten EBM songs driven by aggressive bass lines and carried by cold tunes. The vocals are harsh but not too much. “Into Darkness” is an accomplished production which I can only but recommend to EBM-lovers.

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: You guys seem to be involved with music since quite a long time and have been busy with multiple projects and music styles. Tell us a bit more about your background, the different projects and how did you finally come to set up Monospore?

Søren: Jannik and I started in 1986-87. We made music inspired by Depeche Mode and Camouflage and a bit of Front 242/Nitzer Ebb on an Amiga computer and we added two EMAX’s to the setup. However, we never actually got anything released. During the many following years, we made several different music styles with various singers, in styles like Ace Of Base, Paul Elstak etc.

I have only made some small project alone and with a few other people, but nothing was ever released.

Jannik: Besides the projects I did with Søren I also did some solo projects called, Executor, Bioreactor & Johhny Mnemonic amongst others. I also collaborated with other musicians most know is probably my collaborations with Thomas Elers on Cellblock X, Cbx Project and Latex Empire.

After a very long break we went to see a lot of live acts like Combichrist, Nitzer Ebb in the late 2000’s, and decided to follow our hearts in our new project just doing the music that gives us energy and that we love. We have always been huge fans of EBM (Nitzer Ebb, Front 242 etc.) We started to experiment with a lot of track, sounds and vocal styles before we found our style. First real Monospore track was “Blue Haze” which ended up as a bonus track on our debut album “Control The Game, Regain Control” from 2012.

Q: Monospore has been set up in 2009, but you’ve been mainly busy releasing singles and the album “Into Darkness” during 2023. How comes and how do you perceive the evolution from the band from the first albums till “Into Darkness”?

Monospore: We had a long break after our debut album “Control The Game… Regain Control!!!”. We both have families, and in that period we both build houses. At the same time, we both had professional careers as our day jobs. Søren finished his Master-degree in Building Physics in 2016, and Jannik finished his academy degree in Business IT a little earlier. We did do a lot of demos in the time in between the albums and one track (cf. “Fall For Me”) in 2018 for the Danish Electro v.2 compilation though.

There has been a huge leap in the production from our first album “Control The Game… Regain Control!!!” to the second album “Into Darkness”. First of all, we build a new studio in between the 2 albums and second, we also decided the overall sound to be more ‘old-school’ and less distorted than on our first album.

In our opinion the tracks on the new album have a much better and dynamic sound, but we appreciate both albums and are super proud of them. In the process for album 2, we did several new tracks that didn’t fit on the new album. These take Monospore in another direction and will be included on our next album.

Q: What more can you tell us about “Into Darkness” and what do you try to reflect by its title?

Monospore: We are very much into very hard music and find our inspiration in that as well as we wanted to evolve our sound. Nothing inspired us for the album as such except some of the bands we listen to ourselves. We love the soundscapes of Gary Numan’s productions as well as Alan Wilder’s and the album also has a much more dynamic sound than our first one. The title was mainly inspired by the cover photo location as well as it is the title of the last track on the album.

Q: What makes the chemistry between both of you and who’s taking care for the different aspects of the composing- and production process?

Jannik: I see it as a very shared process, we do a lot of demos separately and then work on them together. Often, we do some details on the tracks separately and then send it to each other to listen to. We always finish it together in the studio and do the mixing and mastering together as well.

Q: What about Monospore as a live band? How do you transpose the songs from the studio to the stage?   

Søren: We always strive to make our live set as hard as possible and bring some special versions for the audience though it is important for us to keep the sounds and vibe from the original track. It is always very motivating to feel the response from the audience and see the venue boiling of aggressivity and moving bodies. We are very grateful for the very positive responses we have got from our performances so far. Now we are working on getting booked outside of Denmark which is a bit hard when you are not yet an established name.

Q: All works have been released by Delta-Ego which I think is your very own label, right? How do you manage all the aspects aside of composing music like promotion, distribution, management etc…?

Monospore: You are right, Delta-Ego is our own label that we formed in 2012. To be honest our focus is writing the songs and creating the music and eventually playing it live.

The promotion and distribution are a necessity but often take away the focus from what we love, which is producing and playing the music and it can be hard doing promotion when having a full-time job and family.

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

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In 2016 we announced that Croydon (London) based rhythm and blues singer Dede would release her debut single, “Calling the clock”, on November 18 2016. R&B on Side-Line? Yep, because the track featured Alan Wilder (Recoil, ex-Depeche Mode) on piano and production.

How did Dede join up with Alan Wilder?

Dede (Dédé Davi), a London-based singer, began her musical journey at a young age with classical training in flute and piano. She pursued her passion for music at the University of Manchester, where she also studied Politics. Her early career involved collaborating with local musicians and performing at various shows.

In the summer of 2016, she was introduced to Alan Wilder. She asked him to play piano on “Calling The Clock”, a song she had recently written. Wilder agreed, and they recorded the song together in London. The single was released on November 18, 2016, via Smile Records, featuring Wilder’s contributions on piano and production.

A video has been recorded as well.

Since then Dede has released various singles, the last one being “Oh Boy” on October 31st 2023.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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In April 2020, a three-part video interview with Dave Bascombe was released on Vaughn George’s YouTube channel. This series seems to have slipped under the radar with many Depeche Mode fans, so we decided to unearth it, and you watch all three parts at the end of this article.

Vaughn George is a music producer, artist development coach, and a reviewer of piano, keyboard, and synthesiser artists. In the interview, Dave Bascombe, a producer and engineer, discusses his work on Depeche Mode’s 1987 album “Music For The Masses”. The interview is packed with interesting details and a surprising number of ‘alarm’ sounds. You’ll understand why we mention this once you watch it. All in all a very interesting interview.

Who is Dave Bascombe?

If you’re not familiar with Dave Bascombe, he’s a producer who has worked with numerous bands, including Tears for Fears, Depeche Mode, Echo and the Bunnymen, Peter Gabriel (on the album “So”), Human League (on the album “Octopus”), Erasure, and many more.

Born in Chester, England and raised in London, Bascombe started his career as an errand boy at a recording studio. He used the studio’s off hours to record bands, which eventually led to freelance engineering jobs and a full-time position at a London studio. His career really took off when he engineered Tears for Fears’ multi-million-selling album “Songs From the Big Chair”, which included hits like “Everybody Wants to Rule the World”, “Shout”, and “Head Over Heels”. He also worked on their follow-up album “The Seeds of Love”, which featured the singles “Sowing the Seeds of Love”.

6th Depeche Mode album

“Music for the Masses” is Depeche Mode’s sixth studio album, released on 28 September 1987 by Mute Records. Daniel Miller, who had co-produced Depeche Mode’s previous album, decided to step back from production duties for this album due to the increasing tension experienced during the recording of “Black Celebration”. With Miller’s blessing, Alan Wilder co-produced the album with David Bascombe.

You can enjoy the interview series below.

Side-Line also covered Depeche Mode’s ‘The Things You Said’.

About Depeche Mode

Depeche Mode formed in Basildon, Essex, England, in 1980, initially under the name Composition of Sound. The lineup that became Depeche Mode came together that year around Vince Clarke (keyboards, guitars), Andy Fletcher (keyboards, bass) and Martin Gore (guitars, keyboards), with Dave Gahan joining shortly after as lead vocalist. The band adopted the name Depeche Mode at a gig at the Bridge House in Canning Town on 24 September 1980, where Mute Records founder Daniel Miller saw them and signed the group.

Depeche Mode’s debut single, “Dreaming of Me,” was recorded in December 1980 and released on Mute in February 1981, followed that October by the debut album “Speak & Spell.” Vince Clarke left the band that November, going on to form Yazoo and later Erasure; Alan Wilder joined on keyboards in 1982 and became an official member from the 1983 single “Get the Balance Right!” The band’s catalog through the 1980s includes “A Broken Frame” (1982), “Construction Time Again” (1983), “Some Great Reward” (1984), “Black Celebration” (1986) and “Music for the Masses” (1987), the latter turning the band into arena headliners in the US off the back of their Rose Bowl concert, later documented in the film “101.”

“Violator” (1990) and “Songs of Faith and Devotion” (1993) marked the band’s commercial peak, but Wilder departed in June 1995, continuing his own project Recoil, leaving Gahan, Gore and Fletcher as a trio. The band released “Ultra” (1997), “Exciter” (2001), “Playing the Angel” (2005), “Sounds of the Universe” (2009), “Delta Machine” (2013) and “Spirit” (2017) as a three-piece, touring with long-serving live members Christian Eigner (drums, keyboards, since 1997) and Peter Gordeno (keyboards, bass, since 1998). Alongside the band, Gahan released solo albums “Paper Monsters” (2003) and “Hourglass” (2007), and Gore released “Counterfeit²” (2003).

Depeche Mode was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on 7 November 2020. Andy Fletcher died on 26 May 2022, and Gahan and Gore continued as a duo, releasing “Memento Mori” in 2023 with Eigner and Gordeno again on the road. The band has sold more than 100 million records and placed 54 singles on the UK charts. Dave Bascombe’s engineering work on “Music for the Masses” (1987) came during the band’s transition into a stadium act, in the years before Alan Wilder’s 1995 departure.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Releasing on the 8th of September via Mute is John Came’s “Rhythmicon” album. The album, conceptually designed, sees Came utilising computer software and synthesisers, shrouded in enigma since its original pre-web launch in July 1995.

The comprehensive – obviously fake – biography of John Came portrayed him as an artist born in London, who emigrated to Australia seeking improved life conditions, then returned to the UK, and ultimately found inspiration in the northern Scottish isles, cycling from Skye to London.

The Rhythmicon, also termed the Polyrhythmophone, was an electro-mechanical musical device, conceptualised and crafted by Leon Theremin for composer Henry Cowell. The instrument was designed to expose the relations between rhythms, pitches and the harmonic series. It employed a series of perforated rotating disks, akin to a Nipkow disk, to disrupt the light flow between bulbs and photoreceptors in alignment with the disk perforations. The resulting interrupted signals created oscillations that were interpreted as rhythms or tones, contingent on the speed of the disks. Though capable of generating both pitches and rhythms, it is often labelled the world’s inaugural drum machine.

Nick Cope, member of the electronic band Pnin, introduced Came to the instrument. Nick, possessing the Rhythmicon, decided to reverse the logic and deduce harmonic and melodic data from rhythmic information, and conversely.

By employing sound and theory, John Came articulated ideas through a sequence of illustrative films that showcased Came executing his compositions (in an arhythmic fashion) into a Rhythmicon simulacrum, hence producing the rhythmic data for the pieces.

From this point, the rhythmic data of the pieces was translated into notes; subsequently, the two distinct threads of altered data were overlaid and fed into a computer capable of music notation/playing.

Who was John Came?

The identity of John Came was speculated upon, it was even suggested this could be a side-project for Alan Wilder, Vince Clarke or Daniel Miller.

There was an immediate conjecture that John Came was a pseudonym and his rhythmicon a product of the fertile creativity of an artist well-versed in electronic experimentation. Indeed, John Came was an alias, with the brains behind the concept being Simon Leonard and David Baker (known also as Komputer / Fortran 5 / I Start Counting), though the precise details concerning the instrumentation and the unusual album’s conception remain subject to speculation.

The album from John Came surfaced at a juncture when Leonard and Baker were transitioning from Fortran 5 to Komputer. In the current context, David Baker is diligently working on his solo endeavour, lonelyklown.

Here is the video for “Ink Tank”.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Depeche Mode delivered a performance in Radio 2’s Piano Room, accompanied by the BBC Concert Orchestra so we informed a few days ago. They played “Walking In My Shoes,” their new track “Ghosts Again,” and a cover of “Sundown,” originally popularised by Scott Walker. All tracks were recorded at the BBC’s Maida Vale Studios (and this not well-known, but they are going to be sold).

The recording is now available on the BBC’s iPlayer.

Second time Depeche Mode performs with classical orchestra

This marked the second time the band has performed with a classical orchestra. The first occasion was at the Royal Albert Hall in 2010, during an event to raise funds for the Teenage Cancer Trust. A video excerpt below features “Home” being performed with an orchestra. Notably, Alan Wilder joined Martin Gore on stage to perform “Somebody,” which was his first performance with Depeche Mode since leaving the band. Additional musicians played strings for “One Caress,” “Home,” and “Come Back.”

The BBC Concert Orchestra is a British concert orchestra based in London, one of the British Broadcasting Corporation’s five radio orchestras. With around fifty players, it is the only one of the five BBC orchestras which is not a full-scale symphony orchestra.

About Scott Walker

The late Scott Walker, was an American-British singer-songwriter and record producer who resided in England. Walker was known for his emotive voice and his unorthodox stylistic path which took him from being a teen pop icon in the 1960s to an avant-garde musician in the 21st century.

The set will be aired on BBC Radio 2 on April 6.

For more on Depeche Mode, see Depeche Mode announces support acts for their 2023 European tour on Side-Line.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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(Photo by Anton Corbijn) The new Depeche Mode album, ‘Memento Mori,’ has been hailed by some as their best work in the past 20 years. However, this praise might be attributed more to the lack of strong releases in recent times rather than the actual merit of the album.

Dave Gahan, the first Depeche Mode member to experience a near-death encounter, survived a severe overdose in 1996 after two minutes without a heartbeat. Tragically, Andy ‘Fletch’ Fletcher wasn’t as fortunate; his arterial rupture on May 26, 2022, left Depeche Mode as a duo. The unexpected passing of Fletcher added a layer of depth to “Memento Mori” and takes listeners on an emotional rollercoaster through its various tracks.

The album does have its strong points, such as Gahan’s return to a more subdued singing style and a shift towards subtler electronic sounds. The evident influence of Kraftwerk can be both a strength and a weakness, as Depeche Mode has long been known for their distinct sound. While it’s refreshing to hear these influences, one cannot help but question if the band is losing their own originality.

What about the production on this new Depeche Mode album?

While the production quality is polished, it falls short of the standard set by Alan Wilder during his time with the band. Some tracks, like “Caroline’s Monkey,” have potential but could benefit from a more refined touch. Other songs, such as “Before We Drown” and “People Are Good,” serve as reminders of the band’s former glory.

