Last Updated August 2, 2001

Singles News

Freelove will be released on a DVD format. There will probably be live footage as the PA concert was video taped. The DM team are already mixing some live tracks. More news to follow...

Deep Dish, Josh Wink, Bascombe and Club 69 have remixed Freelove. No word which will make it out commercially.

Kreidler will remix "Goodnight Lovers". As it might be the fourth and final single.

Gahan wants Bjork and PJ Harvey on solo album

Ananova.com informs that Dave Gahan, Depeche Mode frontman, wants Bjork and PJ Harvey to appear on his forthcoming, as-yet-untitled solo album.Gahan: "I'd love to duet with PJ Harvey on the album. I know Nick Cave has already worked with her but she's got such a distinctive voice. I'd also like to work with Bjork. She's a real talent." The choices don't come as a surprise to whom has followed the band for a while. The choice for Björk has been crealr inspired by Depeche Mode and Bjork producer Mark Bell while PJ Harvey has been named in various interviews already. For those who fear that this may mean the end of DM, don't worry, Gahan says that he will not quit Depeche Mode, even though he is to embark on a solo career: "I still want to be involved with Depeche Mode. Creatively, I'd say the band is now me and Martin writing the songs but there's things I want to say and experiences I want to put down that would better suit a solo album." Most of the songs featured on the solo album will be tracks that were rejected for the "Ultra" album. In the end Gahan started working together with cellist-producer Knox Chandler on those songs and other ones in New York last year. Expect the album to be out this time next year. No label has been named yet, but all looks like it will be a Mute released album.

According to the Exciter itinerary Mode will be performing 'Dream On' on The Late Show with David Letterman on June 26th > and around the album release date Access Hollywood, E! and CNN Worldbeat will air interviews with the band.

Also, we have unconfirmed news that Mode will be shooting a video at the Opium Den in Hollywood on Friday, April 27th. The call times for extras working the shoot are between 4AM and 10AM, but it is unknown at what time the band will be there or if they will be there at all we are assuming the shoot is for the second single 'I Feel Loved'. Also on June 4th there will be a special sneak peak Exciter rehearsal show given to winners of a contest in the L.A. area. Bringing you the news dm.com will post weeks later!

*A big thank you to Slickmode for letting Depmode and myself about this.

Poe will be the opening act for DM on the new tour.

Dave going solo? from www.side-line.com

AP Germany has revealed that the Depeche Mode singer has started working on his solo-project in his New York based homestudio. The material would involve Dave Gahan on vocals with as only company a chello. Gahan has told AP that a solo album is planned to be released by September 2002. On the record we will also have instruments such as piano and percussion. Gahan: "Jazz has been a very big influence for this material." Just wait and see. It's not the first time Gahan records solo material. Earlier on he also recorded a coverversion of Roxy Music's "Song for Europe". A lot of recorded material was stolen out of his home when Gahan went into rehab back in the late nineties.

*This news is true about his solo album as he had said it in various interviews.

I got exclusive news that Peter Rauhoufer (aka Club 69) was asked to remix 'I Feel Loved' as part of their second single. This is great news as the Club 69 mixes for 'It's No Good' boosted the song for the charts! This news comes from a reliable source from a friend who knows Peter. Rauhoufer also said he liked the track as well. Thanks to Slickmode for the news!

Dream On tracklisting- www.depeche-mode.com
(cover)

Dream On Tracklistings - The tracklists for the official UK commercial formats of Dream On, which is released April 23rd, are as follows:

CD1 - CDBONG30

Dream On - (Single Version)

Easy Tiger - (Full Version)

Easy Tiger - (Bertrand Burgalat & A.S. Dragon Version)

CD2 - LCDBONG30

Dream On - (Bushwacka Tough Guy Mix)

Dream On - (Dave Clarke Acoustic Version)

Dream On - (Octagon Man Mix)

Dream On - (Kid 606 Mix)

12" - 12BONG30

Dream On - (Bushwacka Tough Guy Mix)

Dream On - (Dave Clarke Remix)

Dream On - (Bushwacka Blunt Mix)

