Independence (Record Store) Day - With the release of Depeche Mode’s Remixes: 81-11 on June 7th came several exclusives.  One I nearly had in my hands, had I gotten myself together earlier in the day.  On Depeche Mode’s official site, they posted several independent record stores that would have a very rare and exclusive 12″ single as a gift when purchasing the 3 CD or 6 LP Remixes release.  Pictured on the left, it was a four song, promo only 12″ single of “Personal Jesus”.  This is how I discovered “Record Store Day“.

The gist of what I understand this to be is that artists create special and exclusive products for their new record/album releases, and distribute these items to only independently owned record stores.  These stores cannot be corporate chain stores and truly celebrates the indie record business.

I think this is a great endeavor because I have almost exclusively patronized independent record stores my entire life and I only go to the bigger chains when I have no alternative.  Since I was a teen, I have gone to local stores like Licorice Pizza before they were sold to a large chain, and Blue Meannie before they became exclusively a store for the metal genre.  The only “large chain” music store I frequented before their demise in 2006 was Tower Records because of the music they stocked and the awesome people that worked there.  Music stores that I shop at now include CSL, Lou’s Records, M-Theory and Amoeba (they all participate in Record Store Day).   I firmly believe that all music enthusiasts should do their part and support independently owned music stores and I’m excited to know that artists feel the same way by driving sales towards these types of stores.

(Image courtesy of Record Store Day)

Alan Wilder Auctions His Goods - I’m now on Twitter more and more, and I discovered that this is also a great place to get news as it happens.  Through Recoil (@recoilofficial and @Recoilboss), it has been announced that Alan Wilder has decided to sell some of his beloved equipment, vinyl and memorabilia that he has collected over the years.  The items range from Depeche Mode rarities, instruments that he’s held on to, and even clothing he has worn to pictorials and videos (although I find it odd to purchase his pants).  You can browse through the items at  The Alan Wilder/Depeche Mode Collection website.  One of my friends stated that he spent 2 hours looking through everything and reading Alan’s comments because it’s like a history lesson Depeche Mode and Recoil.  The actual auction takes place on September 3, 2011 in Manchester, England and online.  If you are a die-hard fan, you will not want to miss this fantastic opportunity.

(Image courtesy of Shunt)

“Girl Panic” Video Shoot – I follow John Taylor of Duran Duran on Twitter (@ThisIsTheRealJT and @duranduran), and there was Tweets galore regarding the new video for the song “Girl Panic” from their album “All You Need is Now”, filmed earlier this week.  Yasmin Le Bon was reunited with her model friends Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell, Eva Herzigova, and Helena Christensen for this video.  I’m excited to see the new video, but still worried about Simon Le Bon, who is recovering from a throat ailment that has sidelined their tour in the UK and Europe.   In the meantime, here are some shots from the video shoot on Fashionologie here.

(Image courtesy of Record Store Day)

It’s Time to DANCE with DJ Lance Rock!  If you have kids, you definitely know about the phenomenon that is Yo Gabba Gabba!  It’s a show about four crazy characters (Brobee, Toodee, Foofa, Muno and Plex) and their adventures with their ringleader, DJ Lance Rock aka Lance Robinson.  What I love about the show is that they feature so many good sing-a-long songs that teach lessons in an incredible fun and catchy way.  But the best part of the show are their musical and celebrity guests.  Past performers and guests include The Faint, The Shins, Jimmy Eat World, Chromeo, The Ting Tings, The Roots, Jack Black, and Elijah Wood.

I received a Tweet from @amoebamusic that you can see DJ Lance Rock up close and personal because he performs a DJ set on June 25, 2011 at Hollywood Amoeba location (details here).  Maybe he’ll do a little “Dancey-Dance” with his Gabbaland pals!

(Photo of Dominic dressed as DJ Lance Rock for Halloween last year)

Synthpop pioneers Depeche Mode have today unleashed Remixes 2: 81-11. The second installment of remixed Depeche Mode tracks that were recorded between ’81 and ’11. The album includes works from M83, Trentemøller, UNKLE, Röyksopp, Digitalism, Karlsson & Winnberg (aka Bloodshy and Avant from Miike Snow), Peter, Bjorn & John and Eric Prydz.

Thanks to the charitable folks over at Spinner, you can now listen to the entire 37-track album.

Now, grab your copy here.

I must say I am pleasantly surprised by this collection. You can actually hear the original songs somewhere in most mixes, which is not common among today’s remixes.