The album concludes with 2 quite powerful tracks like “Never Let Me Go” – which has a bit of a post-punkish attitude – and the epic “Speak to Me,” leaving listeners wanting more of this. However, one can’t help but wonder what these tracks would have sounded like under Wilder’s guidance. Especially “Speak To Me” has a lot of potential.

In conclusion, “Memento Mori” is a respectable attempt by Depeche Mode to create a memorable album in the wake of Fletcher’s passing and amidst challenging times. We actually enjoyed it quite a lot. However, it also serves as a reminder that their post-Alan Wilder output has yet to reach the same heights as their earlier work, but the ship has turned in the right direction. Hopefully it will get to the harbour pretty soon.

PS: No thanks to Sony, they didn’t provide a promo of the release.

For more on Depeche Mode, see Depeche Mode’s Secret Gig in LA – An interview with attendee Attosa… on Side-Line.

About Depeche Mode

Depeche Mode formed in Basildon, Essex, England, in 1980, initially under the name Composition of Sound. The lineup that became Depeche Mode came together that year around Vince Clarke (keyboards, guitars), Andy Fletcher (keyboards, bass) and Martin Gore (guitars, keyboards), with Dave Gahan joining shortly after as lead vocalist. The band adopted the name Depeche Mode at a gig at the Bridge House in Canning Town on 24 September 1980, where Mute Records founder Daniel Miller saw them and signed the group.

Depeche Mode’s debut single, “Dreaming of Me,” was recorded in December 1980 and released on Mute in February 1981, followed that October by the debut album “Speak & Spell.” Vince Clarke left the band that November, going on to form Yazoo and later Erasure; Alan Wilder joined on keyboards in 1982 and became an official member from the 1983 single “Get the Balance Right!” The band’s catalog through the 1980s includes “A Broken Frame” (1982), “Construction Time Again” (1983), “Some Great Reward” (1984), “Black Celebration” (1986) and “Music for the Masses” (1987), the latter turning the band into arena headliners in the US off the back of their Rose Bowl concert, later documented in the film “101.”

“Violator” (1990) and “Songs of Faith and Devotion” (1993) marked the band’s commercial peak, but Wilder departed in June 1995, continuing his own project Recoil, leaving Gahan, Gore and Fletcher as a trio. The band released “Ultra” (1997), “Exciter” (2001), “Playing the Angel” (2005), “Sounds of the Universe” (2009), “Delta Machine” (2013) and “Spirit” (2017) as a three-piece, touring with long-serving live members Christian Eigner (drums, keyboards, since 1997) and Peter Gordeno (keyboards, bass, since 1998). Alongside the band, Gahan released solo albums “Paper Monsters” (2003) and “Hourglass” (2007), and Gore released “Counterfeit²” (2003).

Depeche Mode was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on 7 November 2020. Andy Fletcher died on 26 May 2022, and Gahan and Gore continued as a duo, releasing “Memento Mori” in 2023 with Eigner and Gordeno again on the road. The band has sold more than 100 million records and placed 54 singles on the UK charts. “Memento Mori” followed “Spirit” (2017) as the band’s next studio album, and the first released after Andy Fletcher’s death in 2022.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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(Photo by Kevin Westenberg) UK photograph Kevin Westenberg has posted a previously unpublished photo from a Recoil promo shoot for “Bloodline” online. In the photo you can see both Alan Wilder and Douglas McCarthy from Nitzer Ebb.

Westenberg informs that the press shoot took place at the Worx Studios at King’s Cross, London on January 17, 1992. The shoot took place almost exactly 2 years after Westenberg had a Depeche Mode photo shoot.

Kevin Westenberg: “In 1990 Alan contacted me for another shoot. Turned out that while Alan was in the later years of being in Depeche Mode, he had a plan B. Our shoot was for Recoil’s third album, “Bloodline” released on April 14, 1992, which included the single “Faith Healer”. Alan was in fact one of the first musicians I interacted with once moving to London in the early 80’s. Somehow, I ended up at Alan’s flat in NW London interviewing him for a magazine cover story.”

And he adds: “I’ve not looked at this session for 30 years! My memories of the day seem somewhat inconsequential in hindsight. The early 90’s were the busiest and most exhausting daily of my career averaging 100 shoot days per year so this one sadly has been lost in the insanity. For whatever reason this stopped me from reviewing this job. So happy to have reviewed this session all over again and to have found this one. This is because I just saw in the music press that all the Recoil albums have now been re-released via Mute.”

For those who didn’t know, the artwork on these Recoil vinyl reissues slightly differs from the artwork used for the CD’s when they were released.

Fans can contact Westenberg for print sales at kjwestenberg@hotmail.com.

About the Recoil album “Bloodline”

“Bloodline” is the third album by Recoil, released April 14, 1992. It was recorded at Konk Studio in London, during sessions that lasted from January to March 1991, being mixed later that same year. The album was produced by Alan Wilder, engineered by Steve Lyon, and assisted by Dave Eringa.

After completing Depeche Mode’s most successful album, “Violator”, and subsequent “World Violation Tour” (with Nitzer Ebb as the support act), Wilder co-produced Nitzer’s 1991 album “Ebbhead”. This cemented both a good personal and working relationship with Nitzer lead singer Douglas McCarthy. fter completing the Nitzer Ebb album, Wilder went to work on his solo project, and McCarthy returned the favour by performing on the Recoil album.

Other guest vocalists included the then rather unknown musician Moby and Toni Halliday (from Curve). The album also marked the first Recoil single, a cover of the Alex Harvey song “Faith Healer”.

The album is also notable for the track “Electro Blues for Bukka White”, which introduced the idea of taking very old recordings and setting them in a new electronic setting. Moby, who contributed vocals for the song “Curse”, would later release his 1999 breakthrough album, “Play”, which clearly was based on Wilder’s approach for “Electro Blues for Bukka White”. Moby also used several old field recordings by Alan Lomax, again just like Wilder had used a 1937 recording of White’s “Shake ‘Em on Down”.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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(Photo by Juergen Teller) Everything But The Girl are back together to record an album for the first time in 23 years, since their 1999 album “Temperamental” that is. The release was not planned as the duo says this on their Facebook page: “We never imagined at the start of 2022 that this would happen, and yet here we are.”

Everything But The Girl (occasionally referred to as EBTG) are an English musical duo formed in Kingston upon Hull in 1982, consisting of lead singer and occasional guitarist Tracey Thorn and guitarist, keyboardist, producer and singer Ben Watt. Their biggest hit was the song “Missing” which became a worldwide hit in a more electronic version, a bit like Depeche Mode’s “Enjoy The Silence” you can say which produced by Alan Wilder became a huge hit as well.

Until 2022, the band were inactive, and have not performed publicly since 2000. Thorn has said in interviews she dislikes performing live and will no longer sing in front of a live audience. After the group’s disbandment, Thorn and Watt released solo albums, and had indicated that it was unlikely they would ever record together again as Everything But the Girl.

The new Everything But The Girl album will be released in Spring 2023.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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(Photo by Joe Dilworth) Mute has announced details of a series of reissues from Recoil (Alan Wilder), starting with three long out of print albums “Unsound Methods”, “Liquid” and “subHuman” – due out on double coloured vinyl and CD on 7 October 2022. The first three albums, “1+2” (1986), “Hydrology” (1988) and “Bloodline” (1990) are currently being remastered for release at a later date.

The new editions of “Unsound Methods” (1997), “Liquid” (2000) and “subHuman” (2007) will be available in transparent green/clear, silver and curacao blue respectively.

In a reaction to Mute Alan Wilder recently said this: “Having not really listened in full to any of the Recoil albums for many years, the requirement to sit down and closely scrutinize the new test pressings meant that I was obliged to focus on everything once again. It was a surprising and pleasurable adventure to hear the work with fresh ears and I was able, perhaps properly for the first time, to experience all the detail which I had either forgotten about or hadn’t fully appreciated at the time.”

“Unsound Methods” was Wilder’s fourth album as Recoil, and his first release after announcing his departure from Depeche Mode in 1995. Recorded at his Sussex studio, “Unsound Methods” saw him working with four very different collaborators: Nitzer Ebb’s Douglas McCarthy, New York spoken-word artist Maggie Estep and vocalists Siobhan Lynch and Hildia Campbell.

“Liquid” followed in 2000 and the collaborations continued, this time working alongside Diamanda Galás, Nicole Blackman, Samantha Coerbell, Rosa Torras, The Golden Gate Jubilee Quartet and more.

“subHuman” arrived after a seven-year break and saw Wilder working with vocalists Carla Trevaskis and Louisiana bluesman Joe Richardson, whose voice is complimented by guitar and harmonica performances.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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(Photo by Angela Conway) Duet Emmo have shared a new track from the remastered reissue of Daniel Miller, Edvard Graham Lewis and B.C. Gilbert’s sole collaboration, “Or So It Seems”, which is out 19 August 2022. “Or So It Seems” has been remastered from the original analogue tapes by Stefan Betke.

Available on vinyl for the first time since its original release, the album has been expanded to double vinyl and is released on special edition white vinyl, as a limited edition of 400 on orange vinyl via Bleep (both with high-definition download), CD and digitally on 19 August 2022.

This is a true classic which should be in your collection without any doubt. You will also recognize where Alan Wilder sampled some of the material for his very first Recoil album “1+2” from 1986. A must-have, and that first Recoil album too.

“Heart Of Hearts (Or So It Seems)” is an 8-minute remix of the album’s title track, originally available on the b-side of the 12” of “Or So It Seems”. You can check the remastered version below.

About Duet Emmo

Duet Emmo was a notable collaboration formed in 1982, comprising Bruce Gilbert and Graham Lewis, both members of Wire and Dome, and Daniel Miller, the founder of Mute Records and a member of The Normal. The name “Duet Emmo” is an anagram of “Dome” and “Mute”, reflecting the origins of the members.

Their only album, “Or So It Seems”, was released in 1983 by Mute Records and featured a unique blend of the abstract, minimal textures of Gilbert and Lewis, and the rigid, song-based electronics of Miller. This combination promised an engaging hybrid of styles. The title track of the album was also released as a 12″ single, and its B-side, “Heart of Hearts”, was included as a bonus track in CD releases of the album.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

side-line.com

(By our Norwegian correspondent Jan Ronald Stange) Trym Nævestad aka DJ 7trym had been working on an extensive Depeche Mode megamix to celebrate his 50^th birthday June 7^th. I got wind of this when he contacted me mid-April, asking if I had some DM remixes digitally available, and after searching my hard drives I found what he was looking for. After sharing the files I got a draft in return two days later – and as a DM fans since 1983 I’ve heard a LOT of mixes, but immediately rated this as a top 3 in my book! Feels updated with a great selection of songs and remixes, transitions that other remixers would envy, have some surprises and doesn’t get dull.

Then May 26^th happened… Andrew Fletcher died, the Depeche Mode fan base mourned, and Trym decided to release the mix in Fletch’ honor the day after. As the mix was prematurely published I’d wanted to wait a few weeks, let things settle down and have his birthday pass before follow up, so earlier this week we had a mail chat.

S-L: We read about what the mix were initially made for and that you released it earlier because of Fletch’ passing – tell us what thoughts went through your head those days that made you change the purpose of the mix? 

Trym: Like everyone else, I was in total shock when I got the news about Fletch. The mix was meant to be a celebration of me as a DM fanboy, but suddenly it became way more important than my little ego-trip. I had produced a lot of DJ sets scheduled around my anniversary, so I had to work quickly to find out what to do. The decision to release it ASAP was easy, even if it gave me a lot of extra work though.

S-L: What’s your process doing a mix like this?

Trym: Behind every one of my works, it’s hundreds of hours of getting to know every song by heart. That part is easy for me with DM since I’ve followed them since ’82. It’s actually way harder to find out which songs to exclude to keep the duration down to 2 hours. I have thousands of remixes to choose from. Most are bootlegs and fan made, so the quality is really varied. If I hear a good attempt but with obvious flaws or bad audio, I try to see if I can recreate it easily myself before I decide what to do with it. Software like the online service https://www.lalal.ai/ is just insanely powerful for dissecting tracks! When putting the set together, I focus on the right harmony when deciding the order to play the songs. I avoid breaking the rules of the Camelot wheel so my transitions are always in harmony. (https://mixedinkey.com/camelot-wheel/)

The final mix is done in Mixmeister, which do most of the work if you prepared well. It’s an old software and not developed anymore, but I still find it so powerful for programming DJ sets and easy access to plugins for EQ, compressors and so on. The mix is done quite quickly, but I tend to adjust knobs and filters, adding and removing beats for weeks after I really should be happy and just release it 😀

S-L: How many have heard the mix so far?

Trym: It’s passed 215 unique listeners on Mixcloud, but that’s kind of normal there. For me, the most important thing was to get it published so it can be played, used and inspire listeners for years to come.

(Editor’s note: At the moment of writing this article it’s 9th in the global vocal chart and 88th in the global electronica chart.)

S-L: How long have you been a fan of DM, and how have they impacted your life?

Trym: They came into my life in ‘82 as the older brother of my classmate was really into them then. Strange enough, my classmate was also named Trym and his older brother is Lars Holte, the man responsible for lots of the first raves in Norway and later breaking Tiësto. I just kind of fell straight into it all 😀

My first CD ever was ‘A Broken Frame’, and I was surprised because I thought I had bought ‘Speak and Spell’ when I asked the man in the record store for their album. It was probably in the summer of ‘83 because CDs were a totally new invention that year. I hunted down every vinyl edition of everything I could get hold of after that even if I didn’t have a decent record player and had spent most of my cash on that CD player.

In ‘87 I started working for a radio station, and that opened up more and more opportunities for me. I saw DM live for the first time with the ‘Music for the Masses’ tour and I started practicing as a club DJ. Radio hooked me up with Vince Clark and Andy Bell for an interview in Oslo. I only cared about Vince because of his work with DM. I remember Andy as quite offended since he wanted to be the star and I was told quite clearly that Vince was in Erasure now 😀

During the 90’s I worked hard day and night with morning shows in radios and club gigs at night. When ‘Ultra’ was released in ‘97, I attended a release party and ended up forcing the DJ out of his booth because he didn’t play DM “right”! I took over and the roof just flew off and the crowd went wild. That was the start of my long list of DM parties after that response.

