Depeche Mode

Depeche Mode

Depeche Mode is an English electronic group from Basildon, United Kingdom, formed in 1980. Their original line-up includes Dave Gahan, Martin Gore, Andy Fletcher and Vince Clarke. The group is active from 1980 to the present and is associated with electronic music, new wave and synthpop, as well as alternative dance, alternative rock, dark wave, electronic rock and electronica.

Formation and early releases

With Vince Clarke as the main songwriter, the band releases its debut album, Speak & Spell, in 1981 during the British new wave period. Clarke leaves later that year and goes on to form Yazoo and Erasure. The remaining trio records A Broken Frame in 1982, with Martin Gore taking over as chief songwriter.

1980s development

Alan Wilder later joins the band, and the line-up that includes him lasts until 1995. This period begins with Construction Time Again in 1983 and Some Great Reward in 1984. Black Celebration in 1986 and Music for the Masses in 1987 help establish Depeche Mode as one of the leading alternative acts of the 1980s. Their concert at the Pasadena Rose Bowl in June 1988 draws more than 60,000 people.

Commercial success and later albums

In 1990, the band releases Violator, which reaches number seven on the Billboard 200 and is certified triple platinum by the RIAA. Songs of Faith and Devotion follows in 1993, but tensions during recording and touring lead to Wilder's departure in 1995. Depeche Mode continues as a trio of Gahan, Gore and Fletcher, releasing Ultra in 1997, Exciter in 2001, Playing the Angel in 2005, Sounds of the Universe in 2009, Delta Machine in 2013 and Spirit in 2017. After Fletcher's death in 2022, Gahan and Gore continue as a duo and release Memento Mori in 2023.

Recognition and legacy

Depeche Mode have 54 songs in the UK singles chart and 17 top 10 albums in the UK chart. They sell more than 100 million records worldwide. The band appears in Q magazine's list of the 50 Bands That Changed the World, ranks number 98 in VH1's 100 Greatest Artists of All Time, and is named by Billboard in 2016 as the 10th Greatest of All Time Top Dance Club Artists. Depeche Mode is inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2020.

Studio albums

Speak & Spell (1981), A Broken Frame (1982), Construction Time Again (1983), Some Great Reward (1984), Black Celebration (1986), Music for the Masses (1987), Violator (1990), Songs of Faith and Devotion (1993), Ultra (1997), Exciter (2001), Playing the Angel (2005), Sounds of the Universe (2009), Delta Machine (2013), Spirit (2017) and Memento Mori (2023).