Depeche Mode: Q&A
[Mean Street, May 2001. Words: George A Paul. Picture: Anton Corbijn.]
The boys from Basildon are back. Yes, Depeche Mode mania has kicked into high gear once again. It's been a regular occurrence here in Southern California since the mid-'80s. Only a handful of acts can sell out four arena gigs like Depeche Mode did in 1998. Last February, a video was shot for 'Dream On' in Barstow and local web chat rooms buzzed about the members' exact location. Then singer Dave Gahan popped into KROQ to world premiere the new single as dozens of fans waited outside.
A week later, everything is hectic as the British alt-rock pioneers gear up to promote their 11th studio album 'Exciter' in a Beverley Hills hotel room. [1] Gahan sports striped black pants and a black t-shirt that says "Fuck You". He exudes a warm, healthy glow - a far cry from those much-publicized junkie days - and is very outgoing. Meanwhile, singer/songwriter/keyboardist Martin Gore wears a thick, shimmering silver bracelet that draws immediate attention, lies down on a couch and timidly answers questions. Keyboardist Fletch remains business-like in manner and the most English of the trio (probably because he still lives in London, while Dave resides in New York City and Martin near Santa Barbara).
'Exciter' is the first DM disc of the new millennium, filled with subdued and seductive songs you'd half expect to hear piping from a smoky cabaret lounge. Gahan sings like never before. Breathy doo-wop ('Goodnight Lovers') mixes with instrumentals, acoustic sounds and sporadic danceability that'd fit on 'Violator' ('I Feel Loved').
Your lives are much different now compared to when 'Ultra' was made in 1996. I read that album took 15 months to finish. Coming off the successful Singles Tour in '98, was making 'Exciter' a less stressful experience?
Dave Gahan: This one was definitely more enjoyable to do. I challenged myself more and used my voice in different ways.
Martin Gore: I think travelling around helped, since it was partly done in London, New York and Santa Barbara. We diversified a bit.
Were there any goals going into the studio?
DG: I felt it should be a challenge and we should try new things.
Dave, there's a real luxurious sound to your vocals on these songs - especially on 'When the Body Speaks' and 'Goodnight Lovers'. That's something we haven't heard too much in the past.
DG: I've grown quite a bit vocally and become more confident with my voice - knowing what I can and can't do with it...I think some of the earlier albums were a little over-produced when it came to my voice. It got buried in the effects. Especially in the '80s. It's not something we really thought about when recording, but vocals were always hidden in the beat.
I know you chose to work with producer Mark Bell because you were impressed by his work on the Bjork album. How did his approach enhance the Depeche sound? [2]
MG: I really liked the atmosphere Mark created for Bjork. After having worked with him, we realized how essential he was to those records.
Andrew Fletcher: We've never worked with anyone like [him]. Mark gets a track up, and then suddenly he throws another one up. He goes round and round developing the layers over a long period.
MG: Sometimes, we'd work on three songs on the same day, which is really odd for us We've never done that...I don't think there's an actual track with full-on drums. That's one of Mark's fortes - he's a great drum programmer.
Were any songs particularly difficult to record because of the effects you used?
MG: There was a struggle to get 'Freelove' right. I'm not sure why. Sometimes it's a question of being on the right side of the pop line. That song could've easily turned to pop.
DG: 'When the Body Speaks' was a demo where Martin added guitar. We recorded it with me just singing to guitar and we actually kept it that way - built the atmosphere around that and some strings. It's a highlight on the album for me...Usually for a Depeche Mode recording, we build the atmosphere first and then my vocals on top of it. And the atmosphere would dictate the way I would go. This was totally opposite.
My favourite song on 'Exciter' is 'Dead of Night', with its jagged and dirty-sounding electric guitar, Dave's devilish vocals and a classic synth sound that reminded me of The Normal's 'Warm Leatherette'.
DG: Everything but the kitchen sink was thrown in there. There's also an Iggy-Pop type thing going on. It's very sinister.
I'll bet you can't wait to perform that one live.
DG: Yeah, we're thinking of opening our set with it.
