After the mediocrity of ‘Sounds Of The Universe’ – arguably saved only by the single ‘Wrong’ – speculation must have abounded that DEPECHE MODE had delivered their swansong.
With Martin Gore’s quasi-spiritist songs of ‘Peace’ and praise, Dave Gahan’s throw-away contributions like ‘Miles Away’ and the other one. ‘Sounds Of The Universe’ was built sonically around Gore’s newfound obsession with synth collecting but felt like a band reaching the end of their creative rope.
Was this the same band who had recorded ‘Violator’ and ‘Songs Of Faith & Devotion’? It certainly wasn’t the band who recorded ‘Black Celebrationn’. It was a synth collector’s summit attended by accountants. The Mode had lost their mojo.
Fans of the band bought the album, attended the tour, moaned about the woeful Dave songs, the limp Martin songs, and waited for the corn wave that signified the real DEPECHE MODE when they were still writing real hooks and having hits. Then, some of us were even hoping that the band would take the hint and quit before it all got so very much worse for them, to stop us going through the motions of gnashing our sorry teeth to more albums, tours and poems of lost faith and devotion. Because DEPECHE MODE fans do that kind of thing; like a henpecked partner in a relationship, they wail, cry, regret, threaten to leave – and always come back for more.
So, when DEPECHE MODE announced ‘Delta Machine’ was in the works, there was that usual mixed optimism and gloom. Information slowly leaking out made the mixture sound at first familiarly depressing with yet another Ben Hillier production but then quite exciting with the addition of Christoffer Berg from THE KNIFE’s production team, and the name Flood on the mixing desk. Short of the holy fingers of Alan Wilder, Flood’s presence is the next best rabbit’s foot for a DEPECHE MODE album. Flood-related albums – ‘Violator’ and ‘Songs Of Faith & Devotion’ – have been at the peak of the band’s success and remain their most popular albums for many. There’s talk of bluesiness and more analogue synthesisers, the band’s best album since ‘Violator’… and we wait. Have Berg and Flood stoked the fire of creativity? Or is it another step down the hill on the way to the retirement home?
Relax, dear fans – your anxious, shame-filled years are over. DEPECHE MODE have found their long missing cojones – arguably lost down the couch in Spain whilst recording ‘SOFAD’ – and have come back with not a perfect record, but a bloody big improvement on the last one. ‘Delta Machine’ clocks in at 13 tracks and a respectable 60 minutes (without the 4 bonus tracks available in the 2CD deluxe edition).
As on ‘Sounds Of The Universe’, there are 3 Gahan compositions, (penned with all round electro-groove guru Kurt Uenala aka KAP10KURT): ‘Secret To The End’, ‘Broken’ and ‘Should Be Higher’ – and Gore shoulders the other ten.
And, like ‘Playing The Angel’ but certainly unlike ‘Sounds Of The Universe’, the album’s strongest tracks fall between the pair of them. The songwriting shows more often than not, a welcome freshness and vitality where ‘Sounds Of The Universe’ was flailing and failing. Shockingly, this time, the weakest three may well sit at the foot of Gore’s writing desk.
Sonically – the band were totally correct when they mentioned the album’s blues influence. But we don’t have SOULSAVERS 2 here: and nor do we have VCMG 2 at the other end of the spectrum. ‘Delta Machine’ is as the name suggests, a crafty mélange of the two styles. In fact, those expecting raw blues have been and will be quite surprised by just how electronic it is: some say perhaps too much so on tracks like ‘My Little Universe’ which has possibly caused the most division of any track on the record amongst listeners; here, the Mode channel the spirit of Thom Yorke, making a sparse, complex, restrained stand-out track which has surprised and confounded many. But it’s a standout and shows some exciting new ground which the band are claiming with conviction.
In contrast, ‘SOFAD’ lost track ‘Slow’ brings the coke-and-sweat back-room sleaze to the party, with loping guitars and a dark ‘Twin Peaks’ vibe. This too, works: and allows Gore to get the guitar out both on album and on stage: although it could be transformed from sleazy stripbar to “time for a comfort break” plodder on stage. Gahan’s time tonsillating for SOULSAVERS seems to have brought his expressiveness back from the barrel of a disused gun, and he seems to have lost some of that nasal screech which made parts of ‘SOTU’ so difficult to bear. Gore only lends his vibrato to one album track – ‘The Child Inside’, one of the album’s weaker tracks and one bonus track ‘Always’ – a stranger, more interesting track which could have been substituted in if it weren’t obligatory for each album to have one slow, untreated Gore ballad.
‘Delta Machine’ contains some unabashed uptempo – even slightly cheesy – pop numbers. ‘Soft Touch/Raw Nerve’ is the most obvious track on the album, closely followed by ‘Soothe My Soul’, but both manage somehow to be enjoyable and seem like ‘Personal Jesus’ replacements in the spirit of ‘John The Revelator’ and even ‘I Feel Loved’. Ridiculously catchy and energetic, these tracks will find their way into your head with their hooks until you’re yearning for an ear sorbet to cleanse your brain out. And just in time comes ‘Should Be Higher’: the older, more sophisticated and far more attractive cousin of ‘In Chains’. Astonishingly, this is a Gahan/Kurt composition and could just be a contender for best track on the album. With exciting, unsettling melodies and a touch of nastiness, it’s vintage Mode. It’s the kind of song which forces a spontaneous “at last!” from the mouth of the long suffering faithful.
“At last!” might well summarise ‘Delta Machine’, generally, but it is not a perfect album. It has a couple of very sore Achilles heels. First, is the uncanny sensation one occasionally (actually frequently) experiences when Gore’s choruses are particularly channeling the ghost of Lennon and the live soul of McCartney.