It will be released on 6^th June 2011 “Remixes 2: 81-11’”(Mute Reocrds), the latest work by Depeche Mode – available as one-disc and three disc set -, featuring remixes made by former members of band Vince Clarke and Alan Wilder along with other ones involved in the project as Nick Rhodes of Duran Duran, Mark Ronson, Andrew Wyatt of Miike Snow and smashing personas of electro-music as Trentemøller, Aphex Twin and Röyksopp.

“REMIXES 2:81-11’”, L’ULTIMO LAVORO DEI DEPECHE MODE

Sarà pubblicato il 6 giugno 2011 “Remixes 2: 81-11’”(Mute Records), l’ultimo lavoro dei Depeche Mode - disponibile nella versione di singolo cd e set da tre cd – cha ha quale protagonisti remix realizzati dagli attuali componenti della band Vince Clarke ed Alan Wilder unitamente ad altri coinvolti nel progetto quali Nick Rhodes dei Duran Duran, Mark Ronson, Andrew Wyatt dei Miike Snow e formidabili personaggi della musica elettronica quali i Trentemøller, Aphex Twin ed i Röyksopp.

www.depechemode.com

I’ve never listened to a Recoil release in entirety before but was aware of the artist who in decades past was the engine behind the golden period of Basildon’s electronic pop kings. Why I decided to search for ‘recoil’ on Spotify only a few weeks ago has left my memory, but upon hearing this selection, which aims to attract new listeners, I decided to use some of my iTunes gift credit to purchase the expanded edition; the remixes are impressive. David Husser’s Shotgun Mix of Prey, for example, to me, seems slightly better than the original because of the more defined beat, and the excerpt of Black Box shows that it is a must have if you like the bit you can hear in the well-made trailer below.

If I were to describe Recoil in a sentence, I guess you could say, judging from what’s on here, that the music is like a very dark Moby. If you’re looking for pop structures you’re not going to find it in abundance. Instead the emphasis is mostly on atmospherics, usually bolstered by seductive storytelling rather than singing to heighten the tension. A good example of this is actually the track Want which you can download for free on the Recoil site. If you were to be punished by a femme fatale, at least the protagonist here would first lull you into false security with the tones that are in contrast to what she’s saying.
The Moby link is most evident on the song Jezebel with its old blues singing, while Faith Healer is almost a reminder of Depeche Mode because the singer is virtually part Dave Gahan, part James Hetfield. It’s the only song here which has a traditional pop structure.

The only duff point, perhaps, is the very final track which is a remix of Shunt. It seems overly avant garde, but in its defence, if you were to listen to the remixes segment in one sitting, it does conclude it very well, and it was Mr. Wilder’s intention that Recoil: Selected be a listening experience that works just as well as the releases that it was built from.
If you like good production, well crafted beats and don’t mind leaving the world of verse-chorus-verse, you will probably really like it. I give it an 11/10 as I’ve listened to it more than I should.

I found the whole thing slowly grew on me. My feelings were as follows: “I like it but I don’t think I’ll buy it”, “Hmm, I’ve listened to it a few times so maybe I’ll consider the single disc version”, “I think I better just buy the expanded edition.”

Here it is, the full listing of the 3 disc version of Depeche Mode’s “Remixes 2: 81-11″.  This is a very exciting remix album!  I see some classic mixes that I already own, in addition to mixes by Alan Wilder, Vince Clark and Röyksopp.  I have the US Reprise triple CD version of the “Remixes 81-04″ album, so this will definitely be another “must add” to my collection.

3-Disc version
Disc 1:
1. Dream On – Bushwacka Tough Guy Mix (2001)
2. Suffer Well – M83 Remix (2006)
3. John The Revelator – UNKLE Reconstruction (2006)
4. In Chains – Tigerskin’s No Sleep Remix (2011)
5. Peace – SixToes Remix (2009)
6. Lilian – Chab Vocal Remix Edit (2006)
7. Never Let Me Down Again – Digitalism Remix (2006)
8. Corrupt – Efdemin Remix (2009)
9. Everything Counts – Oliver Huntemann And Stephan Bodzin Dub (2006)
10. Happiest Girl – The Pulsating Orbital Vocal Mix (1990)
11. Walking In My Shoes – Anandamidic Mix (1993)
12. Personal Jesus – The Stargate Mix (2011)
13. Slowblow – Darren Price Mix (1997)