The local label manager for Mute Records saw it too, took me in and used me for everything DM after that. That’s how I was placed backstage at their gigs in Scandinavia at the ‘Exciter’ tour, and on the stage of the official afterparties.

I almost missed their actual concert every time, and had to go to Vilnius in 2006 to finally see their full show as an ordinary member of the audience. It was not the plan to be more than a guest there, but even in Lithuania I ended up on the stage at the afterparty after “politely” removing the DJ that did not live up to my standards that time 😉

I was quite an active dude thinking waaaaay too high of myself at that time – hope I’m seen as more polite now. Anyway, it all worked out in the end!

There is little doubt that the internal life of DM has been rough on its members, and I’ve had the pleasure to meet and play with both Alan Wilder and Fletch when they toured away from DM. Wilder is a conundrum to understand, and Fletch was just the total opposite. Fletch talked freely and made everybody feel like we’d been friends forever. Truly an amazing man and very open about the alcohol problems both he and Martin struggled with. Maybe because I was quite troubled myself at that time so we found that as our common ground, both wanting a way out to a life that didn’t always start the days with hangovers.

S-L: Any other projects or mixes planned in the near future?

Trym: I decided to release a mix for cleaning my house the first Friday of every month, and share it willingly if it can help those mops to move 😀

I’m not playing live anywhere this year, but I’m thinking seriously about doing festival gigs again from 2023. I don’t know if I will do another DM party again though. It just feels strange now, but I hope that will change in time.

As a unique one off around my 50th anniversary, I’m releasing 7 unique DJ sets in different flavours. A new one every day to show off some of my different sides and inspire DJs to open their minds for new stuff.

It’s some high energy festival sets with bangers& mashups, a showcase of what a DJ can do with alternative rock, an Altern80s revisit, a Dark Wave set and a Sunday brunch soundscape. They can all be found on https://www.mixcloud.com/7rym

I hope people will enjoy them 🙂

PS! As a side note on how the DM community connects people, I can add that I first met Trym at a meet & greet before the ‘Exicter’ concert in Oslo, 2001, after winning a contest on Norwegian TV, with Trym being the judge. (sorry for the lousy quality, TV recording equipment on a PC wasn’t very good 21 years ago :/ )

Me and my friend Truls got tickets to the concert and the opportunity to meet the band backstage before the concert, and went out of there with an additional three new acquaintances in Trym, Lars and Frank, whom I still have occasional contact with, meet at concerts etc. 20 years later. DM for life!

Listen to the mix right here, and find other mixes by 7rym at his Mixcloud page:
https://www.mixcloud.com/7rym/

Side-Line also covered Depeche Mode’s ‘Memento Mori Tour’.

Jan Ronald Stange

Sometimes – when I’m not cooking, biking, listening to music or attending concerts, I write stuff for Side-Line.com. Mostly about Norwegian bands, but it’s been some Swedish, English, American, Danish, German and others too… 😉

www.facebook.com/jrstange

The sudden death of Andy Fletcher yesterday has – as predicted – caused a big shockwave throughout the electro pop community. Several former colleagues and people close to the band have in the meantime posted condolences.

We picked the most relevant ones.

Alison Moyet was one of the first to react: “I have just heard the news. Since we were 10. Same estate. Class mates to label mates. He who kept faith with all the old gang and they with him. It doesn’t compute. Fletch. I have no words.”

Andy Bell and Vince Clarke from Erasure posted a picture of Andy Fletcher with as text an emoji of a broken heart.

Fletcher’s former Depeche Mode colleague Alan Wilder (Recoil) posted this: “A real bolt from the blue to hear about former Depeche Mode colleague Andy Fletcher yesterday. My thoughts and condolences are with his wife Grainne and all the family at this distressing time. RIP ‘Fletch’.”

Mute and Daniel Miller: “We mourn the loss of our dear friend Andrew Fletcher who passed away yesterday. Such an integral part of Depeche Mode from the very start of their remarkable journey, he will be missed beyond words. Our hearts go out to his family, Dave and Martin and to all the wonderful fans and friends who loved him. With love from Daniel and his entire Mute family.”

Phil Burdett who used to form a band, Norman & The Worms, with Martin Gore and who went to the same school as Fletcher posted the following: “So very sad to learn of the passing of Andy Fletcher my old school pal & eventual member of Depeche Mode. Whilst I have never been a fan of the band I have many good memories of the times at the end of my fourth/fifth form at St. Nicholas & he was an integral part of a very fertile period in Basildon at that time & somehow when contemporary friends are lost the sadness felt is made more vivid. He used to come & see me & Martin play at Norman & The Worms gigs & I always thought it odd that he was positioned in between us in this photo…out of all three in the picture two thought they would make it big…couldn’t have happened to a nicer chap…RIP Fletch…”

Deb Danahay who was very close to the band during its earliest history posted the following: “I’m still in shock… Andy never took drugs or even hard alcohol… he just loved a pint or two of lager with the boys… He never learned how to drive. He’d get the train back to Basildon to meet up with his old mates… he was a fiercely loyal friend… Something I’d love to tell devotees… that they’d travelled the same route on the same trains… I was at a DM event in Berlin with Gareth Jones and someone asked what Andy brought to the recording sessions, Gareth Jones was adamant that Fletch brought the whole process together…”

Orchestral Manoeuvres: “Tonight we are celebrating selling out The Greek Theatre in LA but it will be touched by a great sadness as all of us say farewell to Andy Fletcher from Depeche Mode. A beautiful person in an amazing band. We send alll our love to his family.”

Jurgen Engler: “Crazy news… R.I.P. Andy Fletcher… we hung out in Dusseldorf way back in the 80s on DM’s Some Great Reward tour… the band had invited me to meet them after the show… he was such a nice guy, easy going and curious… it’s hard to believe he left so young… I know the world won’t forget him 🖤”

Pet Shop Boys: “We’re saddened and shocked that Andy Fletcher of Depeche Mode has died. Fletch was a warm, friendly and funny person who loved electronic music and could also give sensible advice about the music business. Our sincere condolences to his family and friends and to Dave Gahan and Martin Gore. Neil & Chris xx”

Blancmange: “Very sad news. I have great memories of times we shared all those decades ago. On tour I never won a single game of chess against him. Before either of us signed record deals we both worked at London Bridge. me under that railway arch as a graphic designer and he in a suit, at a solicitors I think, or may be an accountants. I’d quite often bump into him, each of us doing a double take to process the sight of each other not standing on some tiny stage next to synths and tape machines.
A lovely man. A gentleman.”

Soft Cell: “We are so sad to hear about the passing of Andy Fletcher. Depeche Mode and Soft Cell will forever be part of each other’s early histories and genre-defining the early 80’s. What a band, and what a success story. We send our love to Dave, Martin, Daniel and all the Depeche Mode team.”

New Order: “We are saddened to hear of Andy Fletcher’s passing. Our thoughts are with Depeche Mode, their crew, his family and friends at this difficult time.”

This article will constantly be adapted with new quotes.

For more on Depeche Mode, see DJ 7rym releases 2hr long Depeche Mode mix honouring Andrew Fletcher… on Side-Line.

About Depeche Mode

Depeche Mode formed in Basildon, Essex, England, in 1980, initially under the name Composition of Sound. The lineup that became Depeche Mode came together that year around Vince Clarke (keyboards, guitars), Andy Fletcher (keyboards, bass) and Martin Gore (guitars, keyboards), with Dave Gahan joining shortly after as lead vocalist. The band adopted the name Depeche Mode at a gig at the Bridge House in Canning Town on 24 September 1980, where Mute Records founder Daniel Miller saw them and signed the group.

Depeche Mode’s debut single, “Dreaming of Me,” was recorded in December 1980 and released on Mute in February 1981, followed that October by the debut album “Speak & Spell.” Vince Clarke left the band that November, going on to form Yazoo and later Erasure; Alan Wilder joined on keyboards in 1982 and became an official member from the 1983 single “Get the Balance Right!” The band’s catalog through the 1980s includes “A Broken Frame” (1982), “Construction Time Again” (1983), “Some Great Reward” (1984), “Black Celebration” (1986) and “Music for the Masses” (1987), the latter turning the band into arena headliners in the US off the back of their Rose Bowl concert, later documented in the film “101.”

“Violator” (1990) and “Songs of Faith and Devotion” (1993) marked the band’s commercial peak, but Wilder departed in June 1995, continuing his own project Recoil, leaving Gahan, Gore and Fletcher as a trio. The band released “Ultra” (1997), “Exciter” (2001), “Playing the Angel” (2005), “Sounds of the Universe” (2009), “Delta Machine” (2013) and “Spirit” (2017) as a three-piece, touring with long-serving live members Christian Eigner (drums, keyboards, since 1997) and Peter Gordeno (keyboards, bass, since 1998). Alongside the band, Gahan released solo albums “Paper Monsters” (2003) and “Hourglass” (2007), and Gore released “Counterfeit²” (2003).

Depeche Mode was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on 7 November 2020. Andy Fletcher died on 26 May 2022, and Gahan and Gore continued as a duo, releasing “Memento Mori” in 2023 with Eigner and Gordeno again on the road. The band has sold more than 100 million records and placed 54 singles on the UK charts. Fletcher had been a member since the band’s 1980 formation, and his death left Gahan and Gore to continue as a duo.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

side-line.com

We have had our fair share of bad news in the past few years, also this year started with bad news, but this news will cause a shockwave in the electro pop music scene as Andy Fletcher, founding member of Depeche Mode, died this Thursday, May 26, at the age of 60. Fletcher leaves a wife and two children behind. No further details regarding the cause of death were given.

The news was confirmed on the band’s official profile on social media as you can see below. Our sincere condolences to the family.

Andy Fletcher, full name Andrew John Leonard Fletcher, was born on the 8th of July 1961. Often referred to as as Fletch, he and schoolmate Vince Clarke formed the short-lived band No Romance in China, in which Fletcher played bass guitar. In 1980, Fletcher met Martin Gore at the Van Gogh pub on Paycocke Road in Basildon and with Clarke, the trio, now all on synthesizer, formed another group called Composition of Sound. Clarke served as chief songwriter and also provided lead vocals until singer Dave Gahan was recruited into the band later that year, after which they adopted the name Depeche Mode at Gahan’s suggestion.

Clarke left the group in late 1981, shortly after the release of their debut album “Speak & Spell”.

Their 1982 follow-up album, “A Broken Frame”, was recorded as a trio, with Gore taking over primary songwriting duties. Musician and producer Alan Wilder joined the band in late 1982 and the group continued as a quartet until Wilder’s departure in 1995. From then on, the core trio of Gahan, Gore, and Fletcher remained active, up to the release of their 2017 album “Spirit” and ensuing world tour.

The role of Fletcher in Depeche Mode

Fletcher’s role within Depeche Mode was often a topic of speculation. In early incarnations of the band, he played (electric and later synth) bass but as the band evolved after Vince Clarke’s departure in 1981, Fletcher’s role changed as each of the band members took to the areas that suited them and benefited the band collectively. He was the only member of the band who did not receive a songwriting credit.

Fletcher handled many of the band’s business, legal, and other non-musical interests over the years. In later years, this included acting as the band’s “spokesperson”, with Fletcher often being the one to announce Depeche Mode news (such as record album and tour details).It apparently was also Fletcher who helped settling the dispute between Gahan and Gore following 2001’s “Exciter” album and tour over future songwriting duties within Depeche Mode.

His own label, Toast Hawaii

In 2002, Fletcher launched his own record label, a Mute Records imprint called Toast Hawaii (named after the dish) and signed the band CLIEИT. He coordinated the recording of their eponymous 2003 debut and 2004’s “City”, while also producing “extended remixes” for their subsequent singles “Price of Love”, “Rock and Roll Machine”, “Here and Now”, “In It for the Money”, “Radio” and “Pornography”. CLIEИT left the label in 2006 and no further activity with Toast Hawaii was held or announced.

Initially to support CLIEИT’s live shows, Fletcher began touring as a DJ. Whenever he was on hiatus from Depeche Mode, Fletcher played occasional festivals and club gigs in Europe, Asia, South America and so on. The sets included various exclusive Depeche remixes. In late 2015, Fletcher embarked on a small tour of European clubs.

For more on Depeche Mode, see First reactions on death Andy Fletcher (Depeche Mode) from former… on Side-Line.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

side-line.com

Electropop is a hybrid music genre combining elements of electronic and pop genres. During the late 1970s bands such as the Human League, Kraftwerk, and later on Gary Numan, Soft Cell and John Foxx helped pioneer a new synth-pop style that drew more heavily from electronic music and emphasized primary usage of synthesizers. Developed in the late 1970s it has seen several revival periods up until now.

We picked out the best synthpop albums from the past 4 decades (!!!). Here’s our list.

The Human League – ‘Dare’ (1981)

The Human League are ‘oldies’ when it comes to synthpop. Formed in Sheffield in 1977 and initially an experimental electronic outfit, the group attained widespread commercial success with their third album “Dare” in 1981. The album contained four hit singles, including the UK/US number one hit “Don’t You Want Me”. The band’s third studio album, it was recorded between March and September 1981 following the departure of founding members Martyn Ware and Ian Craig Marsh, and saw the band shift direction from their prior avant-garde electronic style toward a more pop-friendly, commercial sound led by frontman Philip Oakey. A remix album based on “Dare”, “Love and Dancing”, was released in 1982.

Talk Talk – ‘It’s My Life’ (1984)

Talk Talk were an English band formed in 1981, led by Mark Hollis (vocals, guitar, piano), Lee Harris (drums), and Paul Webb (bass). The group achieved early chart success with the synth-pop singles “Talk Talk” (1982), “It’s My Life”, and “Such a Shame” (both 1984) before moving towards a more experimental approach in the mid-1980s. Not surprisingly that our next pick is “It’s My Life”, the second studio album by Talk Talk, released in 1984. The album enjoyed an enormous succes thanks to the big international success of its singles (notably “Such a Shame”). We have a soft spot for the tracks “Dum Dum Girl”, “Such a Shame”, “Renée”, “It’s My Life” and “It’s You” although the entire album is just extremely enjoyable.