In ‘Heaven’, ‘Welcome To My World’ alone and also a little in closer ‘Goodbye’ there are classic pop choruses which owe everything to The Fab Four. It will make these songs more commercially viable, but some have fed greedily on the minor chords and abstruse structures of the ‘Black Celebration’ era, and to them, this is perhaps one step too far. And there are weak, maudlin moments – like ‘Alone’ and ‘The Child Inside’ – Gore hasn’t completely managed the self-editorship that could have made ‘Delta Machine’ one of DEPECHE MODE’s best albums.
But there’s no doubting that it is their best for at close to a decade, probably more consistent than ‘Playing The Angel’, certainly showing stronger songwriting than most of ‘Exciter’ and let us not even speak of the dark ages of ‘Sounds Of The Universe’ Welcome home boys!
‘Delta Machine’ is released by Columbia/Sony Records on 25th March 2013 in an assortment of formats including CD, 2CD deluxe, download and double vinyl
DEPECHE MODE tour the world throughout 2013. Please visit http://www.depechemode.com for news and information
Following a successful series of worldwide screenings, RECOIL ‘A Strange Hour In Budapest’ had the first of its UK Cinema premieres at Everyman’s Screen On The Green in Islington.
Its comfortable surroundings provided the ideal setting for this lavish high definition film directed by Attila Herkó. Released earlier this year exclusively on Blu-Ray, in Alan Wilder’s words it was “to supply the most accurate experience of being at the concert”.
Intercut with picturesque views of the Danube city, live footage filmed at the venue and the special projections directed by Steve Fabian, Igor Dvorský & Dmitry Semenov, ‘A Strange Hour In Budapest’ is a powerfully resonant audio/visual document that presents many highlights from Alan Wilder’s career in a concert setting.
In addition to bespoke computer generated graphics, there are illustrations ranging from monochromatic erotica, abstract space photography and austere footage of crashing aircraft. The latter are particularly poignant as they reflect Wilder’s own near death experience when an RAF Tornado jet crashed in front of him while he was on a driving holiday in Scotland back in 1994. Although those shocking memories are musically captured in the track ‘Black Box’ from 2000’s ‘Liquid’ album, that trauma is highlighted in the live presentation with the pulsing Shotgun rendition of ‘Prey’, the tension exasperated by its disturbing images.
Trippy grooves as on the haunting Siobhan Lynch vocalled ‘Drifting’ and the cosmic vibes of the Tangerine Dream sampling ‘Allelujah’ dominate the first part of the show but inevitably, it is the song based material such as ‘Faith Healer’ featuring Nitzer Ebb’s Douglas McCarthy and the reworkings of Depeche Mode that get the Szikra audience into a frenzy, particularly with the Aggro Mix of ‘Never Let Me Down Again’ and the late Johnny Dollar’s superbly powerful Jeep Rock take on ‘In Your Room’.
Incidentally, the sound reproduction throughout the film is outstanding and at times in the cinema, it was actually difficult to distinguish between the applause in the film and that of the audience watching! Other highlights of ‘A Strange Hour In Budapest’ include the grainy projections of Wilder’s live partner Paul Kendall practicing robotics during a great cover of ‘Warm Leatherette’ and a superb mash-up of ‘Jezebel’, the Grungy Gonads Mix of ‘Walking In My Shoes’ and ‘Are Friends Electric?’.
Asked about it by ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK during the post-film Q&A, Wilder replied: “It was when we did the American leg of the tour, I wanted to make a few changes to the set to keep it more interesting having learnt from the first leg of the tour that there was a dip that needing picking up…so I came up with the idea of using ‘Walking in My Shoes’ . At the same time, we were going to play a gig with Gary Numan in Chicago so I thought it be fun to throw that track in and see if he noticed…and he didn’t!!” The cinema cracked up with laughter.
“He watched the set but he didn’t even notice his bit of music in it… ‘Cloth Ears’ I call him,” Wilder affectionately quipped. He added: “’Jezebel’ and ‘Walking In My Shoes’ just happened to fit tempo-wise, I had to change ‘Jezebel’ by a semitone to make it work with the ‘Walking…’ key signature but it worked well”.
Alan Wilder’s Q&A was an entertaining experience with him superbly articulating his thoughts and views. “No! I’m not going back to Depeche Mode!” he announced, setting the scene. On the subject of the loudness war, he was also forthright: “Just turn the volume knob up!” But on the future of RECOIL though, he was less specific: “All I know is I want to make some new music but whether it’s for an album, I’m just not sure because the concept of albums seems to be something people are losing interest in and they way people are listening to music is changing…I would like to work with film, a couple of people have approached me about that”.
When one attendee mentioned how 2011’s auction sharing Wilder’s memorabilia connected with the fans, he candidly answered: “Shared?!? I’d like to share my stuff with you…for this much!”
Wilder’s honesty is one of his many traits that have made him such a revered and respected figure in the music scene. However, some present seemed rather perturbed when Wilder gave answers that perhaps they didn’t want to hear.
On Beck’s new album campaign where fans have been recording their own backing tracks via sheet music provided online, he observantly commented: “It’s up it’s a*se isn’t it? How easy a life does he want?” However, he did concur that he is always open to exploring innovative ways for musicians to connect with their fanbase.
On the move away from hardware synths to software, he replied: “I’m not that nostalgic… we were struggling to get clicks to synch together and would spend three days on something that you can do in five minutes on a computer now…some of these plug-ins are amazing and stay in tune! Let’s not get over nostalgic about the past…but there are some great bits of vintage gear of course”.
On the studio process and how adversity can produce great music, he remembered ‘In Your Room’ as being “a tough track to record”, eventually being a combination of three different versions. By the opposite token though, ‘Enjoy The Silence’ “came together (like that) within a couple of hours”, the bassline achieved simply by playing around with a sequencer.
What was less enthralling during the evening however were some of the more inane lines of questioning by attendees who seemed to be more interested in talking as much as possible while NOT actually listening to the replies of the evening’s humble host. Wilder rightfully called it “random cr*p”. There is an etiquette to these things and sorry, “’Construction Time Again’, how exciting was that!” is NOT a great question!
