(By our Norwegian correspondent Jan Ronald Stange / Indie Recordings press release. Photos by Bjørn Opsahl, Frank Hiis and Jan Ronald Stange) Out on May 3rd was the seventh Seigmen album “Resonans”, highly anticipated after the nine years wait since “Enola” in 2015. The release was celebrated by an evening of fun at the Apollon Platebar (record shop & pub/bar in one – excellent place!) in Tønsberg, full house and all of the tickets gone already at the opening that day.

The event started off with a signing session. As there’s three different vinyl versions in addition to CD and cassette versions – and many bought all versions! – they went through a bunch of marker pens in a busy hour. Then the whole album was played, followed by a move upstairs for the ticket holders. Arvid Skancke-Knutsen held both a challenging quiz and an entertaining and informational Q&A session. He was definitely the right person for the job, knowing and supporting Seigmen throughout their whole career, and also the first journalist to review the debut CD in a major publication.

The Seigmen album

“Resonans” is Seigmen’s latest album, echoing the essence of a longstanding friendship. A strong bond among five guys who found each other through music, learned to play instruments, and expressed themselves together. They solidified their friendship through muddy and sour tones from the rehearsal room on the old submarine quay, down into a basement in the city center, out to a barn outside the city, up on the heights near the old library, down into the mountain beneath the same hill, and back to a rehearsal container at the old shipyard. Always tied to their hometown, Tønsberg in Norway.

“Resonans” is the reverberation of endless evening rehearsals, weekends with “lefse” and freshly ground coffee in thermoses, and syncopations. Smiles, conversations, and gossip. The hard, precise, and long-term work. Love and art. Resonans is guts and integrity, demonstrating the uncompromising nature that Seigmen has always represented.

Singles and songs

The singles “Berlin,” “Kollaps,” and “Elskhat” have already been out there. Listen to “Melanchthon”, approaching two minutes, and the endless solo that ends with no more frets on the guitar neck. Listen to “Blasfem”, raw nerve for almost eleven minutes. Listen to the space created in “Eksplodere i det stille”, the transition to a single chorus after five and a half minutes. There are many layers here. The depth is buried in the details. The ones you hear when you play the song for the third or sixth time.

Resonans is the result you get when five focused individuals return to the studio where they recorded “Total” in 1994. Carrying the same curiosity, the same hunger and the eternal urge to create. Incidentally, this year marks exactly 30 years since the release of “Total”. Recently, the book about the album was published in the series “Norske albumklassikere”, skillfully written by Even Smith Wergeland. The reference is track number two on “Total”, “Ohm”, which might be the song that best defines the band. Ohm means resistance.

“Resonans” is also the echo of the time it took to complete this album. The resistance along the way, in the form of a pandemic and, most notably, serious and prolonged illness. Of course, one should also acknowledge the frugality and thoroughness these years have allowed. Time to work in silence. No concerts for four years have provided ample time in the “space.” Even more lefse. Even more cups of freshly brewed coffee.

“Resonans” is vibrations. Listen to the last phrases of “Når alle skjermer går i svart” (When all screens go black). The desperation in the voice of vocalist Alex is palpable, you can hear the resistance. Seigmen has always believed that it is they are at their best when there’s resistance. Listen to the first line of the lyrics in “Berlin.” All hope is lost, but never say die — it doesn’t get much clearer than that.

‘Tønsberg’ – the city anthem

Resonans ends with the surprise song “Tønsberg”, nothing less than a magnificent, honest, and personal tribute to the city the band hails from. In the first part of “Tønsberg,” guitarist and opera singer Marius finally unfolds his vocal prowess within the framework of Seigmen, something he has only done once before on a record. Strings tastefully arranged by the “film musician”, Ginge. Then the rest of the band kicks in halfway, and Alex takes the baton to the finish line. Marius is actually retiring as a soloist in the Norwegian national Opera this spring, where they retire early.

“Up the mountain, up in the tower. Never a stranger in the streets we walk.” “Tønsberg” might be a bit of an oddity on Resonans, but the song comes straight from the heart.

Mini-interview with Kim Ljung

The day after Kim Ljung had this to say about the event:
– We were real happy with how Friday turned out. It was a near and personal event. Also it’s always nice to see eacother away form rehearsal and studio, have a few drinks together, then meet nice eager people who’s always polite and just seems interested and throughout extremely inspired by what we do. 
Also a sheer pleasure seeing the glow in our fans faces, coming up with the vinyl, CD or a cassette they just bought, signing them and knowing they go home that evening in utter delight. 

