Vince Clarke (born
Vincent John Martin, 3 July 1960,
South WoodfordSouth Woodford is a suburb of north-east London in the London Borough of Redbridge, situated north-east of Charing Cross. Together with Woodford Green and Woodford Bridge it forms the area known as Woodford, the origins of which date back at least to the Saxon period...
,
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
) is an
EnglishThe English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity as a people is of early medieval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn....
popPop music is a music genre that developed from the mid-1950s as a softer alternative to rock 'n' roll and later to rock music. It has a focus on commercial recording, often orientated towards a youth market, usually through the medium of relatively short and simple love songs...
musicianA musician is a person who performs or writes music. Musicians can be classified by their roles in creating or performing music:* An instrumentalist plays a musical instrument.* A singer uses his or her voice as an instrument....
and
songwriterA songwriter is someone who writes the lyrics, as well as the musical composition or melody to songs. One who writes only lyrics is a lyricist, while one who writes only music is a composer.-History and background of songwriters:...
, who has been involved with a number of successful pop groups, including
Depeche ModeDepeche Mode are an English electronic band who formed in 1980, in Basildon, Essex. The group's original line-up consisted of Dave Gahan , Martin Gore , Andrew Fletcher and Vince Clarke...
,
YazooYazoo are an English synthpop duo from Basildon, Essex. They had a number of top ten hits in the British charts in the early 1980s...
,
The AssemblyThe Assembly were a synthpop project formed in 1983 in Basildon, England by:* Feargal Sharkey * Vince Clarke * Eric Radcliffe...
and
ErasureErasure are an English synthpop duo, consisting of songwriter and keyboardist Vince Clarke and singer Andy Bell.Erasure entered the music scene in 1985 with their debut single "Who Needs Love Like That"...
.
Early years
Raised in
BasildonBasildon is a town located in the Basildon District of the county of Essex, England.It lies east of central London and south of the county town of Chelmsford...
,
EssexEssex is a county in the East of England region of the United Kingdom. The county town of Essex is Chelmsford.-History:In pre-Roman Britain the territories of Suffolk and Essex were home to the Trinovantes tribe, which had grown wealthy through intensive trade with the Roman Empire, contemporary...
, Clarke initially studied the
violinThe violin is a bowed string instrument with four strings usually tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest and highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which also includes the viola and cello....
and then the
pianoThe piano is a musical instrument which is played by means of a keyboard. Widely used in Western music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music, and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
.
In the late 1970s, Clarke and schoolmate
Andrew FletcherAndrew John Fletcher , is a co-founder and member of electronic band Depeche Mode.-Depeche Mode:...
formed the short-lived band No Romance in China. In 1979, he teamed up with Fletcher to form French Look, an early incarnation of
Depeche ModeDepeche Mode are an English electronic band who formed in 1980, in Basildon, Essex. The group's original line-up consisted of Dave Gahan , Martin Gore , Andrew Fletcher and Vince Clarke...
that was later re-named Composition of Sound, following the addition of
Martin GoreMartin Gore is an English songwriter, lyricist, singer, guitarist and keyboardist. He is a founding member of Depeche Mode and has written the vast majority of their songs...
. Clarke initially handled vocals.
Depeche Mode
In 1980, singer
David GahanDave Gahan is an English singer-songwriter, best known as the baritone lead singer for the British synthpop band Depeche Mode...
was drafted in to complete the line up and the band was re-named
Depeche ModeDepeche Mode are an English electronic band who formed in 1980, in Basildon, Essex. The group's original line-up consisted of Dave Gahan , Martin Gore , Andrew Fletcher and Vince Clarke...
. The band initially adopted a slick synthesised
electropopElectropop is a form of electronic music that is made with synthesizers, and which first flourished from 1978 to 1983. Electropop laid the groundwork for a mass market in chart-oriented pop and dance music...
sound, which produced the album
Speak and SpellSpeak & Spell is the debut album from the British synthpop group Depeche Mode, recorded and released in 1981. The album peaked at #10 in the UK Albums Chart.-Overview:This was the only Depeche Mode album with Vince Clarke as a member of the band...
and the Clarke-penned singles "
Dreaming of Me"Dreaming of Me" is the debut single by Depeche Mode, originally released on February 20 1981 in the UK. The single was not commercially released in the United States.Two mixes of the song have been released, one which fades out, and one which does not...