But despite this, there was a warm family atmosphere with Wilder being the consummate professional, answering questions intelligently and with humour throughout. Figures from the DM fan community mingled alongside fans while Mr Wilder gave his time to everyone readily and happily. It was a memorable evening for all concerned and a fascinating selected event to boot…
ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK gives its warmest thanks to Alan Wilder
‘A Strange Hour In Budapest’ is released on Blu-ray by Shunt Production in conjunction with Umatik Entertainment. Please see www.store.recoil.co.uk for full product details.
When DEPECHE MODE announced at a much hyped press conference in Paris that they were to release a new album and tour in 2013, many fans watching the live stream were feeling they were missing something… in fact, they were! Neither the name of the album, tour or even the song that was previewed were announced although Mode enthusiasts have since uncovered that the track’s working title is ‘Angel’.
However, the album and tour titles still remain elusive! Meanwhile, the tour dates had already been leaked the night before so the effect of the press conference was strangely muted.
In Germany, tickets had already gone on sale during the press conference itself!! This rather bizarre episode sent DEPECHE MODE fans into overdrive with one disillusioned but loyal fan making their views plain… please note, this video will probably be meaningless if your first language is German!
Using a key bunker scene from the acclaimed film ‘Downfall’, Sean S and Amanda C of the DM blog ‘And Then’ have created this brilliant, highly amusing skit to send up the whole shambolic state of affairs with the press conference and the perceivably exploitative nature of the music business.
Indeed, when the former Herr Schicklgruber snarls: “They don’t know we’ll even like the album…”, it accurately highlights the ridiculous situation of how fans are expected to buy tickets for a tour nearly a year in advance while the accompanying album is not likely to surface until a few days before its start! Thus, it very much captures the mixed emotions of what it is to be a one of the Devoted.
The video soon viralled across the DEPECHE MODE fan community with one prominent figure remarking: “absolute work of genius. EXTREMELY funny and SPOT ON…”! The ‘Downfall’ clip has been used for a variety of music satires featuring acts as varied as KRAFTWERK and GIRLS ALOUD, but this latest DM one is by the far the best.
Renowned remixer Mark Reeder’s first flirtation with near fame was when he was in punk band THE FRANTIC ELEVATORS with SIMPLY RED’s Mick Hucknall.
In 1978, he moved to Berlin and became Factory Records German representative in Germany while also working in the studio with bands such as all-girl avant noise terrorists MALARIA! who he co-managed and DIE TOTEN HOSEN.
In 1981, Reeder formed post-punk duo DIE UNBEKANNTEN while in 1983, he helped put together the Berlin Special of ‘The Tube’ TV music show which featured acts such as DIE ÄRTZE. Later on, DIE UNBEKANNTEN changed their name to SHARK VEGAS and toured Europe with NEW ORDER.
In 1990, Reeder established his own electronic dance music record label Masterminded For Success (MFS) and discovered Paul Van Dyk who he guided into becoming an internationally famed DJ and recording artist. His passionate approach and highly respected reputation for care and attention in all areas including concept, artwork, PR and sound gained many notable admirers within the music industry. So when Reeder focused on remixing in the late noughties, he was given the opportunity to work for a number of major artists including John Foxx and PET SHOP BOYS.
He also collaborated with popular German dance duo BLANK & JONES on a musical restyling project entitled ‘Reordered’ which featured among its vocalists NEW ORDER’s Bernard Sumner, Robert Smith from THE CURE, Steve Kilbey of THE CHURCH and Claudia Brücken. Its highlights however were probably the ‘This Time Of Night’ aping Alone In The Dark Mix of ‘Loneliness’ sung by Bobo and the Save Yourself Mix of ‘Manifesto’ featuring Vanessa Daou.
Reeder is about to release his brand new labour of love entitled ‘Five Point One’. It is a dream compilation album of new, rare and unreleased remixes by his own hand of established heavyweights such as DEPECHE MODE, PET SHOP BOYS, BLANK & JONES and BAD LIEUTENANT alongside cult favourites DIE TOTEN HOSEN and Anne Clark plus comparative newbies like MARSHEAUX, MAY 68, NOBLESSE OBLIGE and ELECTROBELLE.
Comprising of a deluxe DVD and 2CD package, the DVD is remastered in Dolby 5.1 surround sound to create a listening experience to enhance the depth and radiance of the original stereo mixes. What shines through particularly is Reeder’s intuitive approach which adds a developmental enhancement to proceedings while retaining the all important compositional essence of the originals.
Mark Reeder kindly spoke about ‘Five Point One’ and added a few thoughts about the welcome return of the song in modern electronic pop plus some stories about his days with Factory Records… “anything can happen in the next half hour…”
Photo by Katja Ruge
What was your inspiration particularly for this compilation?
I’ve always been a fan of surround technology and love the idea of multi-dimensional cinematic wrap-around sound. Although I’ve never owned a Quad system I have Quad versions from the 60s and 70s of ‘Switched-On Bach’ by Wendy Carlos (she was called Walter back then) and ‘Quadrophenia’ by THE WHO and I released a couple of B.A.S.E super spacial stereo and surround albums on my MFS label too.
So making my own 5.1 album was, I suppose, a natural process. I confess, I was definitely inspired by the 5.1 releases of PINK FLOYD, DAVID BOWIE and DEPECHE MODE, which I immediately snapped up.
However, making a 5.1 mix is a complex and expensive undertaking. I first made a 5.1 mix for my remix of ‘German Film Star’ for The PET SHOP BOYS and Sam Taylor-Wood and one for ‘Sink or Swim’ for BAD LIEUTENANT and then ‘Underpass’ for John FOxx, then followed MARSHEAUX and we just went from there. The idea that the album was to have some of my all-time fave bands and all my remixes for them together on one 5.1 surround album just started to happen. It was initially intended to be an audio only album, but when John Foxx said I could use his original 80s video, then we also had a visual element to the album too.