Alphaville – ‘Forever Young’ (1984)

The German synth-pop band Alphaville, which formed in Münster in 1982, achieved chart success with the singles “Forever Young”, “Big in Japan”, “Sounds Like a Melody”. All these were taken from their 1984 debut album “Forever Young” which was produced by Colin Pearson, Wolfgang Loos and Andreas Budde. Despite the success of the album and its singles, the band did not tour as they felt more like ‘studio rats’. It remains the band’s best output to date.

a-ha – ‘Scoundrel Days’ (1986)

The Norwegian synth-pop band a-ha was formed in Oslo in 1982 by Paul Waaktaar-Savoy (guitars), Magne Furuholmen (keyboards and guitars), and Morten Harket (vocals). “Scoundrel Days” is the second studio album by the trio and offered a more mature sound compared to their debut “Hunting High and Low” (1985). “Scoundrel Days”, recorded in England in early 1986 and produced by Alan Tarney, sported such singles as “I’ve Been Losing You”, “Cry Wolf” and “Maybe, Maybe” which was released solely in Bolivia. “Manhattan Skyline” was the forth and final single released from the long-player.

Erasure – ‘Wonderland’ (1986)

“Wonderland” is the debut studio album by the English synth-pop duo Erasure and was released in 1986. Although it was not an immediate success, the three singles released from it did become cult tracks overtime: “Who Needs Love Like That”, “Oh L’amour” and “Heavenly Action”. Although “Wonderland” was considered a failure, especially when comparing it to Clarke’s prior successes with Depeche Mode and Yazoo, the album became an all time favourite that laid the fundament of what was to follow in 1987 with the release of “The Circus”. The album was produced by Flood who would become a long-time collaborator.

Pet Shop Boys – ‘Actually’ (1987)

Pet Shop Boys, the English synth-pop duo formed in London in 1981, broke all records when they released “Actually”, their second studio album, in 1987. It was pushed forward by such great tracks as “One More Chance”, “What Have I Done to Deserve This?” (with Dusty Springfield), “Shopping”, “Rent”, “It Couldn’t Happen Here”, “It’s a Sin”, “Heart” and the majestic “King’s Cross”. In short an album filled with hits.

New Order – ‘Technique’ (1989)

New Order was formed in 1980 by vocalist and guitarist Bernard Sumner, bassist Peter Hook and drummer Stephen Morris. The band formed after the demise of Joy Division, following the suicide of lead singer Ian Curtis and were joined by Gillian Gilbert on keyboards later that year. Their experience of the early 1980s New York club scene saw them increasingly incorporate dance rhythms and electronic instrumentation into their work which resulted in their 1983 hit “Blue Monday” becoming and absolute monster hit. However, we picked out “Technique”, their fifth studio album. Released in 1989 by Factory Records, the album incorporates Balearic beat and acid house influences into the group’s dance-rock sound. “Technique” was the first New Order album to reach the number one spot on the UK charts and had such excellent singles as “Fine Time”, “Round and Round” and “Run 2”.

Depeche Mode – ‘Violator’ (1990)

“Violator” is the seventh studio album by England’s Depeche Mode. It was first released on 19 March 1990 through Mute Records internationally, and through Sire and Reprise Records in the United States. Preceded by the singles “Personal Jesus” and “Enjoy the Silence” (a top-10 entry in both the United Kingdom and the United States), the album propelled the band into international stardom, and also yielded the singles “Policy of Truth” and “World in My Eyes”. The album is generally considered as their most accomplisched electropop album before they encorporated more rock elements in the next album, “Songs of Faith and Devotion”. The role of Alan Wilder was crucial in “Violator”, you only have to compare the first and final version of “Enjoy The Silence” to notice the huge difference.

Bel Canto – ‘Birds of Passage’ (1990)

Bel Canto is a Norwegian music duo, originally a trio, fronted by vocalist Anneli Drecker and musically powered by Geir Jenssen and Nils Johansen. Signed originally to Crammed Discs, their second album “Birds of Passage” is considered as an absolute pearl holding an excellent production (aided by Giles Martin) and a long list of guest musicians who added acoustic elements to the cold nordic synths Jenssen and multi-instrumentalist Johansen. It was also the last album featuring Geir Jenssen. It holds the hits “Intravenous”, “Birds of Passage”, “A Shoulder to the Wheel”, “Time Without End”, “Continuum” and “The Suffering”. The band remains an often well-hidden pearl in electropopland.

De/Vision – ‘Fairyland?’ (1996)

De/Vision, a German synthpop act formed in 1988, was at the peak of its electropop stardom around the mid-nineties culiminating in the outstanding “Fairyland?” album which had such great tracks as “I Regret”, “Sweet Life”, “Today’s Life” or “Bleed Me White”. The band was fronting a new wave of electropop bands in Germany but was generally considered to be the most consistent one as far as quality and output. Sadly enough the release, and also the band’s earlier material, are no longer available on Spotify.

Wolfsheim – ‘Spectators’ (1999)

Wolfsheim was a synthpop duo from Hamburg, Germany, that consisted of Markus Reinhardt and Peter Heppner. Their fourth studio album was “Spectators” (1999) preceeded by two ‘pre-release’ singles from the album. “Once in a Lifetime” was released on October 16, 1998 and “It’s Hurting For The First Time” followed on November 30th. The LP was produced by Wolfsheim and José Alvarez-Brill and held 11 new songs. To this day, “Spectators” is the best-selling album by Wolfsheim with over 250,000 copies sold. The third single, “Künstliche Welten”, was released in 1999.

Iris – ‘Disconnect’ (2000)

“Disconnect” is the debut album by the electropop group Iris. Released in 2000 via the US label A Different Drum, the synthpop label by excellence, its success was guaranteed by the now cult synthpop jewels “Annie, Would I Lie to You?”, “Lose In Wanting” and “Danger Is The Shame”. Originally formed by Reagan Jones and Mat Morris in 1993, after the release of their first album “Disconnect”, Matthew Morris was replaced with Andrew Sega, who pushed the band’s sound in a more experimental electronic direction. Sadly enough the release, and also the band’s earlier material, are no longer available on Spotify.

Elegant Machinery – ‘A Soft Exchange’ (2008)

The Swedish synthpop band Elegant Machinery defined the Swedish synthpop movement along with such bands as Page, S.P.O.C.K, Sista Mannen På Jorden and Kiethevez. Heavily influenced by acts like Yazoo, The Human League, Depeche Mode and Rational Youth, the trio Robert Enforsen, Richard Jomshof and Leslie Bayne started the band in 1988 under the name Pole Position. The band was very successful in Sweden, with a number of successful singles and various awards. But it is their 2008 album “A Soft Exchange” that earned them a place in our list. The album was extremely mature yet very melodic and features such pearls a “With Grace”, “Do You Know”, “Feel The Silence”, “Bleeding Words” and “Is This The Way”.

Electro Spectre – ‘Dangerous Game’ (2012)

The Norwegian electronic music duo Electro Spectre fronts the 3rd electropop wave. Isak Rypdal (writer-producer) and Alexander Björneboe (writer-singer) debuted in 2009 with the album “Watch It All Turn” (which was later reproduced and re-released in 2010). The duo has secured us from a steady and consistent output ever since. In our list we picked the band’s 2012 release, which is their second studio album entitled “Dangerous Game”. Included are such pearls as “Love Thief”, “Dancing Girl”, “World Keeps Turning” and “Tokyo Shuffle”.

Mondträume – ‘Empty’ (2014)

Mondträume is the creative outlet of 2 Spanish talented artists Pikotto Vond Mond and Damasius Venys. In only a few years, the duo rapidly caught the attention of concert organizers, released several songs on compilations, and secured a label contract with Belgium’s electronic label Alfa Matrix where they debuted with the album “Empty”. The hits “Life Is Short”, “Parasite” and especially the synth pop pearl “Far From Pain” show why this band became one of the strongholders in the 3rd electropop wave together with such bands as Electro Spectre, and more.

Eldrina Mich

As Eldrina Mich I work as a go-between and a devil’s advocate when it comes to Side-Line. If our own staff needs to be interviewed then ask the questions no one else dares to ask.

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Back in the good old days, there was BONG, the official Depeche Mode fan club magazine which ran from 1988 until the closure of the club in 2002. Not that there was nothing before that as the magazine was previously distributed as a newsletter format publication known as the Depeche Mode Information Service, which ran from 1981 through early 1988. Anyhow, that all lays now in the past. Many friendships were built via the magazine, many relations as well and many readers were introduced to other bands such as Nitzer Ebb, Front 242, Pouppée Fabrikk, Cat Rapes Dog via the magazine’s penpal section. The last editor was Michaela Olexova (1994 – 2002) who also closed the doors of the magazine in 2002 with BONG 52, in beauty we must say and with a special attached CD holding 3 rare promo only remixes. Over the years we all also got to see her photographic skills as she became the in-house photographer for the magazine.

20 years later, Michaela revisited her photo archives and compiled the best pictures she took of the band during her reign in BONGland to publish them as “Dream”, a curated collection of Depeche Mode photographs from the period 1994 – 2002. You can order your copy right here: www.michaelaolexova.com.

We hailed Michaela who lives in London with her husband, daughter and cat.

Professionally you work as a website designer, photographer, digital creator, educator, and founder & creative director of Feel Good Websites these days. I see you deliver website templates, is that for WordPress only or for several different CMS types?

Michaela Olexova: My expertise is a brand and website design using the Squarespace platform which is a modern, clean and user friendly strategic tool to help you launch and grow your online business. I’m also about to introduce a new online course to help people create an authentic brand from the scratch that ignites their creativity, inspires them to dream big and believe that anything really is possible.

Let’s dive into the past. Being the former editor of the official Depeche Mode official fan club magazine Bong in 1994 – 2002, you have had some really direct access to the band. Is that still so now, I guess not, do you miss it?

Michaela Olexova: It’s been 20 years since the Bong magazine finished and we’ve all moved on, both professionally and personally. So although I’m still in touch with a few people I used to work with and may catch up with the Band members when they tour, we don’t have any more direct contact. It was a really exciting period in my life and I do miss it occasionally but it gave me so many wonderful memories which I wanted to bring back to life in this book.

Is the Depeche Mode era for you closed with this book now?

Michaela Olexova: I’m still a big fan of Depeche Mode and their solo projects so it can never really be closed… However, this book is one of my dreams come true, as the book title suggests, so I’m super happy and grateful that I can share this personal tribute with the world after all those years as a celebration of Depeche Mode, their music and their fans.

One thing I have realized when going through the book is that those past 20 years have flown away as if it all happened just yesterday. I guess it was also a trip down memory lane for you? How do you look back at that period?

Michaela Olexova: Yes, you’re absolutely right, it doesn’t feel like 20 years ago at all! The Bong magazine gave me a creative platform to explore my many passions and skills, whether it was design, photography, writing, music or production, and I was really lucky that I had the freedom to develop lots of my ideas and the Band trusted I was doing a good job. I guess this experience significantly influenced not only my life but also my career as it lead me to where I am today, running a creative design business and empowering women to dare to live their dreams.

How did you pick the pictures for this book and what order did you go for to present them in the book? I guess you ‘sit’ on a lot more material? What material did not make it and why?

Michaela Olexova: When I started organising my photo archive during the Covid lockdown, I realised I’ve got over 1,000 Depeche Mode photos. There are lots of photos from various tours, studio, behind the scenes and private photo sessions, so I decided to organise them in two chapters – Live and Life. I also had a good idea of the book format and knew I wanted to include about 70-80 photos in the final book so I made several shortlists. First, I went from 1,000 to about 300 photos based on my personal preferences, but also the quality of negatives, and then from 300 to the final 73 photos based on my intuition which then had to be scanned and digitally restored.

Your main focus is on Martin Gore and David Gahan, am I wrong these are also your favourite band members? By the way, where were those Martin Gore pictures taken, was/is that his own house’s garden?

Michaela Olexova: It’s funny you say that but it never really was my intention! The reason you see so many photos of Martin and Dave is simply because they’re both centre of the stage during the live shows and that’s all to it. There are also some great photos of Andy Fletcher on and off the stage – I especially like the ones from his visit to Prague – or Alan Wilder who left the Band soon after I started working with them. As for the photos of Martin Gore, they were taken at his country house in May 1995 when I was preparing my photo exhibition of portraits in Prague at the time and he kindly agreed to do a quick photo session to support my project.

I especially like that you also included non live pics in “Dream”, including studio sessions pictures made in a more relaxed atmosphere, or was that just the surface?

Michaela Olexova: The studio photos were taken over two days I spent with them at Rak Studios in London during the recording session of their album ‘Ultra’. I was there to do interviews with all the Band members for the Bong magazine and everyone was really relaxed and happy for me taking photos of the creative process. My favourite pictures are of Dave rehearsing for the song ‘The Love Thieves’, it was just him on the mic and me taking the photos inside the vocal studio which was a really special moment and I’m glad the relaxed atmosphere shows through these candid pictures.

I don’t know if you have a preferred era of the band visually? I personally was always quite attracted by the 1987 and 1989/1990 visual era of the band, I guess because that’s also when they released my preferred Depeche Mode albums. What about you and why?

Michaela Olexova: I guess the time around ‘Music For The Masses’ is really close to my heart as it’s when I discovered Depeche Mode and got attracted to their music. Growing up in the communist Czechoslovakia with hardly any access to the music or culture from the western part of the world, I was fascinated by their music, fashion, style and visuals. With Anton Corbijn’s moody black & white photos and videos, they managed to create a unique brand that was so different to anything or anyone else out there.

Doing promo for this book from the UK has been a postal nightmare, I see it happen with lots of products being shipped to the EU from outside the EU which don’t get delivered or in the best case get returned. Having your own company Feel Good Websites in the UK as well, do you see more of this Brexit ‘fun’ happening?

Michaela Olexova: Yes, I do but it’s not fun at all! To be honest, I was shocked how difficult it is to deliver a book from the UK to Europe. It’s still a mystery to me that the fans in USA, Brazil or Japan can receive their book within a few days while some of the fans in Europe have to wait for weeks or months because their delivery is stuck at the customs. Luckily, I run a digital business so I don’t have to deal with things like that on daily basis but there’s other post-Brexit issues which make things complicated for both, business owners and customers, and that’s a real shame.