Disc 2:
1. Wrong – Trentemøller Club Remix (2009)
2. World In My Eyes – Dub In My Eyes (1990)
3. Fragile Tension – Peter Bjorn and John Remix (2009)
4. Strangelove – Tim Simenon/Mark Saunders Remix (1988)
5. A Pain That I’m Used To – Jacques Lu Cont Remix (2005)
6. The Darkest Star – Monolake Remix (2006)
7. I Feel You – Helmet At The Helm Mix (1993)
8. Higher Love – Adrenaline Mix Edit (2004)
9. Fly On The Windscreen – Death Mix (1985)
10. Barrel Of A Gun – United Mix (1997)
11. Only When I Lose Myself – Dan The Automator Mix (1998)
12. Ghost – Le Weekend Remix (2009)

Disc 3:
1. Personal Jesus – Alex Metric Remix Edit (2011)
2. Never Let Me Down Again – Eric Prydz Remix (2011)
3. Behind The Wheel – Vince Clarke Remix (2011)
4. Leave In Silence – Claro Intelecto ‘The Last Time’ Remix (2011)
5. In Chains – Alan Wilder Remix (2011)
6. When The Body Speaks – Karlsson And Winnberg Remix (2011)
7. Puppets – Röyksopp Remix (2011)
8. Tora! Tora! Tora! – Karlsson And Winnberg (from Miike Snow) Remix (2011)
9. Freestate – Clark Remix (2011)
10. I Want It All – Roland M. Dill Remix (2011)
11. A Question Of Time – Joebot Presents ‘Radio Face’ Remix (2011)
12. Personal Jesus – Sie Medway-Smith Remix (2011)

(Track listing and image courtesy of depechemode.com)

[via Alan Wilder - dedicated to Liv Thomsen and Martin Krogh R.I.P.]

Beim diesjährigen Wave Gotik-Treffen (Pfingsten) in Leipzig präsentiert der ehemalige Keyboarder von Depeche Mode zusammen mit Paul Kendall ein DJ-Set seiner “A Strange Hour”-Show.
Beim WGT werden wieder über 20.000 Besucher und mehr als 150 Acts erwartet, darunter Bands wie Front 242, Nitzer Ebb, Covenant, Camouflage, etc.
Infos zum WGT: www.wave-gotik-treffen.de

PERSONAL JESUS 2011
Personal Jesus 2011 hatte seinen Einstieg diese Woche in die offiziellen Single-Charts von Media Control auf Platz 78. Bisher ist die Single nur als Download erhältlich. Als CD wird Personal Jesus 2011 ab dem 27. Mai im Handel erhältlich sein.

DEPECHE MODE – REMIXES 2: 81-11
Am 3. Juni 2011 veröffentlichen Depeche Mode mit Remixes 2: 81-11 ein neues Album. Remixes 2: 81-11 der  Nachfolger der Remixes 81-04 aus dem Jahr 2004.
Zusätzlich werden auf den erweiterten Varianten exklusive Remixe der ehemaligen DM-Mitglieder Vince Clarke und Alan Wilder zu finden sein. Remixes 2: 81-11 wird in zwei verschiedenen CD-Formaten erhältlich sein: einzeln und in Dreifach-Version, als Download und für Sammler auf Vinyl in einem 6 x 12″-Boxset.

1-Disc-Version:
1. Dream On – Bushwacka Tough Guy Mix Edit (2001)
2. Personal Jesus – The Stargate Mix (2011)
3. Suffer Well – M83 Remix (2006)
4. John The Revelator – UNKLE Reconstruction (2006)
5. In Chains – Tigerskin’s No Sleep Remix Edit (2011)
6. Peace – SixToes Remix (2009)
7. Tora! Tora! Tora! – Karlsson And Winnberg (from Miike Snow) Remix (2011)
8. Never Let Me Down Again – Eric Prydz Remix (2011)
9. I Want It All – Roland M.Dill Remix (2011)
10. Wrong – Trentemøller Remix (2009)
11. Puppets – Röyksopp Remix (2011)
12. Everything Counts – Oliver Huntemann And Stephan Bodzin Dub (2006)
13. A Pain That I’m Used To – Jacques Lu Cont Remix (2005)

