Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode[a] are an English electronic music band formed in Basildon, Essex in 1980. Originally formed by the lineup of Dave Gahan, Martin Gore, Andy Fletcher and Vince Clarke, the band currently consists of Gahan and Gore.
Depeche Mode
Composition of Sound (1980)
1980–present
With Clarke as their primary songwriter, Depeche Mode released their debut album Speak & Spell in 1981 amid the British new wave scene. Clarke left the band at the end of 1981, going on to form the groups Yazoo and later Erasure. The remaining trio recorded their second album, A Broken Frame (1982), with Martin Gore as chief songwriter. The band then recruited Alan Wilder, establishing a lineup that continued until 1995, beginning with the albums Construction Time Again (1983) and Some Great Reward (1984). The albums Black Celebration (1986) and Music for the Masses (1987) cemented them as a dominant force within the electronic and alternative music scenes, and their June 1988 concert at the Pasadena Rose Bowl drew a crowd in excess of 60,000 people.
In early 1990, they released their seventh album, Violator, an international mainstream success. The following album Songs of Faith and Devotion (1993) was also a success, though the band's internal struggles during recording and touring resulted in Wilder's departure in 1995. The band returned to the trio lineup of Gahan, Gore, and Fletcher, with the album Ultra being released in 1997. The band continued touring and recorded five more albums - Exciter (2001), Playing the Angel (2005), Sounds of the Universe (2009), Delta Machine (2013) and Spirit (2017) - as a trio until Fletcher's death in 2022, since which time Gahan and Gore have continued as a duo. Their latest album, Memento Mori, was released in 2023.
Depeche Mode have had 54 songs in the UK Singles Chart, 17 Top 10 albums in the UK chart, and have sold more than 100 million records worldwide.[2][3] Q included the band in its list of the "50 Bands That Changed the World!"[4] Depeche Mode also rank No. 98 on VH1's "100 Greatest Artists of All Time".[5] In 2016, Billboard named Depeche Mode the 10th Greatest of All Time Top Dance Club Artists.[6] They were nominated for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2017 and 2018, eventually being inducted in 2020.[7]
Musical style and influences[edit]
Gore recalled, "My dream was to combine the emotion of Neil Young or John Lennon transmitted by Kraftwerk's synthesizers. Soul music played by electronic instruments."[143] Gore also cited synth-pop group Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD), who provided support on the Music for the Masses Tour; Clarke stated that Depeche Mode would never have happened without OMD.[144][145] Fletcher mentioned influences including the late 1970s punk rock scene, the post-punk bands Siouxsie and the Banshees and the Cure, and electronic group the Human League.[146] Band members have also cited David Bowie, the Clash,[147] Roxy Music and Brian Eno,[148] Elvis Presley, the Velvet Underground,[149] Fad Gadget,[150] Suicide,[151] and the blues.[152]
Depeche Mode were considered a teen pop group during their early period in the UK, and interviewed in teen pop magazines such as Smash Hits.[153][154] Following the departure of Clarke, their music began to take on a darker tone, establishing a darker sound in the band's music, as Gore assumed lead songwriting duties.[155] Gore's lyrics include themes such as sex, religion, and politics.[156] Gore has stated he feels lyrical themes which tackle issues related to solitude and loneliness are a better representation of reality, whereas he finds "happy songs" fake and unrealistic.[157] At the same time, he asserts that the group's music contains "an element of hope".[158]
Depeche Mode's music has been variously described as synth-pop,[159][100][160][161][162][155] electronic rock,[163][164][165][166] new wave,[106][167] darkwave,[168][169] dance-rock,[170][171] post-punk,[172] alternative rock,[155] and pop rock.[173] The band have also experimented with other genres throughout their career, including avant-garde, electronica, pop, soul, techno, industrial rock and heavy metal.[174]
Philanthropy[edit]
Early in their career, Depeche Mode was dismissive of benefit concerts such as Live Aid. Gore himself stated, "If these bands really care so much, they should just donate the money and let that be it. Why can't they do it without all the surrounding hype?".[44]
Since 2010, the band has applied their celebrity and cultural longevity to help promote and raise funds for several notable charity endeavours. They lent their support to high-profile charities such as MusiCares, Cancer Research UK and the Teenage Cancer Trust. The band has also supported the Small Steps Project, a humanitarian organization based in the UK, aiming to assist economically disadvantaged children into education.[209] They have partnered with Swiss watchmaker Hublot to support Charity: Water, aimed at the provision of clean drinking water in developing countries.[210] Such collaboration led to the release of two different limited edition watches, the Hublot Big Bang Depeche Mode in 2017 and The Singles Limited Edition series based from the Big Bang model in 2018. The proceeds helped raise $1.7 million for Charity: Water.[211] In 2014, the partnership hosted a gala and fundraiser at the TsUM building in Moscow, raising $1.4 million for the charity.[212]