Side-Line also covered Depeche Mode’s ‘s ’.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Today we celebrate Epiphany, also known as Theophany in the east, a Christian feast day that celebrates the revelation of God’s incarnation as Jesus Christ. In Western Christianity, the feast commemorates principally (but not solely) the visit of the Magi to the Christ Child, and thus Jesus Christ’s physical manifestation to the Gentiles. And there’s no other king more suitable in synthpop land than Depeche Mode frontman Dave Gahan in the iconic 1990 video by Anton Corbijn of “Enjoy The Silence” taken from the cult album “Violator”.

Although instead of a king Anton Corbijn actually wanted to reference the themes and storyline of the philosophical children’s book “The Little Prince” from Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. Recorded in 1989, “Enjoy The Silence” was released as the second single from what was their seventh studio album on 16 January 1990.

It was Dutch director Anton Corbijn who shot the video for the band with Dave Gahan dressed as a king, crown and cloak included as he walks through various landscapes in Scotland, Portugal and the Swiss Alps, with a deckchair. It wasn’t the only video shot for the song, you might remember that a second video was made for a TV promo. It was shot by the French TV (for the TV Show “Champs-Élysées” with Michel Drucker) featuring Depeche Mode lip-synching the song while standing on the observation deck atop the South Tower of the original World Trade Center.

Dave Gahan: “I felt like an idiot!”

The latter video was dismissed as ‘official’ video although Dave Gahan hated making the first video as he was forced to drag a cape in snow and later said “I felt like an idiot!” As a result he also refused to do some scenes.

Note that it was Alan Wilder’s production which turned the song into a hit because the original was a slow and dull track. Songwriter Martin Gore created a ballad-like first version of the song, which the band took into the studio in 1989. At band member Alan Wilder’s insistence, the song was re-worked into the up-tempo version released on the album. It shows that Wilder was a real genius asset in the band during all these years. But that’s for another article.

The different Depeche Mode videos for ‘Enjoy The Silence’

The World Trade Center version with a similar intro as the Anton Corbijn one.

The Anton Corbijn version.

Side-Line also covered Depeche Mode’s ‘These Mortal Covers’.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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After 11 years we finally get to hear something new from Prague’s synthpop act Lakeside X. Lakeside X is back with a new song, “Fire in the Sky”, produced by Daniel Myer.

The band released their last regular record “City Of Red Lights” back in 2010 and they played their last gig in 2014. But early 2021 the trio consisting of Janne Marvannen, Robert Broj and Igor Dvorsky started work on a new album. Before its release in 2022, the band will release several singles with the first being “Fire in the Sky”. A video was also shot and you can see that below.

“We had long discussions, which song to come up with first after such a long time. This song is slower, it’s not a classical single track. But it has some sort of strange power, which absorbs you with every listening. There is a story, which will reflect on the entire album and I think it’s one of the strongest songs we have ever made. That is why we wanted people to hear it as the first,” says Janne Marvannen.

“My brother spent days with drone in Canadian wilderness and he shot some breathtaking footage. When I saw it, it immediately came to my mind to ask him whether we might use it for the lyric video. The floating shots are almost hypnotic and it all lets you fully experience the song,” says Igor Dvorsky, who was in the past taking care, among other, of the screen projections for Alan Wilder’s Recoil project.

Together with the album/video version of the song, a club mix and a radio version has been prepared by the band. The single is avaliable on all streaming services. Check it out below!

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Out on December 03 is a Blu-Ray edition, as well as a double DVD and deluxe version from Depeche Mode’s live concert film “101”. The concert featured was the final show of the “Music For The Masses” world tour recorded at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, on June 18, 1988. That’s 33 years ago… time flies!

The documentary, co-directed by DA Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus included the winners of a contest who won an appearance in the Depeche Mode film.

The deluxe edition comes in a new HD edition based on 4K scans of the original film reels. The Blu-Ray includes 3 unreleased bonus performances of “A Question of Lust”, “Sacred” and “Something To Do”, as well as the official promotional video for “Everything Counts”.

And that’s not all, the set comes accompanied by a 48-page behind-the-scenes photo book featuring never-before-seen footage; a replica of the original American cinema poster (20 “x 30”); a 16-page book with the photos of Anton Corbijn, as included in the original version of the album; a double CD of the original concert version with 20 tracks from the concert and a download card giving access to 4K downloads of the movie and bonus performances, as well as 24-bit audio files from the live recording.

Although the Blu-Ray and DVD will have 5.1 mixes, there is no sign of audio-only surround sound as we got on the SACD in 2004. A standalone Blu-Ray and a two-DVD sets will also be available. Alos, included are interviews with Dave Gahan, Andy Fletcher, Martin Gore, Daniel Miller and Jonathan Kessler, but none with Alan Wilder. Rather weird…

Here’s a glimpse of what to expect.

Side-Line also covered Depeche Mode’s ‘All Too Familiar’.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Yesterday Side-Line released session 6 in the by now famous free ‘Face The Beat’ compilation series focussing on the darker side of the music world. The compilation is available on Bandcamp for immediate download. For free or as a pay-what-you-want. This time our magazine’s chief editor Bernard Van Isacker selected 139 bands to participate after a submission round was launched in Summer of 2020.

Just like last time, we took the time to sit down with our chief editor to talk about the compilation but of course also about other things including the unavoidable corona pandemic. Instead of traveling to far away Ypres in Belgium, we set up a Zoom conference call and fired some questions at him while we hear his 3-year old son Magnus shouting ‘Dinosaurs!’.

SL: Dinos?

BVI: Ha yes, he is besotted with dinosaurs and just two days ago we went to see Dinopolis, which was the most exciting event for him this year! I literally had to drag him out of the park after we had done the tour 7 times in a row, which was more than enough for us but Magnus stayed excited until the very last second!

It was the first time out for us to be honest, since we have been in and out quarantine for the past couple of months.

SL: Speaking of which, has the current corona pandemic affected you in any way?

BVI: Besides from contracting the virus and being miserably ill just like some relatives, friends and acquaintances? It has damaged a lot of people and families I notice and some close friends have been hit particularly hard… It’s something that will pass once we all get vaccinated, but it is leaving lots of scars which often go unnoticed these days. The press prefers to focus on TV-stars who get depressed, stars who get caught in sex scandals, etc. but they pay a lot less attention to those who are going bankrupt and see their livelihoods go up in thin corona air.

If you ask me what preoccupied me the most, it was keeping my mum safe at any cost. We phone a lot and zoom every week, luckily enough she has a very strong personality which prevented her from breaking so to speak. I often wondered how my late father would have reacted if he were still alive today, I don’t think it would have been a pleasant trip for him at all.

A lot of people have difficulties coping with the stress of this and they develop psychological problems, including several friends of mine… I would guess that we as a society really have to work on getting people more resilient when we get confronted with stress situations. I’m not sure how to do this, but governments should really look into this.

So on the whole, yes, it has affected me directly, but I’m quite a positive person so I’m pretty sure we’ll survive it despite the hardships endured the past few months. I’m also very fortunate to have a couple of excellent friends with whom I often talk about life in general. I guess it’s key to keep you in good spirits and motivate each other. One of them, Nico, is also part of my ‘unique social bubble’ as we call it so I was able going to exhibitions – such as the Will Eisner one in Brussels – and comic fairs with him when it was allowed.

SL: What is the first thing you will do when you are vaccinated?

BVI: Visit my mum and brothers the moment I can. And when the restaurants open, to go out to dinner with Stephane from Side-Line and Seba and Benoit from Alfa Matrix. They have been very close friends for over 20 years with whom I’ve shared quite a lot of history, the good and the bad as it should be. Next to that I’ll start planning trips to Bulgaria, Norway, Mexico, Italy, France, Germany, the UK, Turkey to visit my friends and family over there in case they haven’t been here first.

SL: Was there any fun for you in 2020?

BVI: Sure! Seeing how my two sons are growing up was pure joy. Magnus is 3 years old now and is very much into dinosaurs… I’d even say kinda obsessed (laughs)! He is being raised in Spanish and Dutch so I hear him speaking both languages which is kinda cool. My oldest son Sebastian is 15 now, and the perfect company to spend time with. We enjoy the same morbid humor and love Southpark. You get the idea I think!

Musically speaking I was very much positively surprised of how so many bands took the opportunity to reinvent themselves as far as studio work or in communication forced by the situation. I have seen lots of great experiments taking place, and I’m sure that those bands learned a lot along the way. In a way this pandemic forced many to think out of the box, so let’s hope this trend remains alive!

SL: Let’s talk about the new volume of “Face The Beat”. There were a lot more tracks included in this 6th volume I see? Over 130!

BVI: ‘Blame’ that on the bands who have been hyperactive being confined at home! I actually never put any limit on the number of tracks that are featured on the compilation. If a track is good it will get on there. If they deliver their wav-files on time that is which is not always the case unfortunately, but that’s part of the compiling process. But the corona pandemic definitely did have a huge influence on the number of submissions, there is no doubt about that. Several bands also tackle 2020 in their songs, which makes it even more visible and audible.

Time-wise my agenda was fully packed, as I work in an essential sector so I really had my hands full with work in order to redirect all marketing efforts from the company I work for towards digital communication in the broad sense of it. So when I realized that this new compilation was becoming bigger and bigger I spent most of my day offs to complete it. It had to be ready by the end of this year as was promised to our readers and to the bands that participated and who also spent lots of time on their tracks. Respect goes both ways, and all the bands and labels that helped out of course deserved that respect!

SL: How is the compilation doing?

BVI: I must say that our readers again did an excellent job in pushing the compilation forward in record time. Number 1 in the industrial charts on Bandcamp, number 2 in the alternative charts on Bandcamp and number 7 in the overal charts on Bandcamp and this just a couple of hours after it was released. Pretty good in other words! So thank you very much all of you for supporting this release!

It shows that the ‘Face The Beat’ crowd really is a true powerhouse and unique in its sort because we keep on focusing on young bands. I guess being genuine does work, I also see it in the reactions from the participating bands and labels, they do appreciate the work we put into it.

SL: The series is often being labeled as ‘cult’ or ‘legendary’, surprised?

BVI: I’m kinda modest in these things. But it’s undeniable that what once started in an obscure corner of the internet quickly has evolved into a musical mastodon with a real traction connecting ten thousands of people worldwide. It’s starting to become a very important legacy indeed if you look at it this way. Despite Facebook I must say.

SL: What do you mean ‘despite Facebook’?

BVI: Well, it all started 10 years ago as a download on Facebook, hence the title of the series. Since then the platform has only become a real money grabbing machine – no problem for me, but it has lost 99% of its original attraction. Facebook is no longer the friend of bands as the organic reach is abysmal nowadays. We do indeed promote posts on Facebook, but it’s the only way to get a decent reach there unless you get a viral post, but for that we don’t add enough kittens in the pictures. So, the data is there, you just don’t get access to it without paying. For me they have exaggerated the business model behind it, and I guess I can talk for the bands as well. Especially bands who don’t tour (2020 anyone?) find it financially unsustainable to promote their posts on the platform. The ROI is close to zero unless you can sell merchandise or tickets.

SL: So what platform should bands and labels use in order to keep in touch with their fanbase?

BVI: Facebook remains part of a band’s or label’s communication plan of course, but I would really recommend bands start getting a presence on Bandcamp as well if only to sell downloads, merchandise or offer videos for instance. The interesting thing about it is that it works particularly well for those bands and labels who have been smart enough to invest in and keep data in-house instead of focussing on an external platforms like Facebook for instance. On Facebook you do NOT posses the data at all, and that’s to be taken literally. On Bandcamp you have direct access to the data.

As far as Facebook is concerned, unless you pay you can not contact the major part of your followers. You can still count the number of bands who have worked on a good mailinglist on both your hands so to speak. I keep on recommending it to bands when they ask me what they should do first. It’s the data. No doubt about it.

Side-Line has been very data driven since the start, so we were able to drive loads of traffic to Bandcamp once we started there. As a result the number of people connected to the Side-Line Bandcamp page and getting our notifications is just enormous. Add to that that they offer a very good targeting tool within their internal messaging and you have a very good combination to get things rolling pretty fast.

Bandcamp is also a platform that keeps on developing, just look at the features they have launched the past few years like subscriptions, live streaming, merchandise etc.. It’s an allround music service platform with an own community if you want. You could argue that it’s rather weird that mainstream labels still haven’t fully embraced it, then again there are (too?) many ties between those labels and other ‘competing’ services which blocks them I guess.

It’s not the only platform, but if you want to stay in control of your data and have a direct impact on the moment you want to communicate it’s a must have. Add to this that the people behind Bandcamp are very band centered, I have had the occasion to speak with them on various occasion regarding new features and it’s quite delightful to see how they think and work. Bandcamp Fridays for example are something a ‘normal’ company would never do, but Bandcamp did. So yes, highly and warmly recommended.

SL: What is the last track you played if I may ask?

BVI: Apart from the current compilation I’m addicted to “Summer 2” from the album “Recomposed by Max Richter: Vivaldi – The Four Seasons”. Just wonderful. I have it on repeat since last week when I heard it in the “L’Amica Geniale”, an Italian- and Neapolitan-language coming-of-age drama television series created by Saverio Costanzo. Alan Wilder should do a rendition of it, that could be truly epic… I think I’ll text him later today about that (smiles). Time we get a new Recoil album too, no?

SL: Any wishes for 2021?

BVI: A good health to everyone, lots of love and understanding (people shouldn’t always attack one another just because they have different opinions) and let’s hope we can hug each other pretty soon again. I think that is the most important stuff today. The rest we can manage with hard work!

I invite you all to check out the new compilation of course. Enjoy!

Eldrina Mich

As Eldrina Mich I work as a go-between and a devil’s advocate when it comes to Side-Line. If our own staff needs to be interviewed then ask the questions no one else dares to ask.

www.side-line.com

Palm Products GmbH, a highly regarded manufacturer of audio synthesizers which was founded and owned by Wolfgang Palm, has been acquired by the software company Plugin Alliance. PPG is located in Hamburg, Germany and, for 12 years from around 1975 to 1987, manufactured a range of electronic musical instruments, all designed by Palm. We asked Alan Wilder (ex-Depeche Mode, Recoil) for some feedback on the PPG as you can see further in this article.