3-Disc-Version

Disc 1:
1. Dream On – Bushwacka Tough Guy Mix (2001)
2. Suffer Well – M83 Remix (2006)
3. John The Revelator – UNKLE Reconstruction (2006)
4. In Chains – Tigerskin’s No Sleep Remix (2009)
5. Peace – SixToes Remix (2009)
6. Lilian – Chab Vocal Remix Edit (2006)
7. Never Let Me Down Again – Digitalism Remix (2006)
8. Corrupt – Efdemin Remix (2009)
9. Everything Counts – Oliver Huntemann And Stephan Bodzin Dub (2006)
10. Happiest Girl – The Pulsating Orbital Vocal Mix (1990)
11. Walking In My Shoes – Anandamidic Mix (1993)
12. Personal Jesus – The Stargate Mix (2011)
13. Slowblow – Darren Price Mix (1993)

Disc 2:
1. Wrong – Trentemøller Club Remix (2009)
2. World In My Eyes – Dub In My Eyes (1990)
3. Fragile Tension – Peter Bjorn and John Remix (2009)
4. Strangelove – Tim Simenon/Mark Saunders Remix (1998)
5. A Pain That I’m Used To – Jacques Lu Cont Remix (2005)
6. The Darkest Star – Monolake Remix (2006)
7. I Feel You – Helmet At The Helm Mix (1993)
8. Higher Love – Adrenaline Mix Edit (2004)
9. Fly On The Windscreen – Death Mix (1985)
10. Barrel Of A Gun – United Mix (1997)
11. Only When I Lose Myself – Dan The Automator Mix (1998)
12. Ghost – Le Weekend Remix (2009)

Disc 3:
1. Personal Jesus – Alex Metric Remix Edit (2011)
2. Never Let Me Down Again – Eric Prydz Remix (2011)
3. Behind The Wheel – Vince Clarke Remix (2011)
4. Leave In Silence – Claro Intelecto ‘The Last Time’ Remix (2011)
5. In Chains – Alan Wilder Remix (2011)
6. When The Body Speaks – Karlsson And Winnberg Remix (2011)
7. Puppets – Röyksopp Remix (2011)
8. Tora! Tora! Tora! – Karlsson And Winnberg (from Miike Snow) Remix (2011)
9. Freestate – Clark Remix (2011)
10. I Want It All – Roland M. Dill Remix (2011)
11. A Question Of Time – Joebot Presents ‘Radio Face’ Remix (2011)
12. Personal Jesus – Sie Medway-Smith Remix (2011)

Ok mix of a classic.

Depeche Mode’un Depeche Mode olmasındaki katkısının büyüklüğü su götürmeyen Alan Wilder, 1995 yılında grup içi anlaşmazlıklar sonucu gruptan ayrıldı. Alan Wilder’ın DM üzerindeki etkisinin anlaşılması, grubun 1986 yılında çıkardığı “Black Celebration” albümüyle aynı tarihlerdeki demoları kapsayan “1&2″ isimli Recoil EPsinin dinlenmesi ve karşılaştırılmasıyla mümkündür. Recoil keşfi uzun, karanlık ve tribal bir yolculuktur ve şarkı sözleri dikkate alındığında bazen sarsıcı olabilmektedir. İlk EP çıktıktan 2 sene sonra ise Recoil’in ilk albümü “Hydrology” piyasaya çıktı; aynı tarihlerde DM’in gittikçe ünlenmesi ve ardından gelen dünya turneleri, Alan Wilder’ın gözü gibi baktığı yan projesini bir süreliğine sekteye uğratsa da üretkenliğinde sınır tanımayan deha, Moby’nin de emeğinin geçmiş olduğu 1991 tarihli “Bloodline” albümü ile yolculuğuna devam etti.

Uzun bir süre sonra gelen geri dönüş ise, dark trip-hop un en güzel örneklerinden biridir; DM ile yolunu ayıran Alan Wilder’ın en iyi performansıyla sergilediği ve kaotik dönüşümünün sinyallerini verdiği “Unsound Methods”. Albüm, en akılda kalan şarkılarından olan Incubus ile başlayıp diğer dikkat çeken şarkıları Drifting ve Missing Piece’le algıda seçicilik yaratmaktadır ve kendi hayran kitlesini oluşturmaktadır. Şarkı isimlerinin de fikir verebileceği gibi, Recoil’le gidilen dünya pembe değildir ve bazen gerçekliğiyle ürpertebilir.

Sessiz sedasız yoluna devam eden Recoil, 2000 tarihli “Liquid” albümünden sonra bir sekte daha yaşadı. Bu albümden en akılda kalan şarkı ise Jezebel’dir ve internette bulabileceğiniz çok az sayıdaki Recoil videolarından birisi de bu şarkınınkidir.