Mode going on the road

-DM are set to have a press conference on March 13th at Hamburg, Germany to announce Tour Dates!
-'I Feel Loved' will be the second single for an early July release. The director will be Stephane Sednaoui, same guy who also directed 'Dream On'. The video is to shot in Mexico City. Reports say 'Shine' will be the third single. "Shine" will contain some multimedia tracks with exclusive band video shots.
-Fletch will be chatting with DM fans on March 7th, at 5 pm GMT (9 am PST, 12 noon EST). Go to Fletchchat.com to participate in the chat. The chat will open up one hour earlier, at 4 pm GMT, for fans to start sending in questions. (from dm.com) (You can now read the Transcript here)

Congrats to Mr. Alan Wilder for a new baby boy! Stanley Duke Wilder. The boy was born on 21st February 2001. A statement from Recoil reads "Weighing in at 6lb 8 oz and bearing an uncanny resemblance to his old man in look and manner, young Stan is doing just fine."

I recently got the album and decided to post up a review, click here to read it

Another 'Dream On' promo has surfaced and it seems the album is spreading slowly on Napster already. Also ebay.com, lists very small auctions that sell promos of 'Dream On' and 'Exciter'. To view a picture of the Dream On promo, click here

Stephane Sednaoui directed Dream On. The video is about Dave driving around in a desert, having various flashbacks. Side-line.com reports about the video:

Depeche Mode are seen traveling in a classic black Lincoln Continental near Barstow (in between Los Angeles and Las Vegas). Sednaoui has lots of experimental post-production work to do on the video that "we're all anxious to see," notes Fletcher. Seen driving the car is Gahan, who reveals that "Martin and Andrew are my passengers, but the viewer won't know for sure if they're truly in the car with me." "Dream On" goes to radio in mid-March, with the video to follow shortly thereafter.

Dave was on KROQ on the Kevin and Bean show on 2/19. He explained about the songs, tour, and what is going on throughout his like and Depeche Mode. If dm.com does NOT post the interview, be sure to check in here to hear it. Also in complete. 'Dream On' was played and can be found on Napster.

www.depeche-mode.com reports:

Exciter Credits & Information - "Exciter", Depeche Mode's 12th full length studio album was produced by Mark Bell and engineered by Gareth Jones. Pre-production and additional production was provided by Gareth Jones and Paul Freegard. The album was mixed by Steve Fitzmaurice. "Exciter" was recorded at the following studios: Rak and Sarm West in London, Sound Design in Santa Barbara, and Electric Lady and Sony in New York.

Studio Assistants credited are as follows: Boris Aldridge, Andrew Davies, Andrew Griffiths, Nick Sevilla, Lisa Butterworth, Jonathan Alder, Alisa Myhowich, and James Chang. Additional musicians used on "Exciter" are: Knox Chandler on the solo cello for "When The Body Speaks"; Todd C. Reynolds, Joyce Hammann, Natalie Cenovia Cummins, Ralph Farris, Leo Grinhauz on strings for "When The Body Speaks". Airto Moreira on percussion for "I Feel Loved" and "Freelove". Christian Eigner played on drums for "I Am You".

Photography, cover-art and art direction by Anton Corbijn and the design was produced by Form.

As posted here, Mute/Reprise are scared of sales for DM's new album, Exciter.

From http://www.charmed.sk/modesite/

Seems like bad times are coming for all those who are waiting for black promo copies of Dream On and dm's new album EXCITER. All Reprise and Mute CDR's are individually serial numbered. The labels will be able to trace who leaked the new DM stuff. The serial # is embedded in the audio signal. Downsampling / mp3 etc / has no effect on the audio track.

Seems like Mute are doing what they can to prevent making black copies of new stuff. But I think that there is always some way how to override this. Maybe.

They also reported that fat Brat Daniel Barassi (webmaster of dm.com) will be remixing 'Dream On'. No details as of yet.

'Dream On' continues to dream across the world

I have got news from a real reliable source about the 'Dream On' promos that are being sent around the world.

