This was my first show of the tour, so I was jumping out of my skin with excitement and pre-show jitters. Seeing the Jimmy Kimmel performance in April was a five song tease that made the five month wait to see a full show even harder. This was compounded by the unknowns surrounding the VIP Nation seating arrangements that we had yet to be given. I had high hopes given the success of my partner in crime at her shows, but I was the one who had purchased these tickets and was concerned my usual lack of crazy luck would result in her first show of the tour NOT in front row (first world Mode Fan problems…). When we opened the envelope, that was indeed the case — we scored second row, and thought we’d be pretty far off to the side from the section and seat number. Our awesome VIP host, Helen, belayed any concerns we had once she showed us the modified seating chart of the venue — due to the position of the catwalk requiring some section shuffling, we were actually second row center, smack in front of Dave! When the show started, the first row moved forward to the rail, giving us plenty of space to dance, a clear shot of the band and, as it turned out, the band had a clear shot of us.

Overall the VIP Nation experience was great. The party was in a lovely modern room inside Barclays, where we met up with friends and mingled with fans. There was enough food and drink to go around, and a fun raffle with a ton of prizes. For more details on the overall VIP Nation experience from the two shows I attended in New York, check out my VIPNation review, coming in a few days. The length of the content within warrants its own post, and I want to focus on the actual performance in this one!

Since this is my first show, some particular songs in the set list will be reviewed, so it could get lengthy and it will be spoilery.

*SPOILERS AHEAD*

Musically and lyrically, “Welcome to my World” was a fantastic opener. The ghostly synths built in a way that perfectly eased the audience into the show, with enough tension and intrigue to be interesting, but not so much as to give away the punch too early. It was just enough that it paved way for “Angel” to blow the lid off and set the tone for the rest of the show.

“Walking in my Shoes” is a personal favorite, so I never tire of its inclusion in the set. I love the fact that the band is playing it differently this tour, livening it up for those fans (and band members?) who may be feeling it is becoming repetitive.

“Black Celebration” was the first of four songs in the set that brought on the waterworks. As I listened and sang along intently, I suddenly remembered that the last time I had heard the song live was at my first Depeche Mode concert ever — little more than 12 years ago. If a weary time-traveller had shown up at that show in a blue box and told me I’d be traveling the world to see the band a decade later, I wouldn’t have believed him. So much has transpired in my life in that time! Furthermore, that same concert in 2001 was the first time I had ever heard the song at all (I was still a newer fan), and it was a religious experience. That realization made this moment particularly special.

“Soothe My Soul” was absolutely rocking, just as it was for Kimmel! I bounced and danced so much that I regretted I hadn’t taken my inhaler before the show… I ran out of breath in a major way! I really hope this becomes the set list staple it deserves to be on future tours.

Another song that pushed me over the edge was “But Not Tonight”. I knew it was coming, but that didn’t make it any less powerful. First, there were the memories — this song was a ringtone I put on my very first cell that supported custom ringtones, when I first moved away from home for college. Second, Martin’s voice accompanied by Peter’s keyboard made for a simple and pure rendition of the song that soaked into my soul. Then, it got even better — when a less-than-stellar sing-a-long from the crowd prompted Martin to bend over and participate in a brief but sweet one-one-one sing-a-long with me. It was if he was saying “Yes, that’s the way to do it!” Immediately after the song, Dave came out and pointed right at Tara (with a flail toward me) and whispered something to Mart, to which they smiled and laughed. We only wish we knew what they said — they probably thought we were high on crack. By this point, Dave and Mart both were giving it all they had to command the stage — it was heart-breaking that the crowd just didn’t seem to get it. Tara and I were so frustrated by the subdued front and center section, we tripled our already crazy energy to support the band. Judging by the smiles and eye contact we got throughout the night, we are pretty sure they noticed!