", "New Life" and "
Just Can't Get Enough"Just Can't Get Enough" is the third UK single by Depeche Mode. It was originally released in the UK in September 1981, and was also the band's first single to be released in the United States, on February 18, 1982. The song, a riff-driven Synthpop piece, was the final single to be written by...
" in 1981. Clarke left Depeche Mode shortly thereafter. There were many rumoured reasons pertaining to his departure, but the one that is most commonly said and that he's admitted to was because he did not enjoy the direction that the band was going. In addition, in later interviews (including the documentary on a remastered release of
A Broken FrameA Broken Frame is the second studio album by the British synthpop band Depeche Mode, released in 1982. The album was written entirely by Martin Gore and recorded after the departure of Vince Clarke, who had left the band to form Yazoo with singer Alison Moyet...
), it was stated that he didn't enjoy the public aspects of success, such as touring and interviews, and found himself frequently at odds with his bandmates, particularly on the tour bus. When asked about his departure from Depeche Mode in the
VH1VH1 is an American cable television network based in New York City...
Behind the Music television series he said, “I think everybody in the band, especially myself, imagined that the reason we were doing so well was because of themselves… We were pretty young and very lucky, and things had happened very quickly for us and I don’t think we were really mature to handle the situation”. Depeche Mode went on to achieve international stardom.
Clarke has commented on Depeche Mode's post-
Speak and Spell material as being a little dark for his taste, but good nonetheless. When asked about it, he said, "Martin was a strong writer. He always had been. And I think when I left, it gave him chance just to sort of emerge as the songwriter. I mean, he could always write songs. It's not like he just started because I left".
Yazoo
Clarke then teamed up with singer
Alison MoyetAlison Moyet , is an English pop singer-songwriter noted for her bluesy voice.-Early life:...
(at the time known by the nickname of 'Alf') to form the extremely popular
synthpopSynthpop is a subgenre of pop and electronic music in which the synthesizer is the dominant musical instrument. It originated during the New Wave era of the late 1970s and to mid-1980s, and it has continued to exist and develop ever since....
band
YazooYazoo are an English synthpop duo from Basildon, Essex. They had a number of top ten hits in the British charts in the early 1980s...
(known as Yaz in the
U.S.The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
), which produced two albums and a string of hits including "
Don't Go"Don't Go" is the second single taken from the British new wave band Yazoo's debut album, Upstairs at Eric's. Released in the UK in July of 1982, the song peaked at #3 on the UK singles chart, becoming Yazoo's second top five hit. In the US, where the band was known as Yaz, the song was their...
", "
Situation"Situation" is the title of a 1982 single by the British synthpop band Yazoo. The song was originally released in the UK as the B-side to Yazoo's debut single, "Only You", which went to number two on the UK Singles Chart. Released as a single in its own right in the U.S., the song peaked at number...
", "
Only You"Only You" is a ballad written by musician Vince Clarke. He wrote it while with Depeche Mode, and offered it to them when he was leaving. They declined, and Clarke recorded it after forming the duo Yazoo with Alison Moyet. It was an instant success, hitting number two in the UK, and charting in the...
", "
Nobody's Diary"Nobody's Diary" is a song recorded by British synthpop band Yazoo. It was released as the only single from their 1983 album, You and Me Both. The song was written by Yazoo vocalist Alison Moyet and produced by the band and Eric Radcliffe....
", "The Other Side of Love", and "Walk Away From Love".
Yazoo split in 1983, and Moyet went on to have a solo career. Yazoo reformed in 2008 for a series of live dates to celebrate 25 years since the duo's split-up.
The Assembly
In the following few years Clarke teamed up with
Eric Radcliffe-Background:Eric Radcliffe is a recording engineer and producer who worked with New Wave and synthpop bands in the early 1980s in Basildon, England: Later owner of Blackwing Studios....
and their idea was to collaborate as one-off associations with different artists on each new single, thus the name
The AssemblyThe Assembly were a synthpop project formed in 1983 in Basildon, England by:* Feargal Sharkey * Vince Clarke * Eric Radcliffe...