You’ve remixed the songs in DVD 5.1 Surround sound for one disc, how did you the motivate yourself for this endeavour?
The motivation was the challenge. Micha Adam, my studio partner and I wanted to see if we could do it. We wanted to push our own boundaries and test our abilities. Our aim was to re-remix our remixes in 5.1 surround and hopefully release them on one album. Most people, especially in the music industry, currently can’t see the reason behind making a 5.1 album, but that is because there is not that much 5.1 music about and nothing to really compare it with and therefore no visible market for it. That’s most probably because of the cost involved, not only in making a 5.1 mix, but for the consumer too.
It is early days still and just a matter of time. Once the technology gets cheaper and 5.1 becomes easier to make then more music will emerge. It took stereo over 30 years to reach the household in the late 60s and when 5.1 systems eventually become cheap and affordable, then people will also want something to play on them.
Also new and futuristic technological developments aim to make 5.1 available on every mobile phone too. That was another inspiration. Once we all have the 5.1 DolbyMobile chip in our smartphones then we will want to hear music in 5.1 too, which was a further driving force for us. This special chip means that you can listen to music in 5.1 on your phone, on normal stereo headphones, albeit in simulated 5.1, but if you connect your phone to a real 5.1 sound system, it will play back in true 5.1 surround. Fascinating!
Making the actual 5.1 remixes was the real challenge though, as it is all about getting the balance right so that the mix sounds like the original remix, but the music comes from all around you, just like in the cinema. That was the thrill. Yet, mixing an album in surround is not as easy as you might think and the end result will probably sound a bit different to everyone, especially considering that each home system is set up individually to taste. By the way, mixing a track in stereo is much easier too, as you can layer and hide things within the mix, whereas surround is much more revealing.
You are featuring several new acts on ‘Five Point One’ such as MARSHEAUX and NOBLESSE OBLIGE alongside established luminaries such as PET SHOP BOYS, DEPECHE MODE and John Foxx. I can see the newer artists being very co-operative but how straightforward was it to persuade the established acts to allow you to rework their material with your instrumentation and methods?
Yes, I’ve tried to create a balance between the more established acts and a crop of newer artists. Some of which have their debut on ‘Five Point One’. I thought this way I could bring them to a wider audience.
Generally, I think I’ve been very very lucky, as it wasn’t really all that difficult for me to obtain the clearances, as it might have been for other people. The artists that I have initially done the remixes for know who I am and obviously respect me and my work and my idea. They appreciate the amount of time, dedication and creativity that has gone into preparing this project. I guess they know I would also try and do my best and that I would take great care remixing their song. They also know the kind of music that I make.
Mind you, remixing a well-known and legendary song like ‘Underpass’ was still very nerve wracking. I’ve always loved this song and getting the chance to remix it for the first time after 30 years was such an honour. At first I was elated, then came the feeling of fear! Naturally, I wanted to do it justice without destroying it too much, as these days it seems so simple to take a great track, whack it into Ableton and strip it of all its atmosphere and identity, then add a techno beat and scatter a sprinkling of the original vocal over it, so it becomes totally unrecognisable and in most cases, disappointing.
I really don’t make my remixes like that. I’m old school. I like to still be able to hear the song, but give it my own signature and atmosphere, while at the same time use as many of the original elements as possible.
Luckily, John really liked my ‘Underpass’ remixes and he was very cooperative. In fact all the artists and labels were. Making a remix for a well-known song though is definitely much more daunting than making a remix for a new song. The obvious comparison aspect is overwhelming and the expectation is so great.
Obviously, I know I could never ever better the original and I don’t try to, I just make my interpretation. I also understand that my remixes won’t appeal to everyone, but I really only make a remix in the hope the artist themselves will like it and I suppose in the end, it’s for all those people who do actually like it. If you don’t like it then that’s fine too, just don’t listen to it. I always strive as much as I can to at least give the song I’m going to remix, the respect it deserves, regardless of its status.
Remixing ‘Sweetest Perfection’ was also very precarious. Daniel Miller gave me the chance to remix ‘Sweetest Perfection’ for the last DEPECHE MODE remixes album, but due to family problems I was unable to complete it on time. So I asked if I could use it on my own remixes album. My DEPECHE MODE remix actually took the longest to clear, simply because EMI / Mute were in the process of releasing their own DEPECHE MODE remixes album.
You also feature cult singer/songwriter Anne Clark who worked with John Foxx in 1985. For those who have not heard of her, how would describe her music and why do you like it?
It is quite interesting the threads between the artists on the album, in some obscure way they are all connected. I think Anne is very unique. She is a poet, who sets her poems to music. Although she is from England, she is probably more well-known outside of the UK. Her legendary status was formed in the early 80s and her brilliant song ‘Sleeper in Metropolis’ was huge in the new wave clubs across Europe at that time. It eventually became a Goth anthem and inspiration for many to follow. Its analogue synth sequencer sounds have never been bettered. Of course, her music today is very delicate but still powerful and anyone who has seen her perform live, knows exactly how beautiful her music is. I remixed two of her songs off ‘The Smallest Acts of Kindness’album which I really liked. I was inspired. They were intended for a remixes album, but that album hasnt yet materialised and so they are now on mine. I really like this spoken word matched with music idea.
You’re credited with introducing Bernard Sumner to Giorgio Moroder and Italo disco through the cassettes you used to send him from Berlin. How do you feel about his more rocky material with BAD LIEUTENANT? And is featuring remixes of them a way of you putting Bernard back into that electronic dance thing that he does so well but rarely touches now?
Well, I know Bernard is still very much into electronics and club music and he promised there will be more to be heard on the next BL album, but he wanted to show a different side with BAD LIEUTENANT and distance his band from NEW ORDER, which is understandable. I thought their album was really excellent. I’m not just saying that because Bernard is a friend, but because I really think it is. It is a bit of an unpolished jewel. Anyway, I played it to death. I think it was a very optimistic album and if you give it the chance, it gets better every time you play it.