The crowd started to come out of hibernation for “A Question of Time”, suddenly exploded for “Enjoy the Silence” but mellowed just a little for “Personal Jesus”. Unfortunately, they seemed to retreat into whatever cave they were sleeping in until “Just Can’t Get Enough” and “Never Let Me Down Again”. Stories of the crowd’s energy varied depending on the section of the person reporting, but the sing-a-longs were pretty dreadful save for the songs above, and we could read Dave’s body language as he struggled to liven them up during other songs, despite his best efforts. (Way to not support your man, New York!)

Surprisingly, I also found myself getting teary-eyed during “Just Can’t Get Enough” of all things. It was a moment where I was having an incredible amount of fun and felt so alive. Suddenly I was wondering what the strange wet stuff was in my eyes during the goofiest song in the set — it was pure joy. I had missed them so much more than I realized.

I thought the shows during TOTU were fantastic, especially in knowing Dave was going through treatments throughout the tour. But this time they are stronger and sharper than ever. Dave was a firecracker of energy, beaming with smiles (as always). His live vocals sounded better than ever, I am guessing due to the amount of practice he’s had to put in for “Delta Machine” itself, the addition of ear monitors this time out. Martin has continued to grow his performance strength, too, stepping away from the mic stand and even pacing the stage at times, with more bravado and projection of his energy to the crowd. This particular crowd did not respond well, but that didn’t stop the band from giving 110% like the professionals they are. With everything that happened on the last tour, it is incredibly gratifying to see them so happy and so healthy. We really are the luckiest fans in the world.

What “shit” have you heard DM fans say? If you have an idea for me to include in a future video, email me! Watch this space in the future for a call for video submissions for a possible part two!

The following content was written by an anonymous friend of the blog. Opinions within are his own and do not reflect the opinions of the blog owner, who has not heard the album yet.

I recently had the good fortune of being able to preview the new Depeche Mode album, “Delta Machine”. Having had mixed feelings toward the rather tepid “Sounds Of The Universe” – their second with producer Ben Hillier – I was unsure whether they would be able to break any new ground going into the studio with him for another record, or if it was time for someone new behind the controls to keep them fresh. I was intrigued at the prospect of the return of long-time collaborator Flood – producer of arguably their two most successful and influential albums, “Violator” and “Songs of Faith And Devotion” – to the fold, this time in the role of mixing responsibilities for “Delta Machine”. Could this, coupled with their now customary four-year break between recording albums, instill the Mode’s sound with a new vitality and a long overdue return to form?

The short answer is thankfully, for the most part, yes. Those fans who were detractors of “Sounds”‘s sparseness of sound will have little to complain about on “Delta Machine” – it’s a loud, brash and multi-layered sixty minutes of music that at its heights makes for one of the most compelling offerings from the band in years, hearkening back to the moments of their thirty-year-plus career which made them great. That isn’t to say that this Machine is completely free of flaws, however. At times it almost seems as if the Basildon boys are too afraid of what might happen if they accidentally created something resembling a ‘pure pop’ song again; so when a promising track reaches the point where you anticipate a sublime middle-eight to arrive and put the finishing touches upon a new Mode classic, but then the song either moves in a completely different direction or simply repeats to fade, it’s hard not to feel as if the full potential of the new material was somewhat squandered.

However, I should remind myself that these are just my initial reactions after a single listen, and there was certainly enough positive amongst them to say that I can’t wait to be able to sit down with the album upon its release for a more ‘proper’ listen.

Here, then, are a few of my thoughts on each track. I wasn’t able to make many notes until after I’d listened to the album, so unfortunately I can’t comment too much on specific lyrics.

1. Welcome To My World
Warm synth notes get the album off to an initially quiet start. Dave Gahan’s vocal sounds dry and clear in the forefront of everything; something that’s notable about the album as a whole. There definitely seems to be a renewed confidence in Dave’s delivery, no doubt in part thanks to his performance on the recent Soulsavers project “The Light The Dead See”, and he shines on practically every song he sings. The track slowly builds to a grandiose chorus replete with strings and sublime harmonies courtesy of Martin Gore that immediately surpasses virtually everything on the last record in terms of sheer sonic depth. Flood’s presence is felt from the very beginning, it seems. A great start to the album, and I’d be surprised if this wasn’t the opening number on DM’s upcoming tour.

