08
ONLY WHEN I
LOSE MYSELF
ONLY WHEN I LOSE MYSELF
CD BONG 29 (1998)
Depeche Mode’s 35th single, Only When I
Lose Myself, was released to promote The
Singles 86>98. It’s another dark masterpiece
with a simple repetitive lyrical hook and
synthesizer backing. Both brooding and
cinematic in equal measure.07
HALO (GOLDFRAPP
REMIX)
REMIXES 81-04 (2004)
Long-time Depeche Mode labelmates
Goldfrapp rearranged this fan favourite
(from Violator), for a DM remix compilation.
By adding funky beats and layering luscious
strings over Alison’s beautiful vocals – Halo
was given a new lease of life as a sexy,
breathless fairytale for the Noughties.06
CLEAN
VIOLATOR (1989)
The closing track of the now classic Violator
LP. Clean, is heavily infl uenced by the 1971
Pink Floyd song One Of These Days. Alan
Wilder recalls: “It’s got a very repetitive,
synthesised sound, and the bass riffs with
the echo have a very hypnotic groove that
underpins it. We basically nicked that idea
[for Clean].”05
NEW LIFE (REMIX)
NEW LIFE (RE MIX)/ SHOUT!
(RIO MIX) 12 MUTE 014 (1981)
New Life was the second single released by
Depeche Mode way back in 1981. This remix
builds slowly and has an undeniably catchy
synthesizer riff and a Giorgio Moroder-
style ‘click-click-click’ drum sound. It’s an
underrated slice of British electronic pop
music and deserves to be played more often.30"WHEN I GO ON STAGE
AND I GET INTO THê GUY
I LIKE TO Bè ALL BêTS
ARE OFF. I DON'T KNOW
WHeRe IT'S GOING TO GO."
DAVE GAHANthese songs as well.” Ultimately, it’s collaboration that
Gahan enjoys most of all: “I came to songwriting late
and for me I do like to be part of some sort of creative
process. You can have great ideas but the interesting
part is when other people get involved with that idea.
That’s the exchange of two human beings actually
communicating with music. It makes me feel human
and part of something.”SPIRITED AWAY
The Global Spirit Tour’s only UK visit was at the London
Stadium, home to West Ham football club (3 June). As
Gore and Andy Fletcher are rival Arsenal and Chelsea
fans respectively, did the former Olympic stadium seem a
safer bet? Smiling Gore responds: “When we fi rst started
talking about it, it was going to be the Emirates (stadium)
and nobody had a problem with that. Then for some
reason it fell through. So in a way it’s good that it ended
up at the Olympic stadium as it’s closer to home for us.”
It was Depeche Mode’s fi rst stadium show in the
capital since they played Crystal Palace Sports Ground
on 1993’s Devotional Tour... a period when drug
addiction was taking hold of Gahan’s life: “There was
a point where I didn’t think I would reach 35, I thought
if I’m going to go out, I’m going out with a bang. It’s
important to be honest about who you are, who you
were and coming out the other side. There’s plenty of
pivotal moments in the life of Depeche Mode... we’ve
all been through stuff. Somehow the music has always
managed to pull us together.”
On stage, Gahan is a master at pulling fans together.
“I go to see Iggy Pop and I’m not there yet,” he says
insisting it took 20 years to learn his craft. “When I go
on stage and I get into the guy I like to be all bets arePOP_UPDepeche Mode have released a total of 14 studioalbums, 10 compilation albums, six live albums, eight boxsets, 13 video albums, 71 music videos and 54 singles.epeche Mode were hit hard by the untimely
death of David Bowie in 2016. Dave Gahan,
who still plays Bowie albums before going onstage,
broke down in tears when he heard the news. Gore
was moved to write an online tribute: “We were all
much more than casual fans. He was a star – the star
of stars. For us, he was the greatest legend. A
legend who never rested on his laurels but continued
to experiment up until his death.”
Depeche perform a musical tribute to the late
great icon on the Global Sprit Tour in the form of
a rousing cover of ‘Heroes’. Gahan explained:
“When we started rehearsing I brought up the idea
of maybe doing a Bowie cover especially after losing
him. Martin and I are both huge fans, and still are.
So it just seemed right, Martin was into it. It’s got a
real early Depeche fl avour to it.”
‘Heroes’ has greater signifi cance because it’s
the song that landed Dave Gahan the job in the
band way back when they were still known as
Composition Of Sound. “I was rehearsing with this
other band in a room next door to where Vince
(Clarke) was rehearsing,” Gahan explains. “At one
point someone started playing the riff to ‘Heroes’
and I got up on the mic. Vince called me up a
couple of weeks later. I went down to a few gigs
and I could see they really needed a front guy. They
had something going on, but Vince was behind the
keyboard on vocals and that wasn’t working.
I blagged my way into the band on ‘Heroes’.”
Coincidentally, Gahan’s daughter went to the
same New York school as David’s daughter Lexi:
“I would see David at school stuff... school concerts,
we would say ‘hi’. I kind of wish I had told him how
much his music had meant to me.”BOWIE
"THE STAR
OF STARS"
CP30.Depeche_Mode.print.indd 30 09/06/2017 12:05