Anyway, Bernard asked me to film some sequences for their ‘Sink Or Swim’ video and then I was asked if I wanted to do a remix for it too. I thought there are probably a few fans out there, like myself and Micha, who would also like to hear a more electronic, dancier type version of the song. So I made one. The same goes for my remix for the PET SHOP BOYS. They also wanted a more traditional PSB sounding remix without having to return to that style themselves.
Then Bernard asked me if I could do a quick remix for ‘Twist of Fate’, which was a track I also really liked and wanted to remix. I made two variations, one is a heavy-ish sounding half tempo mix with a pulsating bass and the other is a more uptempo dance mix variation. Both mixes are featured on ‘Five Point One’. I thought Steve Young made a truly brilliant sci-fi puppet video for that track too, with very scary looking puppets. You can see the love, care and dedication he has put into making this Gerry Anderson inspired video and I wanted to applaud his work and so we feature the video on the DVD too. He was kind enough to recut his video and add newly created footage just so that it would fit to my 5.1 remix.
Making these BAD LIEUTENANT remixes was much more difficult than we had imagined, as all the songs were played-in live by the band and there was lots of natural speeding up and slowing down within the track, which you don’t usually get with a precise timed 4/4 techno record. I had a great time with Micha making these two remixes, as we had to slice every single word and every note of every instrument and move them into position by hand to make them still sound organic, which took forever. It was good practise, as it turned out, because the BAD LIEUTENANT remixes were still easier than making the DEPECHE MODE or TOTEN HOSEN remixes.
Your Lange Hosen remix of DIE TOTEN HOSEN’s ‘Disco’ was very interesting. You go back a long way with them. They are known as being a punk band, but when did it occur to you that their material could be tailored for the dancefloor?
Actually, I realised that their music could be tailored for the dancefloor back in the 80s with ‘Hip Hop Bommi Bop’, which they made with legendary New York rapper Fab Five Freddy.
We used to listen to a lot of disco music on tour mixed in with AC/DC and plenty of punk classics. It just seemed natural to me that their track ‘Disco’ should have a real Italo-rock-disco-esque sounding remix.
As usual, I wanted to retain as much of their original song as possible though, so that it is still recognisable as a TOTEN HOSEN song. So the guitars and vocals are all in there. I’ve just changed the tempo and groove and added a straight driving bass guitar and pulsating synth so it can be played in a proper disco type of disco.
You’ve worked with MALARIA! in the past and there was a collaboration with CHICKS ON SPEED a few years back of 1981’s ‘Kaltes Klares Wasser’. Could their material work on the contemporary dancefloor and have you ever considered remixing them?
Yes, I did briefly consider it, but then again I didn’t just want to have a kind of oldies only album. I wanted a mixture of established artists and new ones. I wanted to give the unknown artists the opportunity to be on an album with some very well-known ones.
Was there any track that you really wanted on ‘Five Point One’ but were unable to use due to the usual contractual stuff?
Yes, there was. I really wanted to include my remix of ‘A Forest’ on ‘Five Point One’ that I made for the ‘Reordered’ album. In fact, I already made a 5.1 mix of it in the hope that I could use it, but unfortunately, BLANK & JONES said they couldn’t license it to me due to their strict contractual obligations with Robert Smith. So that particular remix remains exclusively available on ‘Reordered’ in normal stereo.
Are there any particular favourites for you on this compilation?
Yes, tracks 1-25.
Who do you hope ‘Five Point One’ will appeal to?
I guess it’s for all those people who like the artists featured on the album and wish they were all on one album. Now they are. Then it is also for those who enjoy this kind of retro sounding synthpop style of music and its especially for all those with a thirst for 5.1 Dolby digital surround sound. For the moment, it seems only major label artists like DEPECHE MODE, KING CRIMSON, DAVID BOWIE, PINK FLOYD or THE MOODY BLUES have been able to release surround albums.
I thought why can’t my favourite artists also have a 5.1 release too? I wanted to put all my own remixes for some of my favourite bands together on one 5.1 album. After all, who wouldn’t like an album that featured new mixes for legends like DEPECHE MODE and PET SHOP BOYS as well as John Foxx and Anne Clark all together on one album and all in 5.1? I certainly would.
How do you think electronic pop music has been developing over the years and where do you see it heading in the future?
After 20 years of electronically driven techno, trance and the many derivatives spawned from it, I feel that the current style of electronic pop music is quite refreshing. Of course, club music will always be there in one form or another and DJs and dancing will never go out of fashion. But for myself, I’m really enjoying hearing artists making songs again. Maybe in the future the synthpop sound will finally have its renaissance, one that it so rightly deserves. It seems more and more people are yearning for it. After all, the 80s appear to represent a time not only of political balance and security but of experimentation in fashion and music.
Back in the 80s, synth music was mainly European and futuristic sounding, but the overwhelming influence of major label funded American rock music was able to stamp synthpop into the ground. Also the synth technology sadly had its limitations too, I remember back then our Moog and Korg synths were terribly temperamental when it came to temperature or humidity change.
Today synth music is much easier to produce. We are living in that future, now. So why not make 80s sounding futuristic music? What I find interesting today is the current mixture of retro sounds of old synths being played in a contemporary way. I suppose the availability of new software for long forgotten analogue synths and the amazing technical plug-ins which have been getting better and better, all help to form the current sound of the music. All I know and care about really, is that there have been some great songs and cool new artists emerging recently and that is very inspiring.
Is there a favourite story you can tell from your days as Factory’s German representative?
Many. I remember Rob Gretton sent me a huge roll of posters to promote the first NEW ORDER album in Germany. To save on postage because the roll was so bloody big and heavy, he sent them by land and not airmail… well, they eventually arrived, three months later!