Martin, relationships and love play a bigger role in your lyrics this time around; in fact three songs even have "love" in the title - 'Freelove', 'I Feel Loved', 'Goodnight Lovers'. Was that a conscious effort on your part?
MG: I wasn't aware of it when we started out, but halfway through, I realized there was some kind of theme going on. A lot of my songs are about relationships and love because those things are closest to me. It's what I'm most comfortable writing about.
DG: Martin always manages to make it interesting. Virtually, it provokes what I'm going to do with my voice. Throughout the recording, I wanted to put on different characters for each song.
Let's talk about your upcoming summer tour. Since you didn't go out on the road for 'Ultra', will fans hear more selections from that disc?
AF: It's a massive problem. We've got about 130 songs and we can only play 19...It's a lucky position to be in, but we can't play for five hours.
Are there any songs you just can't do live again?
AF: 'People Are People' is one of our least favourites.
MG: There are others we do like and just can't play because they won't fit in. 'Stripped' is one we've played on virtually every tour.
AF: We need to get one of the Depeche Mode tribute bands [to open up] and do all the stuff we're not doing.
MG: You get to a point where you can't play things on every single tour.
AF: We're thinking of doing 'Black Celebration' on this tour.
Having released the 'Singles: 86-98' album and done the retrospective tour, does 'Exciter' feel like a new chapter in Depeche Mode's career?
DG: To me, it feels very fresh. A lot of that has to do with my mental state. I'm feeling good. I never really thought about how much taking care of myself would help me be more creative.
After 20+ years together, Depeche Mode has managed to persevere, when virtually all your early '80s contemporaries have fallen by the wayside.
AF: We've never really fit in, which is part of our appeal.
MG: With the longevity thing, the only survivors created music all their own; like the Cure - they don't sound like anyone else.
Are you looking forward to getting fans' reactions to 'Exciter'?
AF: One of the most exciting things is seeing 16-18 year olds buying their first Depeche Mode record. That's what we love to happen - getting the young kids really into Depeche Mode.
On the web:
[Mean Street, May 2001. Words: George A Paul. Picture: Anton Corbijn.]
The boys from Basildon are back. Yes, Depeche Mode mania has kicked into high gear once again. It's been a regular occurrence here in Southern California since the mid-'80s. Only a handful of acts can sell out four arena gigs like Depeche Mode did in 1998. Last February, a video was shot for 'Dream On' in Barstow and local web chat rooms buzzed about the members' exact location. Then singer Dave Gahan popped into KROQ to world premiere the new single as dozens of fans waited outside.
A week later, everything is hectic as the British alt-rock pioneers gear up to promote their 11th studio album 'Exciter' in a Beverley Hills hotel room. [1] Gahan sports striped black pants and a black t-shirt that says "Fuck You". He exudes a warm, healthy glow - a far cry from those much-publicized junkie days - and is very outgoing. Meanwhile, singer/songwriter/keyboardist Martin Gore wears a thick, shimmering silver bracelet that draws immediate attention, lies down on a couch and timidly answers questions. Keyboardist Fletch remains business-like in manner and the most English of the trio (probably because he still lives in London, while Dave resides in New York City and Martin near Santa Barbara).
'Exciter' is the first DM disc of the new millennium, filled with subdued and seductive songs you'd half expect to hear piping from a smoky cabaret lounge. Gahan sings like never before. Breathy doo-wop ('Goodnight Lovers') mixes with instrumentals, acoustic sounds and sporadic danceability that'd fit on 'Violator' ('I Feel Loved').
Your lives are much different now compared to when 'Ultra' was made in 1996. I read that album took 15 months to finish. Coming off the successful Singles Tour in '98, was making 'Exciter' a less stressful experience?
Dave Gahan: This one was definitely more enjoyable to do. I challenged myself more and used my voice in different ways.
Martin Gore: I think travelling around helped, since it was partly done in London, New York and Santa Barbara. We diversified a bit.
Were there any goals going into the studio?
DG: I felt it should be a challenge and we should try new things.