It is Plugin Alliance’s founding member Brainworx which acquired the assets of Wolfgang Palm’s PPG brand. PPG’s synth products will join Plugin Alliance, updated by Brainworx in close cooperation with founder Wolfgang Palm.

From keyboardist to keyplayer in audio synthesizer market

Wolfgang Palm was active as a keyboardist in bands in the Hamburg area before starting his company in 1975 which focussed on the developing synthesizer market. His first commercially available synthesizer was a modular synthesizer, the 300 Series, which failed to sell in large quantities. Inspired by the design of the Minimoog, Palm introduced the 1002 and 1020 synthesizers which were portable, analog, monophonic, and relatively compact. In 1979, PPG introduced the 340/380 System, a complex digital synthesizer which consisted of the 340 Processor Unit, the 340 Generator Unit, and the 380 Event Generator (a 16-track sequencer). Itt was used by Tangerine Dream and Thomas Dolby during the early 1980s.

But the big breakthrough only happened in 1980, when Palm introduced the “wavetable synthesis”. These digital synthesizers expanded upon the capabilities of Palm’s earlier synthesizers by expanding the sound creation tools with limited samples, which were compiled together in lists called wavetables. The first PPG synthesizer to implement this algorithm was the Wavecomputer 360, released in 1980 in two versions. But it was with the release of the Wave 2, which debuted in 1981, that the ball started rolling. In total, around 1,000 Waves were manufactured between 1981 and 1987, making it the most successful product PPG manufactured.

From a-ha to Depeche Mode’s Alan Wilder

The PPG Wave was used by artists such as A-ha, Alphaville, David Bowie, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Depeche Mode, Propaganda, Jean Michel Jarre, Level 42, Gary Numan, Robert Palmer, The Stranglers, Talk Talk, Tangerine Dream, Tears For Fears, Ultravox, and many others.

We asked Alan Wilder (ex-Depeche Mode, Recoil) for some feedback on the PPG.

Alan Wilder: “Depeche used a PPG Wave 2 (+ subsequent 2.2) mainly in the studio for the second album (‘A Broken Frame’, 1982) and onwards for a couple of years. Its unique and distinctive sounds are unmistakable on that record. The single ‘See You’ features the very recognisable choir sound, plus the bell riff and other parts, while that release’s B-side ‘Now This Is Fun’ also has PPG’s hallmark stamped all over it. The gratifying array of rich preset sounds it produced were not so easy to improve upon, although Dan Miller would have a go. Complex synthesis produced bell-like overtones that, until that time, had never really been heard to such an extent electronically – later to be resurrected, via equally confusing algorithms, in Yamaha’s DX7 but not nearly with comparable depth or character in my view.

The PPG was a sensitive, delicate & bloody difficult beast however – trying to use it in a live environment proved to be disastrous and the band soon jettisoned that idea following endless embarrassing breakdowns. When it failed, just to let you know how unhappy it was, a massive ‘clunk’ would be accompanied by a loud piercing siren-type noise. Only a re-boot would sort it out – sadly an all too short-lived fix. No, it needed caressing & cajoling and I guess when sampling came along, coupled with Dan Miller’s beast of a Synclavier featuring heavily on DM’s next album ‘Construction Time Again’, the forlorn-looking PPG got relegated and ignored somewhat. A real gem of its time.”

PPG officially ceased business operations and closed its doors in 1987 after shelving the Realizer project. The Realizer was an all-in-one studio machine which combined production, recording, sequencing, and mixing tools into one machine in addition to a sophisticated sampling and synthesis system.

Wolfgang Palm after PPG

After the decline of PPG, Wolfgang Palm continued to be an active innovator in the area of synthesizer technology. For Waldorf Music for example he designed the digital ASIC for the first Waldorf product Microwave (1989) which basically contained the complete sound engine of the PPG wave 2.2. In 2002, Steinberg from its side released PLEX, a software synthesizer designed by Palm.

Today, nearly every digital synthesizer implements wavetable synthesis in some form, and the Wave’s unique integration of analogue and digital circuitry influenced synthesizers such as the Monowave and the E-mu Emulator.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

side-line.com

Update: a comment by Alan Wilder on Mark Hollis from Talk Talk was added.

Mark Hollis, frontman of the band Talk Talk, has died at the age of 64. It was his cousin-in-law Anthony Costello who tweeted the bad news yesterday evening saying: “RIP Mark Hollis. Cousin-in-law. Wonderful husband and father. Fascinating and principled man. Retired from the music business 20 years ago but an indefinable musical icon.”

Mark Webb, Talk Talk’s bassist, also posted an update on Instagram saying: “I am very shocked and saddened to hear the news of the passing of Mark Hollis. Musically he was a genius and it was a honour and a privilege to have been in a band with him. I have not seen Mark for many years, but like many musicians of our generation I have been profoundly influenced by his trailblazing musical ideas.”

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In a comment, Alan Wilder (Depeche Mode, Recoil) says: “As someone commented yesterday (which summed up my feeling too): “Funny how things affect you. It makes no difference functionally since Mark Hollis disappeared from public life in 1998, and I certainly never knew him personally, but I’m heartbroken.” I think the most likely reason he stopped producing music altogether is because he became paralysed by the conundrum of trying to create absolute perfection, which is of course unobtainable. It is the most worthy of dilemmas – noble but ultimately negative. He was an exceptional and unique talent – the later key Talk Talk albums leave a legacy to be proud of. ”

Career with Talk Talk and solo album

Mark David Hollis achieved commercial success and critical acclaim in the 1980s and 1990s as the co-founder, lead singer and principal songwriter of the band Talk Talk. Hollis wrote or co-wrote most of Talk Talk’s music, including hits like “Such a Shame”, “It’s My Life” and “Life’s What You Make It”.

The band was formed in 1981 as a synth-pop group with a New Romantic image. For their third album, “The Colour of Spring” (1986), Talk Talk adopted an art pop sound. The band’s final two albums, “Spirit of Eden” (1988) and “Laughing Stock” (1991), were radical departures from their early work, taking influence from jazz, folk, classical and experimental music.

Talk Talk disbanded in 1992, after which Hollis returned to music in 1998 with a self-titled solo album, which continued the direction of Talk Talk’s sound but in a more minimal, spare, acoustic style. Following the release of his only solo album, Hollis largely retired from the recording industry.

Sporadic signs of life

He occasionally re-surfaced musically. He for instance played the solo track “Piano” from the 1998 minimalist album “AV 1”, by Phill Brown and Dave Allinson, under the pseudonym John Cope, which was later included on the 2001 Talk Talk compilation album “Missing Pieces”. Hollis also played piano on and co-wrote the track “Chaos” on the 1998 trip hop album “Psyence Fiction” by Unkle. He however later asked for his name to be removed from the album credits. Hollis also produced and arranged two tracks (“The Gown” and “Big Mouth”) on Anja Garbarek’s 2001 album “Smiling & Waving”. His last known music was created for the TV drama “Boss” starring Kelsey Grammer and TI.

In 2015 a fake Facebook campaign was launched telling that Talk Talk’s Mark Hollis would record a new album if his Facebook page (which didn’t even exist) got 1 million likes.

As of 1998, Hollis lived in Wimbledon, London with his wife, a teacher, and his two children.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

side-line.com

Here’s an item that will interest many Depeche Mode fans. Bonhams of London will be auctioning Alan Wilder’s original Roland JP-8 synthesiser. This Roland JP-8 is not being sold by Alan Wilder, but was originally owned by Depeche Mode and Alan Wilder and then given away many years ago. The sale has been endorsed with a Letter of Authentication by Alan Wilder nevertheless so you are sure to buy the genuine thing.

Alan Wilder: “This is indeed the very same JP-8 that I used for a number of years with Depeche Mode – its serial number, history and even the markings can be verified and I believe it still actually contains some the original sounds which I best demonstrated in the ‘Synths Revolution’ YouTube clip below.”

The keyboard was used both live and in the studio with Depeche Mode between 1982-1984. The instrument has been fully restored under care of “Synthdoctor” Andy Jury and is in complete working condition.

You may expect this rare gem to fetch between £8,000 – £12,000 (that’s roughly € 9,000 – 13,000) when it goes up for sale on 11th December 2018, 12:00 GMT at Bonhams, New Bond Street, London. Full details of the entire auction and how to bid can be found here.

Side-Line also covered Depeche Mode’s ‘STUMM433’.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

side-line.com

Nitzer Ebb sees 5 of its albums released on CD with bonus tracks. Included are the albums “That Total Age”, “Belief”, “Showtime”, “Ebbhead” and “Big Hit”.

1987 – That Total Age CD

The limited edition of “That Total Age” contains 4 bonus tracks, including the 12” mixes of “Join In The Chant”, “Let Your Body Learn”, “Warsaw Ghetto” and a rare instrumental version of “Murderous”. The original US release of this album did not contain the 12″ mixes. You can find the full tracklist here where you can also order the album.

1989 – Belief 2CD

Next is “Belief” which is being released as a 2CD. This time you get 12 bonus tracks, including all the major hard-to-find club mixes all together on one CD for the first time. All of this bonus material is not available for download in North America so this will be your only chance to get them. You can find the full tracklist here where you can also order the album.

1990 – Showtime 2CD

“Showtime” also comes in a 2CD edition and contains 18 bonus tracks, including all the major hard-to-find club mixes all together on one CD for the first time. Included also are several B-sides that were previously available only on the album singles. All of this bonus material is not available for download in North America. You can find the full tracklist here where you can also order the album.

1991 – Ebbhead 2CD

And on the 4th place, there’s “Ebbhead”, produced by Alan Wilder (Depeche Mode, Recoil). The 16 bonus tracks presented on this 2CD set include the highly acclaimed “As Is” EP (it’s a beauty indeed, just listen to the excellent “Come Alive” as remixed by Alan Wilder), along with some hard-to-find remixes – on CD for the first time. All of this bonus material is not available for download in North America. You can find the full tracklist here where you can also order the album.

1995 – Big Hit 2CD

The 5th album to be released is “Big Hit”, also as a 2CD set. Included are 16 bonus tracks, such as all the hard-to-find club mixes all together on one CD for the first time, plus several B-sides and 2 unreleased songs from the same albums sessions. All of this bonus material is not available for download in North America. You can find the full tracklist here where you can also order the album.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

side-line.com

Out later in October, but already available for pre-ordering right here, is the massive Nitzer Ebb vinyl boxset “1982-2010” holding 10 LPs. It’s the first time that all five of the band’s albums for Geffen/Mute have been collected in one complete box set.

The box set features expanded double black vinyl, of each album, with several bonus tracks and rare 12” mixes. The original album artwork comes expanded into gatefold sleeves, with embossing and spot UV finish. The set also contains a large size 28-page booklet with liner notes by Douglas McCarthy and Bon Harris and unseen photos, flyers and artwork, detailing their entire career in chronological order from Essex to Los Angeles.

Note that the box also includes space to insert the band’s first self released album from 1983 and their last release from 2010 as these titles have been in print in recent years. Which is frankly speaking a bit odd if you serve a career spanning boxset.

The box set contains the following albums:

• That Total Age Double Vinyl LP (2018 Remaster) with the bonus tracks “Murderous (Instrumental)”, “Fitness to Purpose (Mix Two)”, “Join In The Chant (Burn! 12” Mix)”, “Let Your Body Learn (12” Mix)”, “Join In The Chant (Metal Mix)”
• Belief Double Vinyl LP (2018 Remaster) with the bonus tracks “Control I’m Here (Command Control Confront Mix)”, “Shame (Mix no 2 William Orbit)”, “K.I.A. (PK Mix)”, “Captivate (William Orbit Mix)”, “Hearts & Minds (Mix Subsonic)”, “Backlash (William Orbit Mix)”
• Showtime Double Vinyl LP (2018 Remaster) with the bonus tracks “Lightning Man (The Industry Vs. The Ebb Remix)”, “Fun To Be Had (Long Mix George Clinton)”, “Getting Closer (The Kitchen Mix)”, “Fun To Be Had (Dust Brothers Master Mix)”, “Lightning Man (RSW Mix)”, “Getting Closer (The Trance Mix)”
• Ebbhead Double Vinyl LP (2018 Remaster) with the bonus tracks “Family Man (Jaz Coleman Mix)”, “Come Alive (Alan Wilder Mix)”, “Lovesick (Flood Mix)”, “Higher (Barry Adamson Mix)”, “Ascend (Vince Clarke Anonymous Mix)”, “I Give To You (Pestilence Mix)”, “Godhead (Remix)”
• Big Hit Double Vinyl LP (2018 Remaster) with the bonus tracks “Friend (Brittle Mix)”, “Beats Me”, “Kick It (Adrian Sherwood Compulsion Edit)”, “Kick It (Popular Music Mix)”, “I Thought (Final Sin)”

The complete boxset is available now for ordering right here.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

side-line.com

When Depeche Mode’s “Heaven” video got the remix treatment by German remixer Dominatrix a few years ago, fans worldwide were unanimous by saying they really preferred that version to the official version. It’s no surprise that Depeche Mode’s newest single “Where’s The Revolution” also has received the remix treatment considering the poorly executed production by the original.

In a reaction the Polish fan who created the remix says: “This is a tribute to the early Depeche Mode with Alan Wilder. I just love their sound from 80’s and 90’s.”

The track, full title “Where’s the Revolution (Base Back To 80’s Remix)”, uses samples from the old Depeche Mode back catalogue just like the Dominatrix mix did. The remix also goes hand in hand with a video reminding us of the good old MTV when it was still a decent music channel.

Coincidentally, A few days ago we fooled quite a lot of fans when we announced that the band was to re-record their biggest 80s/90s hits (it was April 1st in case you didn’t realise). In a reaction some said that the band should better do it the other way round, namely re-recording their most recent material the old style way (that will be difficult with super producer Alan Wilder gone). So here’s the result, at least how it could have sounded.

Check it out for yourself.

The video of “Where’s the Revolution (Base Back To 80’s Remix)”.

The Dominatrix remix of “Heaven”.