2. Angel
The track which was premiered late last year as the introduction to the band’s return to the world stage at their album and tour announcement appears here, its frantic electro-gospel with Dave as preacher serving as a taster of things to come.

3. Heaven
The band chose this soulful hymn in the key of sorrow to be the official lead-in single to the album, and while fans were surprised at the uncharacteristic lack of punch that such a track would normally provide, I think it works far better in the larger context of the album than as a standalone.

4. Secret To The End
The first thing that I think a lot of fans will likely say to themselves upon hearing “Secret To The End” – especially right after “Heaven” – is ‘why couldn’t something like this have been the first single’. Uptempo to the point of almost-but-not-quite becoming a dance track accompanied by a simple but effective guitar melody, this one definitely bears the hallmarks of what we’ve come to expect from a good DM song. Some nice chord progression and relatively catchy lyrics written by Dave.

5. My Little Universe
As if the title itself didn’t give it away, this one does sound like it could have been an outtake from “Sounds Of The Universe”, both in its lyrical theme along with the lack of a particular melody beyond that of the vocal, which is punctuated by stabs of synth and electronic fuzz which drift in and out of the mix. It almost seems like it might have originally been written as a Martin solo, although Dave is the one who sings soft and somewhat menacing on this one. Not bad, but a little hard to shake the feeling that this may have been a better fit on the last album.

6. Slow
The Machine heads south into the Delta for this heavy-laden blues stomp which I have a feeling might divide fans, at least on the first listen. There are a couple of places where you could be tricked into thinking that Dave is a little out of tune due to the pitch of his vocal contrasting with the overall track. It’s quite reminiscent of the Soulsavers record, so chances are if you liked that, you’ll like this too.

7. Broken
If this one doesn’t become a single then there’s no justice in the world. I’m not exaggerating when I say that this one gave me shivers in the same way that “Suffer Well” (penned by Dave, as is this song) did on “Playing The Angel”, especially when the vocal harmonies of the chorus kick in. Musically, the song taps into that classic “Music For The Masses”/”Violator”-era DM sound in a way which you thought you’d never hear again, without sounding dated. A strong contender for the best track on the album.

8. The Child Inside
Martin’s only solo vocal track on the album, and sadly it’s a bit of a letdown. Although the lyrical theme of innocence lost is quite common in Martin’s writing, the execution here is a bit contrived and ultimately falls flat, at least for me. The arrangement sounds similar to the song “Jezebel” from the last album on first listen.

9. Soft Touch/Raw Nerve
Time for some sleazy Mode, with a snarling vocal from Dave and a hard, almost jarring staccato beat permeating the whole song. I felt that it would have sounded better with the addition of some kind of snare drum to punctuate it a little, which hopefully will happen if they add this one to the live set.

10. Should Be Higher
Dave’s final songwriting contribution to the record, and once again it’s a hit. A dark electronic ballad that wouldn’t sound out of place on an IAMX record, Dave’s vocals are sublime on this one, reaching some breathtakingly high notes in the chorus that we’ve rarely heard him attempt before. Would love to hear this one live, but can’t imagine him singing it night after night without bringing it down an octave or two.

11. Alone
Arrangement on this one reminded me a bit of Martin’s “Counterfeit 2” solo album, and although the song itself isn’t bad it seemed like a bit of a ‘DM-by-numbers’ missed opportunity. Out of all the songs on the album it was the least memorable for me.

12. Soothe My Soul
In the same way that “The Dead Of Night” from 2001’s “Exciter” had its tongue placed firmly and unabashedly in cheek, this one is an instant guilty pleasure. Its glam rock n’ roll singalong chorus is hugely fun, and seems destined to propel it into future single territory. When DM can make this kind of stadium-filler track sound so effortless, you wonder why they don’t do it more often. The only thing it has going against it is that the chorus overshadows the verses somewhat.