There are many funny stories and this interview would be longer than my Myspace page if I told them all. What many people don’t realise is that it was very difficult trying to promote Factory’s records in Germany back in the late 70s and early 80s. No one really wanted to know. This was due to the fact that Germany was rediscovering its own musical ability and creating its own new wave scene.
Early German punkbands like TEMPO, PVC or DAF had been fuelled by the UK punk movement, they in turn paved the way for the alternative avant-garde like MANIA-D, P1/E, DER PLAN or EINSTÜRZENDE NEUBAUTEN and later, the more commercial new wave pap like NINA HAGEN, SPLIFF or IDEAL. No one was particularly interested in a small indie label from Manchester and certainly not in a miserable sounding band called JOY DIVISION.
Sure, there was some interest from the dedicated anglophiles but it was very small and it appealed to a few. Of course, this attitude changed somewhat when Ian died.
Have you heard SECTION 25’s new single ‘Colour, Movement, Sex And Violence’ which is released on Peter Hook’s Fac51 The Haçienda label? What do you think of the spirit of Factory Records being kept alive and kicking?
Yes, I have heard it and I think it’s a great tune. Love it. Very Manchester. I’ve always enjoyed SECTION 25 and this song is one of their best in ages. The spirit of Factory will be kept alive by the numerous fans of the sound the label had and by the new fans who are discovering it for the first time. Without Factory, the Manchester music scene wouldn’t be what it became and is today and most boys would probably still not know how to dance. In Germany, Strut have just released a new ‘Factory Dance’ 12″ double CD compilation, which introduces some of the lesser known Factory dance artists together with a few better known ones. It has very striking looking artwork and is a must-have for any Factory fan.
What are your own upcoming plans after Five Point One?
I plan to release a remastered version of DIE UNBEKANNTEN’s ‘Don’t Tell Me Stories’ album finally on CD, this might include some SHARK VEGAS tracks too and also in 2012, I hope to release a deluxe version of DIE VISION’s ‘Torture’, the last album to be recorded in communist East Berlin that I produced there in 1989. As for my own projects, now that would be telling wouldn’t it?
ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK gives its sincerest thanks to Mark Reeder
‘Five Point One’ is released on 25th November 2011 by Kennan Limited and distributed in Germany by Rough Trade Deutschland.
For more information on Five Point One including the full tracklisting and how to order this deluxe 2CD/DVD set, please visit http://www.five-point-one.co.uk/
In 1982, when young Alan Wilder answered an advertisement in Melody Maker; “Keyboard player needed for established band – no timewasters”; it would prove to be a life-changing moment.
The band in question was DEPECHE MODE and Wilder would be stepping into the shoes of founding member Vince Clarke. As a classically-trained musician, Wilder’s contribution to DEPECHE MODE’s sound would prove to be remarkable. Whilst he wrote only a few songs for the band, including ‘If You Want’ from ‘Some Great Reward’ and frenetic B-side ‘In Your Memory’, his flair for interpreting and arranging Martin Gore’s songs would quickly lead to a winning formula.
Most famously, it was Wilder who transformed Gore’s early demo version of ‘Enjoy The Silence’ from a morose ballad into the upbeat dance track that went on to become a worldwide hit. During the Wilder years, DEPECHE MODE released a string of their classic and best loved albums, culminating in their dark masterpiece ‘Songs of Faith and Devotion’. Over the same period they conquered the States with sell-out stadium tours.
However, in spite of helping to steer them to world domination, Wilder felt increasingly frustrated by tensions within the band and his perceived lack of recognition from his bandmates. It was following the well-documented excesses of the Devotional tour, which Q magazine dubbed “the most debauched rock tour ever”, that he announced his decision to leave DEPECHE MODE on 1st June 1995.
Wilder could now devote himself full time to RECOIL, the solo project that he had been pursuing as a sideline to DEPECHE MODE. There were two EPs ‘1’ and ‘2’ and ‘Hydrology’ before RECOIL released a full length album in 1991 called ‘Bloodline’ which featured vocal contributions from NITZER EBB’s Douglas McCarthy and Toni Halliday of CURVE.
Subsequent albums ‘Unsound Methods’ (1996), ‘Liquid’ (2000) and ‘SubHuman’ (2007) were each highly acclaimed. Whilst each album has its own distinct identity, they share Wilder’s brooding electronic soundscapes and meticulous production.
Wilder is a perfectionist in the studio and draws on a wide pallet of sounds and styles to craft his recordings. He remains a passionate supporter of the physical format, still choosing to release his albums on vinyl as well as CD. He has been highly critical of MP3 download culture, both for the loss of sound quality and the devaluation of music that it entails.
In 2010, Mute Records released a RECOIL compilation entitled ‘Selected’, and this was followed by a successful world tour. In February of the same year, Wilder made a surprise appearance onstage with his former bandmates DEPECHE MODE for their Teenage Cancer Trust show at London’s Royal Albert Hall, to the unsurpassed delight of the fanbase.
His appearance prompted speculation in some quarters that a full reconciliation was on the cards. These rumours were further fuelled when Wilder reworked ‘Sounds Of The Universe’ track ‘In Chains’ for 2011’s ‘Remixes 2’ album. Whatever the future may hold, ALAN Wilder’s place in electro royalty is already well established.
In September, fans will be able to bid for their own piece DEPECHE MODE or RECOIL history, when Wilder auctions a large collection of his studio equipment, vinyl and memorabilia. The Alan Wilder / DEPECHE MODE Collection auction will take place in September at the Zion Arts Centre in Manchester. AlanWilder kindly took time out of his busy schedule to talk to ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK about RECOIL, DEPECHE MODE and his forthcoming auction.
You released a RECOIL retrospective ‘Selected’ last year. Was it difficult to choose a tracklisting that represented the work of RECOIL, yet acted as a cohesive listening experience?
Well – you could say that was the aim (or challenge) from the moment that Mute suggested putting together a collection.
They told me they were planning a series of compiled albums for a number of their artists just to bring people up to speed, and when I realised there weren’t any restrictions, the collection idea started to appeal.