I also had to ask about ‘Arkadia ego’, the track starting with “Husk at du skal dø en gang” (“Remember that you must die once”) – was it written before Depeche Mode’s “Memento Mori” were announced? 
– When DM released “Memento Mori” I was a little stressed, since we had the “Arkadia ego” song written long before. However it was all put on hold for several years due to Covid and internal health issues in the band. We started writing material right after we released “Enola” in 2015. Then there is also a part on “Blasfem”, the 11 minute track, that has a guitar line which dates back to the 90’s. 
“Elskhat” was the first track written, however the riff for “Berlin” was there ages before. Just something we never though was of real importance until our manager Øystein heard it and said you have to work on that one. Single potential!

Though “Arkadia ego” was a song that emerged in 2019, the first lyric actually had the line Memento Mori in it, but it sounded a little lame on a demo version, and was taken out. 
So the fear when DM press release came mentioning their title, I was just afraid “Arkadia ego” was in there.

A side note to that: I personally saw their album as a huge dissapointment. I feel with all their history and assets in old synthesizers and their legacy, they should come with better sounding stuff. When Fletch sady passed, I hoped they would bring Alan back in. That would surely made huge differerance to their quality of sound.

The idea of “Arkadia ego” was just me trying to find out a way of using the word Arcadia in a song. Always liked that word. Then I discovered that line. 
Every Seigmen song starts out with a title. That gives me a total picture of how a song should plan out. 

Cheers to Side-Line from Seigmen!

Design background story

If you acquire Resonans in physical format, you will find it tastefully wrapped in peach pink by designer Sigurd N. Kristiansen. Master photographer Bjørn Opsahl is, as always, by Seigmen’s side. A band photo in the same color palette was taken in Kim’s living room. Pink boots under the sofa, a small nod to the band’s very first song. It reveals a band with more humor and spirit than many may think, that sets its own standard and is ready for whatever comes next.

Credits

• Recorded at Velvet Recording by Christer Krogh
• Mixed by Mike Hartung in Propeller Music Devision: “Elskhat”, “Arkadia Ego”, “Når alle skjermer går i svart”, “Eksplodere i det stille”, “Melanchthon”, and “Tønsberg”
• Mixed by Adam Noble: “Kollaps” and “Voltaire!”
• Mixed by Alex Møklebust in Room 13: “Berlin” and “Blasfem”
• Words and melody lines: Kim Ljung
• Music: Seigmen
• Produced by Alex Møklebust and Kim Ljung
• Mastered by George Tanderø
• Artwork by Sigurd N. Kristiansen
• Photo by Bjørn Opsahl

Listen to the album at these streaming services: https://orcd.co/saveresonans, or buy physical versions right here: https://shop.indierecordings.no/collections/seigmen

Side-Line also covered seigmen’s ‘Dyret 23 bud’.

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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(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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On May 26th, 2022 Andrew Fletcher, founding member of Depeche Mode, died, aged 60. Out via Timezone on November 25th is the Depeche Mode tribute compilation “6122 (To Andrew Fletcher of Depeche Mode)”. The compilation’s title contains the year Andrew Fletcher was born and the year he died.

The aim was to bring together different artists from different decades, old musical companions of “Fletch” as well as known artists across different genres and promising new bands who were influenced by Depeche Mode’s sound.

The 2CD set features artists from all kind of musical genres and 50% of all profits will be donated to a charity organisation for children in UK, and the Children’s Cancer Trust in Germany, who officially partners to the project. Behind this project we find Daniel Gierke of the act The Brute.

Here’s an idea what to get.

Here’s is the complete tracklist:

CD1

1. A Question of Time – The Brute :
2. Never Let Me Down Again – Watershed
3. In Your Room – Nightnight
4. Ice Machine – Renard feat. Mary Ann
5. Broken – Redeem
6. Stripped – Starlights Live
7. Little 15 – Atlantic Popes
8. The Sun And The Rainfall – Apsürde feat. Manoya
9. My Secret Garden – Cold Connection
10. It’s No Good – Oxic Inc. feat. De La Morte
11. Dream On – Roy Jones & Red Beat
12. Should Be Higher – The Rude Awakening
13. Somebody – Toal, The Brute, People Theatre
14. In Sympathy – Bon Harris
15. Heaven – Zentrum Ost 71

CD2

1. Enjoy The Silence – LeBen
2. Personal Jesus – Polly Scattergood
3. Wrong – Kirlian Camera
4. Policy of Truth – Rohn-Lederman
5. To Have and to Hold – Page Of Quire
6. Angel – Tom Meeloo
7. Somebody – Peter Rainman
8. The Sun And The Rainfall – Northern Kind
9. Photographic – Shelter
10. A Barrel of a Gun (El Presidente Peron Yeah John) – Carlos Peron
11. I Feel You – Tin Gun
12. I Feel Loved – Daniel Hall feat. Stephen Newton
13. Oberkorn (It’s a Small Town) – Electrogenetic by Gareth Jones
14. Clean – Neocoma
15. Breathe – The Brute feat. Rachel Delgado

