Depeche Mode band
Depeche Mode (pronounced /dɛˈpɛʃ/, de-PESH) are an English electronic music band which formed in 1980, in Basildon, Essex. The group's original line-up consisted of Dave Gahan (lead vocals), Martin Gore (keyboards, guitar, vocals, chief songwriter after 1981), Andrew Fletcher (keyboards) and Vince Clarke (keyboards, chief songwriter 1980–81). Vince Clarke left the band after the release of their 1981 debut album, Speak & Spell, and was replaced by Alan Wilder (keyboards, drums) with Gore taking over songwriting. Wilder left the band in 1995 and since then Gahan, Gore, and Fletcher have continued as a trio.
Depeche Mode have had forty-eight songs in the UK Singles Chart and #1 albums in UK, US and throughout Europe. According to EMI, Depeche Mode have sold over 100 million albums and singles worldwide,[1] making them the most successful electronic band in music history.[2][3] Q magazine call Depeche Mode "The most popular electronic band the world has ever known".[4]
Legacy and Influence
Depeche Mode became "The most popular electronic band the world has ever known" according to Q magazine and "One of the greatest British pop groups of all time" according to theSunday Telegraph.[76][77]
One of the most influential groups over the last 30 years, Depeche Mode have inspired generations of new musicians while consolidating their considerable reputation. In the process they have sold over 100 million records and played to audiences in excess of 30 million.[4][57]
Depeche Mode influenced many of today's popular recording artists, in part due to their recording techniques and innovative use of sampling. For example, Pet Shop Boys cited Violator(and "Enjoy the Silence" in particular) as one of the main sources of inspiration during recording of their critically acclaimed album Behaviour. Neil Tennant says, “We were listening toViolator by Depeche Mode, which was a very good album and we were deeply jealous of it”. Bandmate Chris Lowe agrees, “They had raised the stakes”.[78][79]
Techno pioneers Derrick May, Kevin Saunderson and Juan Atkins regularly cited Depeche Mode as an influence on the development of techno music during the Detroit Techno explosion in the mid 1980s.[80] Appreciation of Depeche Mode within today's electronic music scene is shown by the numerous Depeche Mode remixes by contemporary DJs such as Ricardo Villalobos' remix of "The Sinner in Me" or Kruder & Dorfmeister's remix of "Useless".
According to Matt Smith, the former music director of the modern-rock radio station KROQ, "The Killers, The Bravery, Franz Ferdinand — that whole wave of music owes a tremendous amount to Depeche Mode."[81]
In an accompanying interview for his piece in The New Yorker evaluating the impact of British acts on the US market, Sasha Frere-Jones claims that "probably the last serious English influence was Depeche Mode, who seem more and more significant as time passes."[82]
Chester Bennington, vocalist of Linkin Park, cites the band as an inspiration.[83][84] Another Linkin Park member Mike Shinoda has said, "Depeche Mode are one of the most influential groups of our time. Their music is an inspiration to me..."[85]
Ken Jordan, member of the LA electronic duo The Crystal Method has said that Depeche Mode are one of their main influences in music.[86] Roger Rose, lead singer of Christian rockband Mad at the World, has also cited the band as an influence on his music.[87]
Raymond Herrera, the drummer of the heavy metal band Fear Factory, says, "A lot of different music influenced the way I play now. Like the band Depeche Mode. If I could sound like Depeche Mode, but be fast like Slayer, I think I might be onto something".[88] According to Darren Smith, the guitarist of the post-hardcore band Funeral for a Friend, "dark, moodier stuff" in his band's music was "Depeche Mode-influenced."[89]
Colombian singer Shakira is also highly influenced by Depeche Mode. Ximena Diego, the author of the book Shakira – Woman Full of Grace wrote in this book: "At thirteen Shakira especially liked Depeche Mode, an electronic rock band from Great Britain. One day she was listening to the band's song, "Enjoy the Silence". She noticed that she was not only hearing the music but also feeling the music in her body. She said to her mother, "Every time I hear that guitar riff [a rhythmic musical phrase] I feel this weird thing in my stomach".[90]
In August 2008, Coldplay released an alternative video for their single "Viva la Vida" which was based on the "Enjoy the Silence" video. On their website the band are quoted as saying, "This is our attempt at a video cover version, made out of love for Depeche Mode and the genius of Anton Corbijn...". The video shows Chris Martin dressed as a king walking through The Hague.
"I feel more connected to Depeche Mode" (compared to other acts of the 1980s) claimed Magne Furuholmen, the guitarist/keyboardist of a-ha. In July 2009, a-ha performed a cover of "A Question of Lust" during a live performance for BBC Radio 2 – The Dermot O'Leary Show.[91]
Source: Wikipedia