'Dream On'

1. Bushwaka tough guy vocal mix

2. Bushwaka tough guy dub

3. Bushwaka blunt mix

4. Dave Clarke club mix

5. Dave Clarke acoustic mix

The mixes are yet unknown to appear on the official release. The Bushwaka mixes are described to be 'dancey'. Other artists who have completed remixes for "Dream On" are Octagon Man and Kid 606.

*A big thank you to Slickmode for letting Depmode and myself about this.

Excited for Exciter- due out May 14 in the UK (Stumm90) and May 15 for US

DM are done with the album!

On DM.com you can hear the following snippets. This is also the tracklisting:

Dream On (first single, to be released April 23 for the UK, US following shortly after, BONG 30 is the catalog number, music video to be shot mid-February)
The Sweetest Condition
Shine
When The Body Speaks
The Dead Of Night
Free Love
The Love Theme
Comatose
I Feel Loved
Breathe
Easy Tiger
I Am You
Goodnight Lovers

Anton Corbijn will be directing the artwork for the album. You can see it at dm.com which is the green leaf on the left side of the main page. Or you can see a re-mastered version found on the DM Message Board by called ''kareemofwheat''. Click here to view it.

For tour news the band is highly looking forward to it and plan to invite the same musicians from ''The Singles Tour''

Easy Tiger- will be an instrumental track. Bertrand Burgalat's mix is reported to have more rythm, to be rockier and more "live". The band liked it so much that they asked Burgalat to work on a mix for the second single as well. (from side-line.com)

MUTE/REPRISE is said to spread around the fake DM tracks such as demos. But this was done to stop or less the chances for the new album to be on Napster. Can you say, they are scared of sales? =-)

But MUTE denies they spreaded the demos.

Courtesy www.mute.de

Depeche Mode have titled their much-anticipated forthcoming album EXCITER, set for release in late May on Mute. In the words of songwriter Martin Gore, sitting in front of the mixing board at a New York City recording studio: “It still has darkness. But I find it more uplifting.” EXCITER signals a new era of creativity for Dave Gahan, Andrew Fletcher and Gore. The sounds (electronic and acoustic) are strikingly varied, the songs are emotionally rich, and Gahan’s vocals are even more resonant than before.

EXCITER marks the pioneering band’s first album of new material since 1997’s Ultra (four million sold worldwide), which continued their tradition of creating memorable hit singles ("Barrel of a Gun," "It's No Good") while maintaining the band’s musical integrity and vision. EXCITER follows 1998’s The Singles 86>98 greatest hits album and world concert trek (The Singles Tour) when the band played 64 shows in 18 countries for 650,000 fans. Every gig on the five-month trek was sold out, including three at New York’s Madison Square Garden, two at London’s Wembley Arena and two at The Forum in Los Angeles. “After our last tour,” says Gahan, “I wasn’t sure what was going to happen. I really enjoyed doing the older songs, and I simply embraced them. I felt like, ‘if this is going to be the end,’ then it was OK. So recording the new album has been quite a surprise really, to be honest.” Gahan expresses admiration for producer Mark Bell, with whom they decided to work (for the first time) based on albums he’s produced for Bjork (1997’s Homogenic and 2000’s Selmasongs). “Mark is very musical, and extremely intuitive about working with vocals and what can be done with them. He encouraged me to push further.” Fletcher underlines Gahan’s sentiments: “With Bjork, Mark used her voice almost as an instrument. He works very hard and just seems to have a sense of what is right, both musically and vocally. He’s been very important to the making of this record.” Says Gore: “Mark doesn’t do anything straight-forwardly. He would never do anything that is cliched. Which I think is great. He thinks so differently.”

A sense of adventure is at the heart of EXCITER, which was recorded in Santa Barbara, New York City and London. “Dream On” - set as the first single and due out in April -contrasts skittering beats with acoustic guitars. “The Sweetest Condition” mixes a deep groove with a snaky rhythm and mysterious, psychedelic sounds. The tension-building “When The Body Speaks” matches sparely plucked guitars with startlingly intimate vocals by Gahan who sings, “What the flesh requires keeps the heart imprisoned.” Elsewhere, “Breathe,” with Martin’s lead vocal, has a torchy feel. And album closer “Goodnight Lovers” is a different kind of lullaby with bracing lines like “When you’re born a lover you’re born to suffer.”