Side-Line also covered Depeche Mode’s ‘s the new Metroland video: ’.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

side-line.com

(By our Norwegian correspondent Jan Ronald Stange)
The People’s Electric, record label founded in 2016 by Jon ‘Jonteknik’ Russell, are releasing iEuropean’s debut album ‘Into The Unknown’ worldwide on April 21st.

‘Into The Unknown’ is just that – an unplanned journey made on utterly unchartered waters, by two of the most unlikely of musical collaborators. That partnership has produced a bold, original musical statement full of unexpected moments, sudden shifts and towering pop songs.

After leaving his former group Empire State Human, iEuropean founder and electronic music stalwart Seán Barron found himself lost at sea and considering a voyage which he intended to take with numerous guest passengers delivering vocals. The project began with an auspicious pairing with Kraftwerk’s  (2014’s ‘Activity Of Sound’ EP), but Barron soon found himself drawn increasingly to the siren-like a cappella vocal he’d been sent of a song called ‘Sweet Paranoia’ by an actress and singer friend, Ruth Lalor. The iEuropean ship was taken hastily back to port, fully refitted and then set sail once more, this time as a fully-fledged duo.

Recorded between 2013 and 2016 in Barron’s studio in Dublin and then after its relocation to Kildare, the stylish production of ‘Into The Unknown’ takes in prowling synths reminiscent of Alan Wilder’s Recoil releases and Depeche Mode albums, disco-era strings, crisp electronic rhythms and occasional unanticipated nods to techno and dance music. This is modern electronic pop music which is both forward-looking and reverential, unafraid to experiment but entirely sensitive to history.

The consistent thread running through this album is Ruth Lalor’s voice, full of bluesy angst and anguished emotional outpourings. Hers is a voice that belongs in smoky underground speakeasies and dimly-lit jazz clubs, all rich soulfulness and molasses-smooth tenderness. On paper, setting that voice to an electronic template would sound as treacherous and ill-advised as deciding to put to sea in the midst of a violent storm, but one listen to tracks like the rapturous nod to dance music on ‘Don’t Lose Control’ or the unpredictable switches of ‘Fire Out’ and you realise that this is a calculated risk that has absolutely paid off.

‘Into The Unknown’ will be released on April 21st on CD and digital download. The CD can preordered at http://www.thepeopleselectric.com/shop. Both Seán Barron and Ruth Lalor are available for interviews.

For further information and interview requests, please contact Jon Russell at contact@thepeopleselectric.com

Track Listing:
1. Sweet Paranoia
2. Falling
3. Fire Out
4. Don’t Lose Control
5. I Will Follow
6. Requiem
7. Sweet Dreams
8. Bring On The Rain
9. We Are Brothers (feat. Clive Pierce from Hard Corps)
10.World Of Fantasy

Album teaser:

Watch the video for ‘Don’t Lose Control’:

Jan Ronald Stange

Sometimes – when I’m not cooking, biking, listening to music or attending concerts, I write stuff for Side-Line.com. Mostly about Norwegian bands, but it’s been some Swedish, English, American, Danish, German and others too… 😉

www.facebook.com/jrstange

Out on on November 11, 2016 via SONY Music Entertainment – and already available for ordering right here –  is be “Video Singles Collection”, a 3DVD library anthology containing more than four hours of Depeche Mode music videos (and two-plus hours of audio commentary) including work by Julien Temple, Anton Corbijn, D.A. Pennebaker, John Hillcoat and others..

“Video Singles Collection” is the first official Depeche Mode archival title to be released under the SONY imprimatur since it acquired the rights to the Depeche Mode catalog in July 2015. No Blu-ray set though, which is rather disappointing and surprising since the older videos really could use the format.

Note that more Depeche Mode releases will see the light as “Video Singles Collection” is the first in a series of retrospective projects around Depeche Mode. You might get yet another best of… hoorah…

Back to the actual item. The set includes 55 newly restored versions of the video singles in addition to four rare alternate videos and new commentary on specific individual clips, recorded by members of Depeche Mode especially for this release. Vince Clarke and Alan Wilder have not been asked to deliver input.

You can order the set right here from Storming The Base.

Here is the list of videos featured on the release:

• Just Can’t Get Enough (directed by Clive Richardson)
• See You (directed by Julien Temple)
• The Meaning of Love (directed by Julien Temple)
• Leave in Silence (directed by Julien Temple)
• Get the Balance Right (directed by Kevin Hewitt)
• Everything Counts (directed by Clive Richardson)
• Love, In Itself (directed by Clive Richardson)
• People Are People (directed by Clive Richardson)
• Master and Servant (directed by Clive Richardson)
• Blasphemous Rumours (directed by Clive Richardson)
• Somebody (directed by Clive Richardson)
• Shake the Disease (directed by Peter Care)
• It’s Called a Heart (directed by Peter Care)
• Stripped (directed by Peter Care)
• But Not Tonight (directed by Tamra Davis)
• A Question of Lust (directed by Clive Richardson)
• A Question of Time (directed by Phil Harding)
• Strangelove (directed by Anton Corbijn)
• Never Let Me Down Again (directed by Anton Corbijn)
• Behind the Wheel (directed by Anton Corbijn)
• Little 15 (directed by Martyn Atkins)
• Strangelove ’88 (directed by Martyn Atkins)
• Everything Counts (Live – from “101”) (directed by D.A. Pennebaker)
• Personal Jesus (directed by Anton Corbijn)
• Enjoy the Silence (directed by Anton Corbijn)
• Policy of Truth (directed by Anton Corbijn)
• World in My Eyes (directed by Anton Corbijn)
• I Feel You (directed by Anton Corbijn)
• Walking in My Shoes (directed by Anton Corbijn)
• Condemnation (Paris Mix) (directed by Anton Corbijn)
• One Caress (directed by Kevin Kerslake)
• In Your Room (directed by Anton Corbijn)
• Barrel of a Gun (directed by Anton Corbijn)
• It’s No Good (directed by Anton Corbijn)
• Home (directed by Steven Green)
• Useless (directed by Anton Corbijn)
• Only When I Lose Myself (directed by Brian Griffin)
• Dream On (directed by Stephane Sednaoui)
• I Feel Loved (directed by John Hillcoat)
• Freelove (directed by John Hillcoat)
• Goodnight Lovers (directed by John Hillcoat)
• Enjoy the Silence ’04 (directed by Uwe Flade)
• Precious (directed by Uwe Flade)
• A Pain That I’m Used To (directed by Uwe Flade)
• Suffer Well (directed by Anton Corbijn)
• John the Revelator (directed by Blue Leach)
• Martyr (directed by Robert Chandler)
• Wrong (directed by Patrick Daughters)
• Peace (directed by Jonas and François)
• Hole to Feed (directed by Eric Wareheim)
• Fragile Tension (directed by Rob Chandler and Barney Steel)
• Personal Jesus 2011 (directed by Patrick Daughters)
• Heaven (directed by Timothy Saccenti)
• Soothe My Soul (directed by Warren Fu)
• Should Be Higher (directed by Anton Corbijn)

Bonus Alternate Music Videos

• People Are People (12″ Version) (directed by Clive Richardson)
• But Not Tonight (Pool Version) (directed by Tamra Davis)
• Soothe My Soul (Extended) (directed by Warren Fu)
• Stripped (Unreleased Alternate Cut) (directed by Peter Care)

Bonus audio

• 2016 audio commentaries by Dave Gahan, Andy Fletcher and Martin Gore

For more on Depeche Mode, see Depeche Mode to announce tour dates and new album on October 11 on Side-Line.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Especially for the gear sluts out there, we have asked renown sound engineer, producer, mixer and composer Paul Kendall to give us a list of gear he has been working with over the years. Kendall (you can follow him right here on Twitter) is one of those people who have a thorough knowledge of music gear used over the years. He has worked with Daniel Miller, head of Mute Records, in his then newly established Worldwide International studio and worked with many of the Mute artists such as Renegade Soundwave, Barry Adamson, Nitzer Ebb, Wire, Depeche Mode and eventually Recoil.

In short, a man with a history! This is the first in 2 articles on Paul Kendall.

1) Track Tape Recorder + Revox A77 (with varispeed):

Paul: “The invention of the tape recorder allowed electronic music to exist in an editable medium and so has to be the fundamental numero uno. The often repeated story about Varese I like to believe is true; as an experimental composer Varese ceased to compose for a considerable amount of time claiming he was unable to achieve the sonorities he heard in his head by the conventional means, an orchestra which is all he had at his disposal. He therefore gave up composing until the tape recorder appeared which allowed him to realise the sounds he was hearing in his head. Anecdotal but I can somewhat understand.”

“I started using the Revox at university in ’73 and learnt recording and most importantly editing, recordings made from No.2 on the list the VCS3. I bought my first A77 in ’79 to set up a small demo studio with a couple of friends.

We would record on one machine then play that back whilst playing on top and recording on to another machine. Crude multitracking. But with the added fun of varispeed, drones could be made and further manipulations were possible.”

2) The Wah Wah pedal:

Paul: “At 12 when I first heard a wah wah played by Hendrix on a children’s scientific television program demonstrating the intro of Burning of the Midnight Lamp I knew the idea of guitar pedals greatly appealed to me, rien change! So No.2 on the list will go to the Wah Wah and to the other Overdrive and Distortion pedals of this world.”

3) VCS3 synthesiser:

Paul: “British made synth without a keyboard of course, there was no necessity for a keyboard. As mentioned above, I started using this at university and would normally use it to process sounds, I was never really into synthesisers as a sound source. Through working with this synth for only 6 months I learnt some of the fundamentals of electronic music. It was most definitely an iconic machine appearing as it does alongside Brian Eno in those early Roxy Music photos. In spring ‘74 I was advised to leave university after only 6 months owing to my complete non-attendance at the Maths lectures. Unemployed and with the sound of a VCS3 still ring modulating in my ears I wrote to Peter Zinovieff, EMS, the developer of the VCS3 and visited their office/ workshop on the Thames. My youthful enthusiasm was not sufficient to be offered a job. At this time they were intending to develop the computer side and in 1974 I had never even seen a computer!”

4) Akai S900:

Paul: “I spent a lot of the first year working for Daniel Miller (Mute Records) moving around and installing his Synclavier. An extraordinarily versatile and quality machine; able to synthesise sound and most significantly sample sound and then be able to correct or modify once the performance was recorded. It was pre- midi, it was extremely large, heavy, and fragile in places and was rather spectacularly replaced by the arrival of the Akai S900. I am being slightly tongue-in-cheek but with some reason. Sampling was all the rage in the mid-late 80’s the aforementioned Synclavier and the Fairlight were responsible for some of the most brilliant and horrendous acts of sampling: n.n.n.n.nineteen. So the S900, although mono, had MIDI and soon became the most significant presence in the studio. Producers and engineers would always be close to their sample libraries, 3.5” floppy discs containing the collection of mentalist drum sounds you’ve ever heard. But each 2Megabyte disc has faded into the terabyte in the palm of my hand. So, No.4 is the S900 although the stereo big brother S1000 became more relevant. Until…”

5) Sound Designer:

Paul: “Christmas 1990 my life changed as I spent the whole of the festive season in front of my Mac IICi running Sound Tools software. I believe I was one of the first in UK to have a system and it was everything I could have hoped for. Although it was only a stereo non-destructive audio editor you could layer 4 stereo tracks together with delays upto 32 seconds, and there were a number of transformations of pitch and duration possible, the most significant concept was that of playlist, where you could identify sections in your music, say 2 or 4 bar sections and repeat and reorder using a list function. The extended 12” mix was waiting to be a mouse click away from being even more within reach. Also, it allowed us to record loads of dub passes of a mix on to DAT then transfer into Sound Designer and edit a monster. This eventually developed into Pro-Tools which has arguably had the most significant affect on the recording industry since the invention of multitrack recording.”

6) Reaktor Softsynth Native Instruments:

Paul: “It wasn’t long before I had wholly adopted the digital domain and my first piece of essential software apart from the sequence/ recording was Reaktor by Native Instruments. They did a very smart thing by opening the software up to users who wished to develop their own “versions” of Reaktor building blocks/ devices. This ensured a healthy on-line community, predominantly men I’d wager, that has endured for a very long time. Reaktor then as now will do whatever you want; create sound, manipulate sound and sequence sound. No.6 is Native Instruments for still existing!”

7) Ableton Live:

Paul: “I was aware of Ableton Live quite early as a couple of the young engineers at Mute were also DJs and Live had developed the amazing warp facility which allowed “beat matching” in virtual realtime! Ableton made a slight shift of product focus from recording studio DAW manufacturers/ developers like Pro-Tools, Logic, Steinberg to emphasise more live performance possibilities. This reflected what had been happening in the music industry in general with the rise of the star DJ culture. Live has continued to progress and is significant by having a slightly different approach to composition and performance. Honestly I have never used one piece of software that does everything brilliantly but as long as they all work ok alongside each other then the world is just fine.”

8) The Modular Revolution:

Paul: “In some ways I wish I was starting over, riding this recent wave of excitement in boutique home-made modular frenzy but I accept I am not and it is one ride that sadly I wont be taking, I cannot hide my jealousy. My fundamental problem with synths as keyboards eviscerated by modular and I say jah. So nummer acht, eventhough I am just a peeping Tom, is the recent success of modular synthesis.”

9) Autotune:

Paul: “Is a software program that allows realtime tuning of an input source normally a vocal. How we perceive the world is different after the invention of Autotune we are no longer sure of the veracity of a performance. Whether this is actually a problem depends on your point of view. I can’t be too fussed with its use in a recording environment as it is a further effect available in the pallette. In fact I am not sure i care too much in a live context either if appropriate for. Why tarnish the spectacle?”

10) …

Paul: “And this a photo of me holding my UniPin pen my preferred instrument these days!”

For more on Depeche Mode, see Depeche Mode in the studio in Santa Barbara recording a new album -… on Side-Line.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

side-line.com

Out in 2 weeks from now, is a special re-release of Nitzer Ebb’s last album “Industrial complex”. The re-release comes as a double CD including new remixes by Apoptygma Berzerk, Vince Clark, NZ, MRDTC, Technomancer feat. Angst Pop, Neotek vs. Birmingham 6, K-Bereit and Feindflug. Also included is of course the Alan Wilder remix of “I am undone”.