Recoil, 7 senelik bir aradan sonra 2007 çıkış tarihli “Subhuman” albümüyle şaşırtacaktır; bu sefer değişik bir soundla gelecektir Alan Wilder. Albüme blues esintilerini taşıyan Joe Richardson etkisiyle daha olgun ve sakin bir dönüşümü olmuştur Recoil’in; bu yoğun blues etkisinden sıyrılan ve albümün en dikkat çeken şarkısı olan Allelujah ile Massive Attack severlerin hiç yabancı olmadığı bir sound bizleri beklemektedir.

Alan Wilder’ın sadece müziğe ve yaratmaya odaklı, medyatik oyunlardan ve göz önünde bulunmaktan kaçınan tavrı nedeniyle grup belki de hak ettiği ilgiyi görmemiştir bugüne kadar. İlk albümlerinin çıkış tarihini göz önüne alırsak, gündemde olan Avrupa turnesini gerçekleştirmek için hayranlarını gerçekten çok bekletmiş olan grup; Atina’ya kadar gelip ne yazık ki Türkiye’de konser vermeyecek.

Güneşin parlak olduğu bir günde “Subhuman” albümü dışında bir Recoil albümünü dinlemek, özellikle Want (Liquid) ya da Luscious Apparatus (Unsound Methods) gibi albümler ilk dinlendiğinde belki dikkatinizi çok çekmeyecek histerik sözlere sahip şarkılar, bünyede beklenmedik etkiler yaratabilir.

Recoil hakkında ilk izlenim için: http://www.myspace.com/recoil

* Reset! Magazine – sayı 55′te yayınlanmıştır.

*Amme hizmeti forever, en sevilen videosuyla gelsin;

Back in 2004 we saw the release of Remixes 81-04 – a Depeche Mode career-spanning, remix anthology.

Seven years on, the synthpop pioneers are set to unleash its sequel, Remixes 2: 81-11.

The album is made up of remixed Depeche Mode from the past 30 years and includes contributions from the likes of M83, Trentemøller, UNKLE, Röyksopp, Karlsson & Winnberg (aka Bloodshy and Avant of Miike Snow), and Eric Prydz. Two former members of Depeche Mode, Vince Clarke and Alan Wilder have also contributed to the album.

Take a listen to M83′s take on ‘Suffer Well’ which has been dubbed over the original music video:

In the video you can see Andy Fletcher on a Moog Source Monophonic synthesizer. I think that could be one of the first synthesizers to feature preset memory. Alan Wilder is playing the main parts on a Roland Jupiter 8 synthesizer. Martin Gore is playing a PPG Wave 2 synthesizer and a mini Casio keyboard which he tagged with the words “fairlite.” I’m sure the budgets just weren’t that big around this time period. Then again, not many peoples budgets were that big when the Fairlight hit the market. If you’d like to do some more synthesizer fiendish exploration, check out this site here. Synthontour highlights the synthesizers Depeche Mode used during many of their tours. I think its fairly accurate and shows some great trainspotting technique from the authors!

From Youtube.com
From the BBC, this rendition sounds more like the original album version than it does in the band’s early live performances with Vince Clarke (see video response by Koffe). Enjoy!

(Descriptions are in order from top to bottom, then left to right)

My Favorite Mode: Rarities by sighgee on Polyvore.com

Love In Itself · 2 And Live Tracks – Love In Itself 12″ with 4 live tracks – Numbered limited edition with texture and goldfoiled sleeve.

Some Great Reward – Grey Vinyl Germany 12″ RECORD – Some Great Reward LP in Grey Vinyl, German import – “If You Want To” on back sleeve instead of “If You Want”.

Never Turn Your Back On Mother Earth – Never Turn Your Back on Mother Earth, Flexidisc – “Happy Christmas 87 From Depeche Mode”, sent to members of the official fan club during Christmas 1987.

A Question of Lust – A Question of Lust cassette – Package includes cassette, booklet & badge.

Everything Counts 10″ – Everything Counts 10″ – Strictly limited numbered envelope sleeve. Deluxe black die cut inner sleeve includes 2 postcards and window sticker.

Death’s Door – Death’s Door (Jazz Mix), Flexidisc – Sent to members of the official fan club in 1991, it was included with Bong 16, the Depeche Mode official fan magazine.

I Want You Now / Behind the Wheel (Remix) – I Want You Now 3″ CD, Japanese import – A special 3″ Edit of “I Want You Now” exclusive to this release.