13. Goodbye
The blues are back for the final song with a riff a lot like “I Feel You”, albeit slower. Whoever the person is that this song is about, it’s obvious they’re not getting a second chance as the gloriously loud fuck-off-and-die chorus full of bass, guitar and metallic synths makes sure we get the message. And just in case we haven’t – as the track begins winding down and the dust has seemingly settled on the record, everything kicks back in for one final barrage of dirty blues before the Mode leave the stage.

Depeche Mode will be kicking off the 2013 “Live On Letterman” concert webcast series on Monday, March 11th. The performance will be streamed live on VEVO and CBS.com. Later that night, the band will also appear on the Late Show With David Letterman, performing “Heaven”.

To win tickets to the Live on Letterman taping, tell us what your interpretation is of the title of the upcoming album, Delta Machine. Submit your answers – along with your full name, age and location – to LettermanTix@depechemode.com for a chance to see the band “Live on Letterman” at the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York City on March 11, 2013. Entries must be received by 12pm noon EST on March 6. Winners will be randomly selected from the eligible entries and will be contacted via email on March 8, 2012. Winners must be 18 years of age or older to attend (ID will be required). Please note that the contest is only for tickets to the show. Good luck!

Source

Locals can also enter to win tickets from MyFreeConcerts, but the winners will not be announced until the day of the show.

Now if only I had a teleporter or infinite cash flow…

A new higher-quality bootleg recording of Dave’s 2011 MusiCares performance of Joy Division’s “Love Will Tear Us Apart” has surfaced on YouTube. Aside from some unusual glowing effects, the video seems nearly pro-shot (steady camera, minimal crowd noise) and is taken at stage-level, off to Dave’s left. The audio is fairly clear for a bootleg, though obviously not crystal pro-quality. I really loved that Dave did this when I saw Miss House Girl’s awesome original audience recording, so I was pretty excited when @Ultra_Depeche sent another my way. Check it out!

The following content was written by Samuli K.

Disclaimer 1: remember that I have heard this only once – and while I usually detect what I like or not like on the very first hearing, these are still first impressions.

Disclaimer 2: I had no lyric sheet so the lyrical quotes may not be totally correct

Disclaimer 3: I loved PTA and disliked SOTU, so if your opinions vary from mine concerning those two albums, you might disagree with very much of what I write.

Sooo… overall impressions first. For all the talk about Flood being on board and of Martin describing the album as ”a mixture of SOFAD and Violator”, the way that I hear it is that it’s very much the third part of the Ben Hillier album trilogy. The sound is cleaner and harsher than on PTA, but some overall problems still persist. But like Mark1975 wrote, PTA was in many ways a tribute to DM’s past, so there are similar nods to past glories scattered all over the album.

One of those problems is the much-talked about lack of middle-eights, which really plagues especially the first half of the album. I’ll mention it here, because otherwise I would moan about it on almost every other track review. It’s frustrating because there are some excellent DM songs on Delta (Welcome To My World and Secret to The End to name a couple), which are separated from the future classic status only due to the lack of somebody making them go the extra mile.

Another thing I’ll mention here, that I don’t think DM is capable of providing us with anything truly new and original. So Delta Machine won’t really give us anyhting totally new, but otherwise it shows a reinvigorated band at the top the game of being a 32-year Depeche Mode. And at its best moments (of which there are a lot) it provides the old themes and subjects with new twists.

1.   Welcome To My World.
A soft techno pulse makes one wonder if this is an instrumental like some predicted, but then Dave comes in: ”Welcome to my world / step right through the door”. More like the slow build of In Chains instead of the burst of energy that was APTIUT, this is an intelligent and promising start which leads into a spine-tinglingly wordy and ascendant chorus in which Dave half-promises and half-threatens to ”penetrate your soul” and ”bleed into your dreams”. We are instructed to ”watch the sunlight fade” and ”see the moon begin to blush” and blimey, this is great indeed – like WIME pojected into the 2013. After the second chorus I’m ready to be swept off my feet, but – blah – once again the song bleeps and bloops out of sight instead of giving us anything more. Still, a very good start.

2.   Angel
The one we already know. I didn’t want to overplay it before the album and because I wasn’t blown by it, it was easy to save it for the album. So I’ll just say that I spot no major deviations from the track we’ve heard.