“Industrial Complex” was the band’s 6th studio album to date, once again produced by Flood and featuring guest vocals by Depeche Mode’s songwriter Martin L. Gore on the song “Once You Say”.

The release is available as a 2CD digipak (222 copies only) and as a special boxset including also a flag, a pin, a patch and a Nitzer Ebb energy drink. All this is assembled in a cardboard box (77 copies only).

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

side-line.com

Recoil and Japan fans, this is something for you. Electronic music act Genre Peak (who recently was featured in our industrial music Spotify playlist with the track “Portal Groove”) has collaborated with a variety of musicians for the new album “Your Sleekest Engine”. Genre Peak’s Martin Birke (formerly active with the electropop act Casualty Park) worked with a huge list of people including Steve Jansen (Japan/David Sylvian), Jon Hassell (Brian Eno/Peter Gabriel), Richard Barbieri (Japan/Porcupine Tree), Matt Malley (Counting Crows) next to Lesley Braden (Fast Arrow), Charlie Woodward (Falco/Strinx), Palestinian artist Manal Deeb and the late Mick Karn (Japan/Dalis Car/David Torn).

The release was co-produced by Christopher Scott Cooper and Martin Birke for In Code Music (Publishing) over a period of 3 years. The album will be released on Gonzo Multimedia UK on March 4, 2016 and is the follow-up to the ambient album “9 Microspheres”, released in 2013.

Here’s how the new album started to take shape: “I wanted to get back to where I could collaborate with singers and players. I approached Steve Jansen to remix a track off “Preternatural” I did with the late Mick Karn, Steve agreed but did much more than a remix, he composed a whole new original song which blew me away. I had Lesley Braden of the Seattle band Fast Arrow write & sing over it and I think it’s dark and glorious much like most of the songs I write. I then contacted Jon Hassell who has been a huge influence and is the reason I’m an electronic-percussionist, and we came up with the instrumental “Metanoia”. I started writing more songs with singer Charlie Woodward who sounds a bit like Jon Anderson of Yes to me (another favorite band) and we just clicked – thanks to Edo Castro (Pat Metheny Band) for introducing us.”

Rob Ayling of Gonzo Multimedia introduced Martin to Matt Malley of the Counting Crows and he delivered the bass on “God Fearing Men” and “American Civil Rage”. Award winning poet Michael Spring spoke his poem “First Born of the New Millennium” Martin wrote the music for that one, and Richard Barbieri did a remix of “Fix Me Deeper”.

Speaking of “Fix Me Deeper”, it’s not the first time that Birke has collaborated with Manal Deeb. Last summer Martin also recorded a track with the Palestinian-American multi-media artist for the Arabesque song “Fix Me Deeper”, which you can hear below.

Birke modelled Genre Peak after Alan Wilder’s Recoil and Massive Attack: “I find this the most exciting way to work, it’s always different and working with artists you grew up listening to is quite rewarding for me. I like to call Genre Peak’s music ‘electronica-organica’ as I use electronics with a warm live cinematic sound.”

This is what our Side-Line reviewer said about the project a while back: “Genre Peak realised a quite diversified piece of music, mixing different vocal, ambient and rhythm elements. There also is a real will and attention to distill great sound treatments. This is modern music covering a wide range of influences.”

You can order the “Your Sleekest Engine” CD right here on Amazon.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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The Danish EBM/Industrial project Leaether Strip was founded in 1988 by Claus Larsen. Leaether Strip will tour North-America in March/April 2016 and recently released the digital single “Can We All Forgive?”, to help cover his husband Kurt’s many medicine expenses because of his failing kidneys.

SL: How long ago did you buy your first keyboard ever? Which technology did it use (MIDI, 3.5″ floppy disks,…) and do you still own it?

CL: I bought my first synth back in early ’82. It was a Moog Prodigy. A monophonic old classic. No memory, no MIDI and no floppy disks. I taught myself how to play it and make sounds. Soon after that I started to write songs. I bought a Yamaha drummachine RX17 and used a double cassette recorder to make fake “multi tracks”. All except the drums was played live. MIDI and sequencer didn’t come until later, but I’m glad because it made me a better musician not to have all that.

SL: Which computer(s) and software do you currently use in your (home)studio?

CL: I use an old PC at the moment with Windows XP and Cubase Nuendo as the recording/MIDI software. I haven’t had it online for more than a few times so I’m still running on first Windows install after 9 years. It never really crashes on me, but it is getting a little too slow. I am slowly installing a new PC so it’s ready for when the old one kicks the can, so I also can run the new software in the future.

SL: Can you describe all synth gear and hardware you use nowadays? Which piece is the most valuable for you?

CL: I am about 50% hardware/50% software now. I like to mix the old synths with the software synths. My drums I sampled from my old drummachines (Roland TR-808, Prophet Drumtraks, Roland TR-707). I used to use DAT but now it’s all PC, and then I run it all through an old analogue equalizer and back to the PC to give it a bit of old school sound. My favorite synths in my studio are my Moog Source and Korg MS-20. My favorite software synths are the VAZ Modular and the Reaktor.

SL: When performing live, which keyboards and software do you use on stage?

CL: I use 2 M-Audio MIDI controller keyboards and have all sounds, samples and sequences mapped out on the laptop. We also use a Waldorf Blofeld and a Virus TI2 if we aren’t flying to the gig. We try to change it now and then. I do not use Cubase for live, because it’s not stable enough for that, so we’ve used FL Studio for that, and we haven’t had a crash in 7 years. It’s simple and fast to setup. I change sets all the time so it’s important that I can do it on the go.

SL: According to your opinion, which are the most legendary synths ever produced?

CL: My favorites for bass: anything Moog, really, I’m a huge fan. For pads: anything Roland. For noise and bass: Korg MS-20 for sure.

SL: And which are according to you the biggest synth artists/bands ever?

CL: Jean Michel Jarre, Alan Wilder, Vince Clark, Fad Gadget, Soft Cell and Depeche Mode.

SL: Share with us the worst case scenario that ever happened to you live on stage or in the studio!

CL: In the studio: One day back in the late ’90’s I came home, walked into my studio and water was just showering down from the ceiling, on my synths! It took the insurance-technicians 4 months to get all parts and fix them. I was devastated. As for the stage, we’ve been lucky and also prepared, so the worst has been the laptop running out of power because some idiot (me) forgot to plug it in, and a faulty mic, so no biggies. I have two of everything when we’re out so this old boy scout is prepared.

SL: The unavoidable question: do you prefer analog or digital synths more? And what’s your opinion about the virtual analog concept?

CL: If it makes the sound I want and need, I don’t give a shit what it is. I hate all this gear snobbery! It’s a tool, nothing more, and if you’re good you can make anything sound great, that’s where the talent comes in. Yes, I love knobs and beautiful design and I am a sucker for the “old” sound of the analogue synths. All these new synths that are coming out these days sound amazing, but for me as a songwriter and programmer, more knobs and patch cord bondage isn’t writing the songs for me.

SL: Isn’t the digital technology evolving too quick and becoming too complicated for artists nowadays?

CL: At the moment it seems that most companies are returning to the basics, and that’s fine, so the newcomers can learn about the basics of programming a sound from the bottom. I still got most of my gear from the old days and I still use most of them. I hope this trend will make people stop using presets all the time. But not everyone is a nerd like I am. I love to dive down into new gear and see what I can get out of it. But these days I can’t afford a lot of new stuff so that forces me to keep on playing with the old stuff, and that’s all good, because if I get a sound idea I can program it in a minute, because I know the synths like my own backyard. My goal is always to write the best songs possible and knowing my gear makes it easier.

SL: How will the future of creating electronic music look like?

CL: This “no buying music” trend is forcing most artists to get out and play concerts to be able to make it work financially, and that’s a really good thing. Because that’s what it’s all about. It just sucks that it’s getting harder to pay the bills and that people would rather pay to see an asshole DJ playing his pirate downloads, than a performing band.

“Industrial Complex”, the 6th studio album by Nitzer Ebb and produced by Flood, will be re-released on vinyl in 4 different versions. The re-release will include the “I am Undone” remix by Alan Wilder and new remixes of “Once you say” byApoptygma Berzerk, Vince Clark, NZ, MRDTC, Technomancer feat. Angst Pop, Neotek vs. Birmingham 6 and K-Bereit.

The editions are:

• a cardboard box edition (limited to 101 copies) the 2LP in transparent vinyl including also a T-Shirt, a slipmat, a button blister – buy here
• a red edition limited to 133 copies – buy here
• a black edition limited to 133 copies – buy here
• a white edition limited to 133 copies – buy here

“Industrial Complex” featured guest vocals by Depeche Mode’s songwriter Martin L. Gore on the song “Once You Say”. Sure to be sold out in no time, so act fast!

The track list for the double vinyl is as follows:

LP1:

SideA:
1 Promises 3:50
2 Once You Say Featuring [Uncredited] – Martin L. Gore 3:41
3 Never Known 3:58
4 Going Away 4:10
5 Hit You Back 4:19
6 Payroll 2:57

Side B:
7 Down On Your Knees 3:52
8 I Don’t Know You 3:12
9 My Door Is Open 3:15
10 I Am Undone 3:51
11 Kiss Kiss Bang Bang 2:57
12 Traveling 3:13

LP 2:

Side A:
1 I Am Undone (Alan Wilder Remix) Remix – Alan Wilder 5:29
2 Once You Say Remix by Apoptygma Berzerk 4:16
3 Once You Say MRDTC Version 5:19
4 Once You Say PUREMIX by NZ 4:48

Side B:
5 Once You Say RAWMIX by NZ 3:47
6 Once You Say Neotek Remix 4:28
7 Once You Say Angst Pop feat. Technomancer Remix 4:43
8 Once You Say K-Bereit Remix 4:37
9 Once You Say Vince Clark Remix 5:51

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

side-line.com

(By our Norwegian correspondent Jan Ronald Stange) The Norwegian electro-rock band Apoptygma Berzerk released yet another instrumental 12’’ this spring named ‘Videodrome’. The three track vinyl (available here) comes in two versions; 400 copies in blue vinyl, and a more limited edition of 100 copies in black vinyl plus a slipmat for your record player. And hopefully the listeners will discover this little easter egg: the tracks on both sides play on different speeds.

As this was the second consecutive Apoptygma Berzerk release in this way, I just had to ask Stephan Groth about this concept.

SL: Tell us about the main idea and inspiration behind this release? Any relation to “Videodrome” as in the 1983 David Cronenberg movie? 

STP: It began a while back when I was working in the studio testing out some of my old analog synths after they came back from the repair store. I love analog gear, but those things are very fragile, and by now most of my synths are quite old and unstable and therefore requires a lot of repair and maintenance. While checking out if everything was working correctly, I made up some very nice melodies and arrangements – two months later the songs were ready to be released.

After the success of the “Stop Feeding The Beast” EP I was really eager to create a follow-up. I find great pleasure in doing little art-projects like this even though it is not very compatible with what is going on in the world of music today. Actually… this is the main reasons why I find it so exciting. The sound, the vibe and the feel is definitely inspired by Cronenberg and Carpenter. I love Cronenberg’s “Videodrome”, but no, there is no direct relation to the movie. Conceptual both this and the previous EP are heavily inspired by 80’s horror movie soundtracks.

SL: Some elements in these tracks sound familiar, like a homage to your heroes. “The Cosmic Chess Match” reminds both of Jean Michel Jarre’s early days and John Carpenter’s soundtracks , mixed together in an updated APB soundscape.

STP: Absolutely. I’m a big fan of both Jean Michel Jarre and John Carpenter!

SL: “For Now We See Through A Glass, Darkly” sounds in the beginning like early Recoil and Jean Michel Jarre, leading up to a mash-up with your own 1993 classic “Burnin’ Heretic” – a great revitalization of all elements.

STP: Well, I’m a big fan of Alan Wilder as well, so I take that as a compliment :-). Adding a piece of “Burnin` Heretic” in there happened by accident. I was tuning the synths I was using for the track, and it just happened that I played the “Burnin` Heretic” main riff while tuning. I had the riff running in a loop for 15 minutes or so, just to check if the pitch of the synth was drifting over time. When I was done it just felt right to leave a part of it there in the final mix.

Art by accident I guess? It makes sense in a way – “Burnin` Heretic” is one of the first songs I ever wrote, so in a way it’s symbolizing “a new beginning” when used like this at the end of a song.

SL: “Hegelian Dialectic” made me google the term, thus learning something new: “Hegel’s primary object in his dialectic is to establish the existence of a logical connection between the various categories which are involved in the constitution of experience”. Is this philosophy related to your idea behind this track?

STP : AWESOME 🙂 I`m glad you looked into it! I believe that understanding the Hegelian Dialectic is essential if you wanna understand what’s going on in the world today. Problem-Reaction-Solution.

I wrote lyrics about this some years ago, in the song “Incompatible”: “Every time you create a problem You have the remedy The same old strategy I ate the red pill, no turning back The gloves are off now Where did we go wrong? Where did it all go wrong?”

I don’t believe in coincidences. I believe that most major things that happen in the world today in one way or another have been orchestrated by the government and others, who will create problems so that they can sell us their solutions.

SL: Are you implementing these new tracks into your live sets?

STP : Yes and No. At the moment I`m working on a brand new and quite different live concept where these more experimental tracks fit in, but I don’t think they will be integrated in a “regular” APB show anytime soon.

SL: Will there be more 12″ like this, or is an APB album the next release?

STP : YES, I’m working on the 3rd 12″ right now, while simultaneously working on new APOP songs . The next EP will be slightly more Kraftwerk’ish sounding. It looks like we’re going to compile all 3 12 inches and make a CD release of it later this year.

Yes, there will be a new APB album soon too 😉

Tracklist:

45 RPM A-side – The Cosmic Chess Match 7:54

33 RPM B-side – For Now We See Through A Glass, Darkly 8:36 – Hegelian Dialectic 4:19

Jan Ronald Stange

Sometimes – when I’m not cooking, biking, listening to music or attending concerts, I write stuff for Side-Line.com. Mostly about Norwegian bands, but it’s been some Swedish, English, American, Danish, German and others too… 😉

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