I kind of knew it would be possible to create an album with continuity, atmosphere and pacing. My inclination was that it would mainly consist of material from the last three RECOIL albums -so while there is a decent cross section of RECOIL’s overall output, the ‘Selected’ album is more about my own favourites rather than a ‘cater to all’ concept. It works well I think, and wasn’t particularly difficult to put together.
You’ve toured ‘Selected Events’ all around the world now to an enthusiastic reception. But what initial apprehensions did you have when conceiving the RECOIL live show and how have you managed to overcome them?
My main worry would have been the perception of live versus playback. The show was always designed as an audio/visual presentation rather than an out-and-out live performance. The music was certainly tailored to work in the live arena, and was constructed specifically with that in mind. It intrinsically links with a synchronised film and I think it is clear from our set-up that we’re obviously not playing all the parts, but rather adding live elements and effects (which vary with each venue) to a prepared bedrock.
Perhaps this is a more modern way to present music than the traditional 5-piece, guitar-drums-bass-synth-vocalist, which is something I wanted to avoid. As the tour continued, it became clear which aspects of the presentation worked better than others, and we have therefore adapted it to be a little more crowd-friendly along the way.
There’s a Telemark modular synth which you have on stage with you. How are you finding that to use?
I use any number of synthesisers during the events depending on what I can get a hold of at a given time – as long as it is a modular-type with an external signal input. This allows me to feed plenty of our sounds directly into the synth in order to affect them using resonance, filtering, attack and so on. I’ve only used the Telemark a couple of times and haven’t fully explored it.
You’ve played Back To The Phuture, Short Circuit Presents Mute and are now playing Vintage Festival. Bearing in my mind the battles you’ve fought in the past with the ‘real music’ brigade, do you think electronic based music has finally got the recognition it deserves?
I think electronic music has been recognised for a long time, but we do see more and more acts using film and computers within their performances, and in these modern times (with portable applications on smaller and smaller devices, even your phone), this is becoming more acceptable, even to the diehards. The boundaries between what is performed or programmed is much more blurred. Does it matter? Not really. The bottom line is the effect on the listener/viewer and the enjoyment and entertainment imparted.
You recently reworked DEPECHE MODE’s ‘In Chains’ for ‘Remixes 2’. Why did you choose that track and what do you think you gave the track that wasn’t part of its original vision?
To help me decide which song to work on, I asked Mute to provide stems from several short-listed songs, so that I could listen to component parts and make a more informed decision. In the end I decided that ‘In Chains’ could maybe benefit the most from my treatment, hopefully expanding the dynamics and overall power. I thought the song and the existing vocal performance was strong, and even though we ended up with two quite different versions I’m happy with the results.
There is to be a sale of memorabilia and equipment from your career in September through Omega Auctions which focuses mainly on the years between 1982 to 1995. How has this come about?
It began as a small sale of studio equipment and grew into something much bigger when I realised that the process of selling multiple items can be quite complicated. It therefore made sense to maximise everything (in one hit so to speak), so we expanded the consignment to include all kinds of memorabilia. As I got deeper into the process, even though complicated, it actually became strangely enjoyable – to go back through all the years worth of collectibles and review what they all meant etc. The end result will be, I hope, a very exciting event in Manchester, to include workshops, a talk, a documentary film, perhaps even a performance and some other interesting things for the fans.
What do you think is the most unusual item on sale and the story behind it?
I think that would have to be the unreleased box set known as ‘DMBS 1-4’. Thought of as the Holy Grail, these are 4 extremely rare white labels from a DEPECHE MODE boxset that was never released. The proposed set was recalled for unknown reasons. Who knows why? The 4 test pressings were made and sent to me for approval in 1988.
Among the items for auction are several of your vintage synths. Are there any memories associated with particular ones that you can tell us a few anecdotes about, like for example the Minimoog, the ARP Odyssey or Oberheim OB8?
The Minimoog was my first synthesiser bought around 1977, pre-Mode, when I was a member of DAFNE & THE TENDERSPOTS. It was a big deal for us at the time as it was quite expensive and we couldn’t really afford it until we secured our record deal.
It is still probably my all-time favourite synthesiser due to the famous fat 3-oscillator sound, and of course it’s an absolute classic. I continued to use it for many years on early Mode recordings such as ‘Construction Time Again’ and ‘Some Great Reward’ and even had a MIDI update added during the 80s.
I bought the ARP in the late 70s privately in London and this also featured on quite a few of my pre-Mode recordings with various bands.
I guess I always had a soft spot for the Minimoog but once you accepted that the ARP was never going to sound as fat and realised that it could be used as a completely different kind of tool, then it came into its own. MIDI upgrades were added later when I used the ARP on some of the earlier RECOIL recordings such as ‘Hydrology’. I can’t pretend I was ever a skilled operator (unlike Daniel Miller for example) but it is certainly a lot of fun to fiddle about with.
To my disappointment, when I powered the OB8 up recently, I couldn’t get an actual sound although I’m told that it is just the voices which need attention. I was surprised as it has been looked after well and, cosmetically, it’s in superb physical shape. I used this synth during my time with REAL TO REAL and THE HITMEN in the early 80s. It has a fat, warm sound and was my first polyphonic synth. I loved the fact that I could actually store patches for the first time and it introduced me to the Oberheim sound which has a unique quality. I have been a fan of Oberheim ever since.
There’s a EDP Wasp in there too. There was an article featuring producer Dave Bascombe which said that you used it on ‘Music For The Masses’?
Yes, that’s true, it was used to create the famous bass sequencer parts in the Aggro mix of ‘Never Let Me Down Again’. I think we used the Wasp and Spider sequencer and then probably sampled the result, as it isn’t MIDI controllable. We may have been able to sequence it using cv/gate – I can’t quite remember.
What has been your favourite piece of equipment over the years?