Dave, there's a real luxurious sound to your vocals on these songs - especially on 'When the Body Speaks' and 'Goodnight Lovers'. That's something we haven't heard too much in the past.
DG: I've grown quite a bit vocally and become more confident with my voice - knowing what I can and can't do with it...I think some of the earlier albums were a little over-produced when it came to my voice. It got buried in the effects. Especially in the '80s. It's not something we really thought about when recording, but vocals were always hidden in the beat.
I know you chose to work with producer Mark Bell because you were impressed by his work on the Bjork album. How did his approach enhance the Depeche sound? [2]
MG: I really liked the atmosphere Mark created for Bjork. After having worked with him, we realized how essential he was to those records.
Andrew Fletcher: We've never worked with anyone like [him]. Mark gets a track up, and then suddenly he throws another one up. He goes round and round developing the layers over a long period.
MG: Sometimes, we'd work on three songs on the same day, which is really odd for us We've never done that...I don't think there's an actual track with full-on drums. That's one of Mark's fortes - he's a great drum programmer.
Were any songs particularly difficult to record because of the effects you used?
MG: There was a struggle to get 'Freelove' right. I'm not sure why. Sometimes it's a question of being on the right side of the pop line. That song could've easily turned to pop.
DG: 'When the Body Speaks' was a demo where Martin added guitar. We recorded it with me just singing to guitar and we actually kept it that way - built the atmosphere around that and some strings. It's a highlight on the album for me...Usually for a Depeche Mode recording, we build the atmosphere first and then my vocals on top of it. And the atmosphere would dictate the way I would go. This was totally opposite.
My favourite song on 'Exciter' is 'Dead of Night', with its jagged and dirty-sounding electric guitar, Dave's devilish vocals and a classic synth sound that reminded me of The Normal's 'Warm Leatherette'.
DG: Everything but the kitchen sink was thrown in there. There's also an Iggy-Pop type thing going on. It's very sinister.
I'll bet you can't wait to perform that one live.
DG: Yeah, we're thinking of opening our set with it.
Martin, relationships and love play a bigger role in your lyrics this time around; in fact three songs even have "love" in the title - 'Freelove', 'I Feel Loved', 'Goodnight Lovers'. Was that a conscious effort on your part?
MG: I wasn't aware of it when we started out, but halfway through, I realized there was some kind of theme going on. A lot of my songs are about relationships and love because those things are closest to me. It's what I'm most comfortable writing about.
DG: Martin always manages to make it interesting. Virtually, it provokes what I'm going to do with my voice. Throughout the recording, I wanted to put on different characters for each song.
Let's talk about your upcoming summer tour. Since you didn't go out on the road for 'Ultra', will fans hear more selections from that disc?
AF: It's a massive problem. We've got about 130 songs and we can only play 19...It's a lucky position to be in, but we can't play for five hours.
Are there any songs you just can't do live again?
AF: 'People Are People' is one of our least favourites.
MG: There are others we do like and just can't play because they won't fit in. 'Stripped' is one we've played on virtually every tour.
AF: We need to get one of the Depeche Mode tribute bands [to open up] and do all the stuff we're not doing.
MG: You get to a point where you can't play things on every single tour.
AF: We're thinking of doing 'Black Celebration' on this tour.
Having released the 'Singles: 86-98' album and done the retrospective tour, does 'Exciter' feel like a new chapter in Depeche Mode's career?
DG: To me, it feels very fresh. A lot of that has to do with my mental state. I'm feeling good. I never really thought about how much taking care of myself would help me be more creative.
After 20+ years together, Depeche Mode has managed to persevere, when virtually all your early '80s contemporaries have fallen by the wayside.
AF: We've never really fit in, which is part of our appeal.
MG: With the longevity thing, the only survivors created music all their own; like the Cure - they don't sound like anyone else.
Are you looking forward to getting fans' reactions to 'Exciter'?
AF: One of the most exciting things is seeing 16-18 year olds buying their first Depeche Mode record. That's what we love to happen - getting the young kids really into Depeche Mode.
On the web:
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. Upcoming shows: Aug. 14 - Staples Center (Los Angeles).