3.   Heaven.
I’ll just say that as a single it’s quite underwhelming, but it provides a welcome respite from all the harsh electro on the album.

4.   Secret To The End
The album picks up with an uptempo electro stomp, spiced with some dirty guitar. For once we have a proper chorus (hooray!) which may look silly on paper but works intensively accompanied by music: ”The problem should’ve been you / (”should’ve been you”) / (”would’ve been you”)/ (”could’ve been you”) / If it hadn’t been me / (”hadn’t been me”) / (”hadn’t been me)” – Martin and Dave shouting the latter parts of the chorus on top of each other. I suspect it’s a Dave track, because out of the first six ones it’s the one I can’t instantly recognize as pure Gore. But it’s not a sign of disrespect, this is a strong song. Some very It’s No Good –style sounds in the instrumental section after the second chorus.

5.   My Little Universe
With ”My little universe is expanding” and ”beautiful emptiness surrounds me” being among the opening lines and pointillistic beats peppering the sparse soundscape, this sounds very much like a Martin track – but it’s still sung by Dave for some reason. Short sharp bursts of melody break the sonic surface here and there, but this is still very much ”experimental DM” in the style of Macro and Counterfeit 2. The chorus is surprisingly non-melodic and solipsistic: ”Here I am king / I decide everything / I let no-one in / no-one”. I like this a lot, but I’m sure this will be among the more controversial tracks of Delta. The tempo picks up a bit towards the end in the style of IAMX’s Music People, but to nowhere as dramatic an effect.

6.   Slow
After a couple of very electronic tracks, the blues influence is back with a bang: ”Slow, slow, slow as you can go / I want my senses to overflow” the song starts with its chorus-substitute (this is one of the songs, where one can’t really say what is verse and what is chorus). The guitars drawl more traditionally than usual and while some might moan the lack of a catchy hook, I personally love this and find some good couplets here and there: ”I let the world keep its colourful pace / I prefer to just study your beautiful face”.

7.   Broken
After a couple of perhaps less commercial tracks, the single-writing DM is back with a bang. This is an instant hit with me: sound-wise and thematically between the haunting but intense Little 15 and the mysterious speeding drama of Behind The Wheel. The chorus is by far the most catchy and commercial on the album: ”When you fall in / I will catch you / You don’t have to fall that far / You can make it/ I will be there / You were broken from the start”. For the life of me, I can’t decide whether this is Dave or Martin – because I love it, I feel it’s Mart, but writing down those lyrics (which once again work much better while sung) I can’t help feeling it’s Dave. Well done, whoever! They were insane to not put this out as the first single.

8.   The Child Inside
The soft baby steps of Intrespectre-y synths pitter-patter in so this must be the first instrumental, right? But no, Martin follows them with a truly creepy lyric, with the first verse ending with something like ”you really should have dug a little deeper / the body parts that you’re beginning to find / are starting to scare the child inside away” (I most likely got the phrasing wrong, but that’s the definitely the general idea). Brr! Martin’s tremolo is also getting more advanced, the older he gets. This is not one of those lush Martin ballads many of us (me included) wish that he still wrote, but this is still atmospheric and rather brilliant. ”You really should have taken all your dolls to bed with you”.

9.   Soft Touch / Raw Nerve
Rather curiously, so far Delta has been rather slow or midtempo, but with this track the album speeds up instead of calming down – which is what albums usually do two thirds in, right? The song opens  with Dave barging in like a brute: ”Have I got a soft touch? / Have I got a soft touch? / Or is my radar that off?” Well, frankly, yes. The overall mood is quite Better Days, but the song is softer than that and a more melodic ”Oh brother, give me a helping hand” part gives the song some inventive dynamics. Unless I’m totally wrong, this even has a middle eight. Hooray! I’m sure I’ll love this after more listens.

