Without doubt, Vince Clarke is a supreme pop genius with a run of hits that began in 1981 with DEPECHE MODE and continued with YAZOO, THE ASSEMBLY and ERASURE.

There have also been collaborations with Jean-Michel Jarre, Paul Hartnoll, Martyn Ware, Ana Brun and the late Robert Marlow as well as numerous remixes. 26 have been chosen by Vince Clarke himself on this new Cherry Red collection ‘Remix / Remodel’ with many of the tracks never having been released on a physical product before.

While Clarke’s programmed synthesized melodies and counter-melodies are desired textures in pop, what he is first and foremost is a songwriter. So with that in mind, this collection of remixes for other artists has many variables with the end result dependent on time, budget, connections and reciprocal arrangements.

These Vince Clarke remixes successfully work in some unexpected quarters; Johnny Marr’s ‘Spirit Power & Soul’ is superb and somehow, Clarke has turned THE SMITHS guitarist into classic DEPECHE MODE. And speaking of his former band, Clarke’s Extended Vocal take on ‘Behind The Wheel’ is darkly hypnotic but it doesn’t come close to the totally brilliant Shep Pettibone single remix which came out in its own right in 1988 and surpassed the underwhelming ‘Music For The Masses’ album version.

From 1988, the Vince Clarke remix of HAPPY MONDAYS’ ‘WFL Wrote For Luck’ was considered incongruous back in the day but this indie dance hybrid still packs a punch under the strobe lights. FRANZ FERDINAND’s ‘No You Girls’ gets an enjoyable electro-disco makeover while the SAINT ETIENNE instrumental ‘Blue Kite’ is given more form under the watch of Clarke who uses THE GRID’s ‘Floatation’ as his blueprint. With WARRINGTON-RUNCORN NEW TOWN DEVELOPMENT PLAN’s ‘A Shared Sense Of Purpose’ getting its hauntology backdrop percussively industrialised, the hypnotic ‘Faito’ by Clarke’s own VeryRecords signings ALKA benefits from the interventions of the boss which come over very Jean-Michel Jarre.

However, the understated ballad ‘Almost’ by OMD, which is said to be the song turned Clarke onto the synthesizer, does not benefit from his busier interventions which have been retrospectively added 40 years after the song was recorded. Similarly, the treatment of SOFT CELL’s ‘Bedsitter’ under the ERASURE banner does not work either but perhaps the original version is just too known for any remix to stand a chance. For that reason, one would expect his remix of Andy Bell’s ‘Dance For Mercy’ to possess the bounce of ERASURE but it ends up being a rather ploddy guitar-based number!

Girl group THE SATURDAYS were at one point virtually glued to the hips of Vince Clarke, what with their ‘Situation’ sampling debut single ‘If This Is Love’ in 2008 and a cover of ‘Just Can’t Get Enough’ in 2009. In between was Clarke’s remix of their third single ‘Issues’ but it chugs away without any real consequence, as does ‘I Wanna Get Better’ by BLEACHERS aka Vince Clarke fan and Taylor Swift producer Jack Antonoff.

In a collection that is more miss than hit, what is missing? ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK would have included Clarke’s remixes of ‘Other Too Endless’ for Polly Scattergood, SPARKS ‘When Do I Get To Sing My Way?’, Alison Moyet’s cover of ‘Whispering Your Name’, Robert Görl’s ‘Part 1’ and NITZER EBB’s ‘Ascend’ while preferring ‘Before’ by VeryRecords signings Reed & Caroline over the included ‘Electrons’. There are some excellent reworkings on this collection but ‘Remix / Remodel – The Vince Clarke Remixes’ is ultimately for completists only.

‘Remix / Remodel – The Vince Clarke Remixes’ is released by Cherry Red Records on 26th June 2026

https://www.cherryred.co.uk/various-artists-remix-remodel-the-vince-clarke-remixes-2cd-edition

Text by Chi Ming Lai
15th June 2026