For more on Depeche Mode, see Sonic Seducer goes Depeche Mode in two dedicated issues of the magazine 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

6 days ago a video of Depeche Mode’s “Memento Mori” press conference was made available, but so far less than 150.000 people have seen it. So, since apparently it was not all that well spread, and because many of you had asked about it on October 5th, a day after the conference took place at Berlin’s Theater am Schiffbauerdamm, we now repost the video on Side-Line as well.

In the video Depeche Mode announced that they will release a new album, called “Memento Mori” early next year, and that they will embark on their first tour in five years. The news follows the death of founder member Andy Fletcher, who passed away during the making of the album earlier this year, and also was postponed because of this for obvious reasons.

Martin Gore says this in the video regarding Fletcher’s passing: “We started work on this project early in the pandemic, and its themes were directly inspired by that time, after Fletch’s passing, we decided to continue as we’re sure this is what he would have wanted, and that has really given the project an extra level of meaning.” Dave Gahan adds: “Fletch would have loved this album. We’re really looking forward to sharing it with you soon, and we can’t wait to present it to you live at the shows next year.”

Here are some screenshots from the video of the press conference followed by the video itself below.

But there’s a lot more in the video itself, which – as we said earlier – surprisingly has not gathered a lot of views. You can watch the full 21 minute video below introduced by studio footage and new material, which kinda sound good too.

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

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

Yesterday we announced that Depeche Mode would launch a ‘Memento Mori Tour’ in 2023, their 19th tour as a band. That news has now been confirmed during a Berlin press conference together with the launch of an all new album called “Memento Mori”, their 15th studio album so far, expected for release in Spring of 2023 via Sony/Columbia.

During the press conference in Berlin today Martin Gore said the following regarding the new album: “We started work on this project early in the pandemic, and its themes were directly inspired by that time. After Fletch’s passing, we decided to continue as we’re sure this is what he would have wanted, and that has really given the project an extra level of meaning.” Dave Gahan added, “Fletch would have loved this album. We’re really looking forward to sharing it with you soon, and we can’t wait to present it to you live at the shows next year.”

For Depeche Mode it will be their first live shows in five years, since their 2017-2018 ‘Global Spirit Tour’ that is. The ‘Memento Mori’ world tour will kick off on March 23rd, 2023, in the USA and more precisely in Sacramento, CA. The first left of the tour will be a special, limited series of North American arena dates before the band heads to Europe for their summer stadium tour.

The North American dates will include stops at New York’s Madison Square Garden, Chicago’s United Center, Los Angeles’ Kia Forum and Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena, among others. The European stadium tour will start on May 16th, with stops at the Stade de France in Paris, Berlin’s Olympic Stadium, Milan’s San Siro Stadium, and London’s Twickenham Stadium among many others.

Tickets go on general sale this Friday 7th October at 10am right here.

The dates known so far:

