Depeche Mode is a British electronic music band founded in 1980 in the town of Basildon, in Essex, England, United Kingdom. It is one of the longest-running and most successful bands to emerge during the New Wave and New Romantic period, though they were actually part of the “futurist” scene alongside Soft Cell, Gary Numan, and The Human League. Many of their music videos received heavy rotation on MTV.
Depeche Mode have sold over 100 million albums worldwide and have had 54 songs on the UK Singles Chart. They have had more Top 40 hits in the UK without reaching #1 than any other artist and have influenced many of today’s well-known musicians, partly due to their recording techniques and use of sampling. Although highly influential in the modern electro-dance scene, they are generally classified as an alternative band.
Depeche Mode was founded in 1980 by Dave Gahan (vocals), Martin Gore (keyboards, guitar, vocals, principal songwriter after 1981), Andrew Fletcher (keyboards), and Vince Clarke (keyboards, principal songwriter 1980–81). Vince Clarke left the band after the release of their debut album in 1981 and was soon replaced by Alan Wilder (main keyboards), who performed with the band from 1982 to 1995. After Wilder’s departure, Gahan, Gore, and Fletcher continued performing as a trio. In 2022, Fletcher passed away, leaving the band to continue as a duo, Gahan and Gore.