In the studio, I’ve always loved my 1970’s Neve console, Roland space echo, Manley amps and compressor, VCS 3, Minimoog and Oberheim synths… I have plenty of other gear but it’s largely redundant. My needs are quite simple these days: Logic Audio, Ableton Live, plenty of plug-ins. I now work on a MacBook Pro so I’m much more portable these days, finally making music on the move (at least sometimes).
If there’s a favourite all time DEPECHE MODE track here at ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK, it’s ‘Halo’. Could you tell us how you and co-producer Flood put together the palette of sounds that comprised the final arrangement?
From memory, the drums were sampled from LED ZEPPELIN’s ‘When the Levee Breaks’ (but secondhand from a rap record). It is one of the most commonly used drum samples – for obvious reasons as it has that very special Bonham sound. The same snare drum sound appears on DM’s ‘Get Right With Me’. I’ve also heard that snare on a MASSIVE ATTACK record and many others.
I think ‘Violator’ was the first album that we used whole performance drum loops to create rhythm tracks, as opposed to programmed single drum sounds, and ‘Halo’ was one of the first tracks we recorded for ‘Violator’ in fact. Flood and I were listening to quite a lot of hip hop and rap records at the time – those artists were the forerunners when sampling larger sections of rhythms and grooves.
And the unusual feels that were created on those albums really influenced ‘Violator’ and ‘Songs of Faith and Devotion’. Other sounds on ‘Halo’, I’m more vague about. But we certainly would have used Flood’s ARP 2600 in conjunction with other modular synths to create the bass parts and other sequencer parts.
For the end choruses, there are some string samples which I think were derived from Elgar. One of my techniques is to find sections of classical strings and transpose / stretch these, then add my own samples, in order to formulate new and unusual arrangements. This was a case in point. The DM track ‘Clean’ utilised classical strings in a similar way.
How did that fabulous sequence on ‘Waiting For The Night’ come together?
‘Waiting For The Night’: the main sequencer part here was produced using the ARP 2600 synth and sequencer, because it has many flaws when setting up your 16 note sequence (for example tuning and gate length) – this makes for happy accidents and almost random events.
We would have fiddled around with that sequence for a while, tweaking the filters and envelopes within the ARP until we arrived at that particularly hypnotic end result.
The resulting sequence shape would follow any held note on a keyboard to transpose between the song’s basic chord changes as it ran, which we would then record, and that is essentially the spine of the whole thing. All the other sounds in that song act as mere embellishment.
Each song is different though and we would employ a different approach to creating sequencer parts depending on what was appropriate.
Your surprise appearance with your former bandmates at the Teenage Cancer Trust gig in 2010 was a genuinely show-stopping moment. Were you surprised at the sheer scale of the welcome you received from the crowd? Do you have fond memories of the night?
Well, being there on stage felt strangely familiar – which is maybe not surprising considering how much touring we used to do – but it was like I’d never been away. I had forgotten just how it feels though when a large audience is behind you like that. A proud moment for me knowing that most people were so happy about it. It was great to see everyone (band and crew) and to catch up with their news, see how they were all fairing. The fact that is was for a worthy cause was also important of course, and I felt there would be a warm reaction from the people – which there definitely was 🙂
Over the years you have amassed a remarkable back catalogue with DEPECHE MODE and RECOIL. Which songs / albums are you most proud of?
‘Songs of Faith and Devotion’ is my favourite album, and the tracks ‘In Your Room’, ‘Walking In My Shoes’ and ‘Never Let Me Down Again’ amongst others. No particular RECOIL favourites. Anything from ‘Unsound Methods’ onward, really.
You commented on MP3 culture and the decline of the music industry to Side-Line Magazine in early 2008. Three years on, what do you think of the situation now and how it affects you as an artist?
Since then, there have been some marketing re-thinks for the better – a more tactile approach perhaps. We are seeing a return to higher quality formats, collectable editions, vinyl and so on. Mute have embraced the idea of limited editions where everyone can benefit – the consumer who gets total choice ranging from a simple download right through to the most luxury items, the artist who can indulge all his creative whims, and the record company who can charge the appropriate price for each product in order to make some profit (as long as they do not over produce and get lumbered with expensive stock).
The music business is of course one of the fastest mutating industries and one has to try to understand why things adapt in the way they do. If the consumer isn’t particularly passionate and wants free music (which now seems inevitable amongst most listeners) then I’m not against the Spotify-type concept for example where, in effect, the artist receives his payment via advertisers.
Are there any acts from the new generation who you particularly admire?
Unfortunately, due to a complicated life (which seems to get more so by the day), I never find I have enough time to research and discover much new music but I enjoy trawling through my catalogue, built up since I was a teenager – and occasionally something new comes along to excite.
RECOIL’s sound is on the organic side of electronic with use of samples and influenced by trip hop, blues, and jazz. How do you see RECOIL developing in the future?
I have never undertaken a RECOIL project with a particular idea in mind, usually just a very vague notion. My approach is always both experimental and methodical so I just start throwing different sounds and loops together until I get a spark.
I may say to myself that I’d like to work more with live musicians or perhaps not include too much spoken-word but these loose rules are never set in stone. I prefer to allow the music to flow completely naturally. Time will tell…
ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK gives its sincerest thanks to Alan Wilder
RECOIL open the Vintage Festival Electronic Revue at the Royal Festival Hall on Friday 29th July 2011. Please note that the performance will start promptly at 6.30pm. Also on the bill are HEAVEN 17, ONETWO, MIRRORS and MOTOR.
The Alan Wilder / DEPECHE MODE Collection Auction will take place at the Zion Art Centre, 335 Stretford Rd, Hulme, Manchester M15 5ZA. Viewing will take place between 10.00am to 8.00pm on Friday 2nd September 2011 while the auction will be from 10.00am to 4.00pm on Saturday 3rd September 2011.
All sale items will include a signed letter of authentication from Alan Wilder with details of use and each winning bidder will also receive a free DVD of ‘Alan Wilder – Collected’.
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