Gahan says the tracks on the new album “could have been songs from various different years of Depeche Mode. It’s almost like a ‘greatest hits’ of songs that haven’t been released yet. I’m not saying they’re all going to be very big hits or anything like that. I just feel it is very strong in that way.” On EXCITER, the refreshed Gahan admits, “I’m a lot more confident vocally. I really wanted to bring something beautiful to these songs. When you’re singing a song, it’s like you can just disappear into it. It’s the only way I can describe it really. And I did that. It’s really a luxurious place to be. I wanted to do that with every song. On Ultra I was not able to do that because I wasn’t physically able to bring all of myself to it. Now I feel like I’m firing on all cylinders.” Fletcher, citing the band members’ rekindled bond, says EXCITER “feels like a new beginning of sorts. Because of problems in the band during the last two studio albums, the creativity was cut off to a certain extent. Now relations between us are better than they have been for a long time and that has carried over to the album. There is a real feeling of the group working and enjoying each other’s company. When you hear the new songs, I think they come across as sounding quite fresh. The new album reminds me of one of our albums, Black Celebration, in that it has lots and lots of good songs that sound completely different from each other but actually work together on one album.” The new, emotionally powerful songs visit a familiar theme. Says Gore: “My songs are about relationships because those are the things that are closest to me. That’s the thing that moves me most, the thing I can write about most passionately. All I ever intend to do is move people, to somehow tap into their emotions.” Gahan has, once again, tapped into the feeling behind Gore’s lyrics. “Dave has a voice that is really distinctive,” says Gore. “It has a great tone to it, and he has a real aggression which I don’t have, and that is really important for a rock star. That is really what Dave brings to our songs. Every voice is a different instrument, and he has a great sort of depth.” Says Gahan: “For me, there are many dimensions to Martin’s songs lyrically. I like the graphicness of them and the emotional terrain they cover: love lost, compulsion, control, denial, addiction, lust…all those things that everyone experiences. Martin seems to be able to interpret those things in a way that is believable. And then I make it mine vocally, drawing from my own experiences and emotions.”

What accounts for the lasting appeal of Depeche Mode? They’ve sold over 50 million albums since 1981 and still have the kind of underground vibe that most superstar acts would kill for. Says Fletcher: “We’ve always stuck to the punk and indie ideals we grew up with. We’ve been allowed to actually go forward and learn. We’re very lucky to have this huge fan base which enables us to actually release records that are a bit off the wall.” According to Gore: “I can’t really explain why we’ve been so popular for so long. Maybe it’s because we’ve never fit into any one trend.” Says Gahan: “I enjoy the challenge…and I still want it to be a challenge. Otherwise, why bother?”

Courtesy USAToday - January 19, 2001

Depeche Mode To Release First Album In Four Years ''It still has darkness, but I find it more uplifting,'' songwriter Martin Gore says of Exciter, Depeche Mode's first album since 1997's Ultra. After its own period of darkness, the British alt-rock trio is hoping the late-May release will signal an uplift for its career, creativity and chemistry.

Exciter, a sonic cousin to 1986's diverse Black Celebration, was recorded in New York, London and Santa Barbara, Calif., with producer Mark Bell (Bjork's Homogenic and Selmasongs). Acoustic and electronic elements merge in such tracks as first single Dream On (due in April), the deep-grooved and psychedelic Sweetest Condition and closing lullaby Goodnight Lovers.

Singer Dave Gahan says, ''I'm a lot more confident vocally. When you're singing a song, it's like you can just disappear into it. On Ultra I was not able to do that because I wasn't physically able to bring all of myself to it. Now I feel like I'm firing on all cylinders.''

Mode all but stalled when Gahan was hospitalized for an apparent suicide attempt in 1995 and arrested on drug charges after being found unconscious in a Los Angeles hotel room in 1996. But fans remained loyal. Ultra sold 4 million copies worldwide. The five-month Singles Tour sold out all 64 shows in 18 countries.

Alan Wilder received an award for LIQUID by the Charles Cros Academy (which gathers important members of french radio, tv and press) in Paris on November 28th at 12:00am.

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