• Thu 23 Mar 2023 Sacramento | Golden 1 Center
• Sat 25 Mar 2023 San Jose | SAP Center at San Jose
• Tue 28 Mar 2023 Inglewood | Kia Forum
• Thu 30 Mar 2023 Las Vegas | T-Mobile Arena
• Sun 02 Apr 2023 San Antonio | AT&T Center
• Wed 05 Apr 2023 Chicago | United Center
• Fri 07 Apr 2023 Toronto | Scotiabank Arena
• Sun 09 Apr 2023 Québec | Centre Videotron
• Wed 12 Apr 2023 Montreal | Centre Bell
• Fri 14 Apr 2023 New York | Madison Square Garden
• Tue 16 May 2023 Amsterdam Zuidoost | Ziggo Dome
• Sat 20 May 2023 Antwerpen | Sportpaleis
• Tue 23 May 2023 Stockholm | Friends Arena
• Fri 26 May 2023 Leipzig | Festwiese Leipzig
• Fri 26 May 2023 Leipzig | Festwiese Leipzig
• Sun 04 Jun 2023 Düsseldorf | Merkur Spiel-Arena
• Sun 04 Jun 2023 Düsseldorf | Merkur Spiel-Arena
• Tue 06 Jun 2023 Düsseldorf | Merkur Spiel-Arena
• Sun 71 Jun 2023 Bern | Stadion Wankdorf
• Sun 11 Jun 2023 Bern | Stadion Wankdorf
• Sun 17 Jun 2023 Twickenham | Twickenham Stadium
• Tue 20 Jun 2023 München | Olympiastadion München
• Tue 20 Jun 2023 München | Olympiastadion München
• Thu 22 Jun 2023 Lille | Stade Pierre Mauroy
• Sat 24 Jun 2023 Paris | Stade de France
• Tue 27 Jun 2023 Kobenhavn © | Parken
• Thu 29 Jun 2023 Frankfurt | Deutsche Bank Park
• Thu 29 Jun 2023 Frankfurt | Deutsche Bank Park
• Tue 04 Jul 2023 Décines Charpieu | Groupama Stadium
• Fri 07 Jul 2023 Berlin | Olympiastadion Berlin
• Fri 07 Jul 2023 Berlin | Olympiastadion Berlin
• Wed 12 Jul 2023 Rome | Stadio Olimpico di Roma
• Eri 14 Jul 2023 Milano | Stadio San Siro
• Sun 16 Jul 2023 Bologna | Stadio Dall’Ara
• Fri 21 Jul 2023 Graz | Wörthersee Stadion Klagenfurt
• Fri 21 Jul 2023 Klagenfurt | Wörthersee Stadion
• Fri 28 Jul 2023 Budapest | Puskás Aréna
• Sun 30 Jul 2023 Prague | Letisté Letany
• Wed 02 Aug 2023 Warsaw | PGE Narodowy
• Sun 06 Aug 2023 Tallinn | Tallinna Lauluväljak
• Tue 08 Aug 2023 Helsinki | Kaisaniemen puisto
• Fri 11 Aug 2023 Oslo | Telenor Arena, Oslo

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!

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… 😉

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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!

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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!

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(Photos by Johan Vanderhoeven) Side-Line reader Johan Vanderhoeven is in Santa Barbara, California right now, and he posted a picture proving that the Depeche Mode gang is in the city to record a brand new album.

Says Johan: “I know they were in Martin’s studio which is in the center of the city, so I quickly passed by to take a picture when Fletch came out to have a smoke.”

The new album will be the follow-up to 2013’s “Delta Machine” album. In a webcast interview with Rob Bell on 25 January 2016, Martin Gore announced a projected return to the recording studio in April 2016, with both Gore and Dave Gahan having already written and demoed new songs. The new album is currently anticipated for a Spring 2017 release.

And a while back we asked what you expected for the new Depeche Mode album, here is your TOP 10 requests.

Surely get instant facebook shares and more on female facebook video views click here.

For more on Depeche Mode, see That’s how Depeche Mode left the studio after recording there for 6… 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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Genre/Influences: Synth-pop.

Content: The self-released EP “The Perfect Match” was a rather promising beginning for the Swedish duo Train To Spain. They now joined Sub Culture Records on, which they already released the digital EP “Keep On Running”.

The debut album “What It’s All About” features 11 songs. Six tracks were taken from “The Perfect Match” while we also get 5 new songs. Train To Spain finds their influences in the magic of the 80s electronic music. The band name was directly taken from a Human League song. That’s also an indication about inspiring bands. The typical vintage touch throughout the songs makes the essence of this album.

There’s nothing really innovative, but you can feel a real passion for electronic music. It comes through in the well-crafted and carrying melody lines and the global catchy aspect of the songs. The majority of the bass lines are quite alluring and that typical again for the 80s electro-pop formula. But the sound also reveals a modern approach by some cool filtered sound treatments. One of the new tracks (cf. “Pressure”) is a very efficient cut in the genre.

But the most promising tracks are two other new cuts. “Remind Myself” is somewhat evasive, but still driven by familiar pop vibes. “Martin David And Fletch” is the other attention grabber. It’s a great and danceable electro-wave composition featuring the fragile and sterile vocals of Helena Wigeborn. The song and the vocals remind me a bit of Sara Noxx.

Among the ‘familiar’ songs I can highly recommend the opening piece “Blipblop” (which was released as the title song of a digital EP by Juggernaut Music as well) for its global elaboration and the sweet female vocals. “Screw It Up” remains another attention grabber. It’s a fully danceable, but well-crafted piece of pop. A last song I want to mention is “Passion” for the more into ‘made in Sweden’ label reminding me of a band like Spock.

Conclusion: Train To Spain hasn’t missed with their debut album and reveals one more talented formation from Sweden.

Best songs: “Martin David And Fletch”, “Remind Myself”, “Blipblop”, “Screw It Up”, “Passion”.

Rate: (DP:8)DP.

Band: www.traintospain.se / www.facebook.com/pages/Train-To-Spain/252355014792419

Label: www.subculture.no / www.facebook.com/norwegiansubculture

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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