10.   Should Be Higher
Another stomper, this time Gary Glitter on amphetamine being the main influence. I’m not wondering why this has been rumoured as the second single: it does build up nicely and the chorus works well in a rather epic, non-DM style. Dave’s vocals are mixed curiously low in the chorus and his emotive singing reminds of HIM’s Ville Valo here. The rather hopelessly naff chorus lyrics: ”Your lies are more attractive than your truth / Love is all I want / Your lies are written down there in your heart / Love is all I want” reveal that this must be a Dave track, but otherwise it’s a goodie.

11.   Alone
Another potential uptempo single with the lyrics playing the usual DM game of love-as-religion: ”I am your father, your son, your holy ghost and your priest”. The chorus ”I couldn’t save your soul / I couldn’t even take you home / I couldn’t have played that role / Alone” has hints of an epic backing melody that I wish would have been taken further. But yes, another track, another hit.

12.   Soothe My Soul
The first 11 tracks have taken us past the 50-minute mark and perhaps that’s where Delta should have ended, since with SMS the album finally runs out of steam. This is cliched sub-Corrupt stuff indeed: ”I’m coming for you when the sun goes down / I’m coming for you when there’s no-one around / I’ll come to your house and break your door / I’m coming for you because  I need to feel your skin”. All this because, as the chorus goes, ”there’s only one way to soothe my soul”. All this is very naff indeed and perhaps a bit sad coming from fifty-something men. I must say the actual tune is not that bad in its b-side-y way, but otherwise than that, this is the one true misstep on the album. I truly hope this is a Dave song, because this kind of laziness just shouldn’t be expected from Mart at this stage.

13.   Goodbye
After hiding in the background for a while, the blues guitars make a comeback – this time in a Pleasure Little Treasure style. The vowels are very stretched in the vocals, so I had a hard time writing anything comprehensible about them – but the chorus goes ”Goodbye again”, the ”again” perhaps soothing down those who try to read too much into the title. The track has a false ending and them crashes back with an explosive last minute. This is not a bad song, and definitely a grower, but with Soothe My Soul breaking the album’s spell, this feels a bit unnecessary. Perhaps they should have called it quits while they were still ahead.

For me, it took an incredible amount of discipline not to listen or download it. I’ll save the details why I would wait for another post, but when the powers that be were forced to Kevin & Bean the go-ahead to play and stream the song a day early to mitigate the leaks, there was no sense in waiting. I gave in.

It was love at first listen.

My first thought went something like this: “Uh, is that a Casio loop..??” But when the pianos and vocals kicked in, the song took me away on a journey. I’m a very visual person, and I tend to see good songs play out in my head like music videos or geometric shapes and colors. This song certainly came across as a narrative – full of dynamism and motion that I find difficult to describe verbally. Like a dream where one is falling. Flying. And falling again. Floating. Suspended in water, and dissolving into bubbles. If this sounds weird and esoteric, I’m not sorry. I like my wacky artist brain. The power behind the vocals blew me away, and the atmosphere permeated my soul in the way that very few bands besides Depeche Mode can do. The song is very encompassing, and calming. One of those songs that makes you forget stress and fear, and accept the world for what it is.

When I put the visuals on hold for a minute, I am able to acknowledge that this song is the closest to 70s rock the band has ever been. And not Rod Stewart like they said in interviews (WTF, guys). The prominent, gut-stirring guitar lines are reminiscent of classic legends Pink Floyd (tied for my favorite band before I found DM) and a little Led Zeppelin, even. I sensed a bit of The Doors, too. All are fine by me. I love that the band are exploring unexpected influences and sounds. It’s what they have always done best. There are the signature sounds of DM woven throughout – clinky and clanky metallic sounds, Martin’s favorite green Gretsch, and one of Dave’s best vocals ever. I have really missed hearing his voice like this – Exciter was the last time he really belted it out in this way for Depeche Mode. There was “In Chains”, bit even that was a different style/key. After the Soulsavers album, I was really, really hoping we’d get some vocals like these on the DM record and I got my wish.

The weakest part of the song are the downplayed percussion loops. They come across a bit weak. If Christian had recorded for the studio, I think the song would be rounded out much better.

A lot of hardcore fans have spent some hours dissecting the technical aspects of the song – I was abducted by my visual muse. I react first to how a song’s sound affects me emotionally. Lyrics come second. Technical things last. This is also why I absolutely loved All That’s Mine (next on the review list).

I’ll delve a little more into the lyrics and themes of the song when I review Timothy Saccenti’s video later in the week, but overall, combined with “Angel” I am over the moon excited for the new album. I am happy to see DM experimenting with sounds and styles outside their genre and putting their own spin on it. Blues? Soul? 70s rock? Bring it on. Even though they’ve always done this, it seems certain fans and critics are never happy – when they stay in the box, people call them old and stayed. When they leave the box, people wonder what the heck they were thinking. Personally, I’m glad the band never cared much for what other people think. “Stay hungry, stay foolish,” as Steve Jobs used to say.

Rating: 4.5/5
With “Heaven,” Depeche somehow manages to capture new, different and familiar in one package – heavy guitars, downplayed electronics, surfing ever so close to blues and soul-infused classic rock, but with the blow-out vocals and arresting atmospheres that we all know and love.  I am very interested to hear how this plays out live with Christian on drums.

Daryl is continuing to dedicate his time to supporting independent artists through expanding Bamonte Artist Management. Elsebeere Recordings is kicking into high gear with the Eigner/Clayton project bubbling to the surface, but that’s not all BAM has in store for us in the coming year. Daryl kindly agreed to a little Q&A for us, to introduce us to his newest projects.

Q: You have been working in music management for about 30 years, and started Bamonte Artist Management in 2005. What inspired you to create your own company?

A: I was lucky enough to work full time for the two behemoths of alternative music for 25 years, but then decided I wanted to set up the company and start partnerships with people.

Q. You were previously working with Andrew under the We Collect Enemies label. Can you tell us about the new labels and how they came about?

A. Andrew and I were involved with WCE but aren’t anymore. The three new labels happened for the same reasons – a desire for creative control and retention of rights and the belief that we can do it ourselves.

Q: Is there a story behind the labels’ names? Search results seem to be telling me Elsbeere is a type of tree.

A: It’s a tree that grows in Austria and parts of Germany, perhaps other places. I think the best trees are in Austria, and the fruit makes great Schnapps. Christian’s studio is Elsbeere Studios – it’s a name that’s special to us. The label with Phillpott and Clovisse [Ferguson] is called Musicladen which came about when they were living in Berlin, and fits perfectly. We haven’t announced the label with Tim Simenon yet.

Q. The industry has changed radically since you were lugging gear for “Composition of Sound” in Depeche Mode’s very early days. As a manager, do you feel technology and social media have made it easier or more complicated for new artists and independent labels to get their music to the masses?

A. File sharing was very damaging to the industry but if you take it as, say, a 20 year rocky road, then we are well past half way and can now start to reap more  benefits from technology. We are where we are with it, so let’s maximise what we have and keep looking at the glass as half full. 

Q. I have seen the video for “Wasp” pop up a few times in my social media feeds and forums in the last few days. Have your projects been getting much support from Depeche Mode fans?

A. Yes they are very supportive, there’s always a lot of interest in the guys’ projects.

Q. What new artists/projects can we look forward to hearing on the new labels? Are there certain sounds or genres we should expect?

A. On Elsbeere – Eigner/Clayton of course, and Compact Space at some point. On Musicladen – The debut Broad Bean Band album will be released in the new year, plus I’m going to push Phillpott to resurrect Das Shadow. With Tim, it’s still being decided. I don’t know if what I’m involved with is genre-specific, I work with music that I love but then again Mr. Gahan described me as “A Real Futurist” so maybe…

–––––

The first Eigner/Clayton EP, “Wasp,” is due out on December 10th. Check out the video if you haven’t already! For the latest announcements as they become available, follow Elsebeere Recordings on Facebook and Bamonte Artist Management on Twitter.

A very special thanks to Daryl for being the blog’s first (and hopefully not the last) Q&A guest. Sounds like there are a number of exciting projects in the works! Readers, which new BAM project(s) are you looking forward to the most?