, notably with
Feargal SharkeyFeargal Sharkey is a Northern Irish singer, who first found fame as the lead vocalist of pop punk band The Undertones, famous for the hit single "Teenage Kicks", discovered by John Peel...
the hit "Never Never". In 1984, he also produced, co-wrote, and played on
Claudette a single by
Robert MarlowRobert Marlow is a synthpop musician and songwriter.-Biography:Robert Marlow grew up in Basildon with future Depeche Mode members Vince Clarke, Martin Gore, and Andy Fletcher. He is also tied to Alison Moyet, with whom he played in a band, The Vandals. He knew Andy and Vince from the Basildon...
.
Two years later, another collaboration took place with Paul Quinn of
Bourgie BourgiePaul Quinn is the lead singer of cult 1980s band Bourgie Bourgie, who also released records with The Jazzateers, Vince Clarke and Edwyn Collins and sang on an early track by The French Impressionists.-Bourgie Bourgie:...
, the result was the single "One Day" by Vince Clarke & Paul Quinn. However, the project never took off, and Clarke moved on to other projects.
Erasure
In early 1985, Clarke put an ad in
Melody MakerMelody Maker, published in the United Kingdom, was, according to its publisher IPC Media, the world's oldest weekly music newspaper. It was founded in 1926 as a magazine targeted at musicians; in 2000 it was merged into "long-standing rival" New Musical Express.-1950s-1960s:Originally the Melody...
for a singer, and one applicant was
Andy BellAndy Bell is the lead singer of the English synthpop duo, Erasure.-Career:...
, who was a fan of his earlier projects. He teamed with Bell to form the group
ErasureErasure are an English synthpop duo, consisting of songwriter and keyboardist Vince Clarke and singer Andy Bell.Erasure entered the music scene in 1985 with their debut single "Who Needs Love Like That"...
, and the duo became a big selling act in British pop music with international hits like "
Oh L'amour"Oh L'amour" is a song by British synth pop duo Erasure, released in April 1986 as their third single.It was issued by Mute Records in the UK and Sire Records in the U.S. to herald the June release of Erasure's debut album Wonderland, but became the third consecutive commercial failure for the band...
", "
Sometimes"Sometimes" is a song by British synthpop duo Erasure, released in October 1986 as their fourth single overall.After three commercial flops from their debut album Wonderland, "Sometimes" became Erasure's first bonafide hit, peaking at number one in South Africa, number two on the UK Singles Chart...
", "
Chains of Love"Chains of Love" is a song by British synthpop duo Erasure, released in May 1988 as their ninth single overall.The song was released by Mute Records as the second single from Erasure's third studio album The Innocents. In the United States, Sire Records released it as the first single...
", "
A Little Respect"A Little Respect" is a song written and recorded by British synthpop duo Erasure, released in September 1988 as their tenth single. It was issued as the third European single from their album The Innocents....
", "
Chorus"Chorus" is a song by Erasure which is the first single and title track to the duo's fifth studio album Chorus. It was released in 1991 by Mute Records in the UK and Sire Records in the U.S...
", "
Love to Hate You"Love to Hate You" is a song by Erasure which was released in 1991 as the second single from the duo's fifth studio album Chorus.- History :...
", "
Take a Chance on Me"Take A Chance On Me" is a song recorded in 1977 by Swedish dance-pop group ABBA. It was the 2nd single to be released from their fifth album, simply called The Album, and has appeared on numerous ABBA compilations such as ABBA Gold: Greatest Hits....
" and "
Always"Always" is a synthpop ballad by British duo Erasure. It was released in 1994 as the first single from their sixth studio album I Say I Say I Say. Mute Records issued the single in the UK, while Elektra Records released it in the U.S...
".
The band has released fifteen albums to date and have enjoyed a long string of hit singles spanning their twenty-four years together, most recently topped off by the 2005 top five hit "
Breathe"Breathe" is a song by British synth pop duo Erasure. It was released by Mute Records in the UK and the U.S. as the first single from the band's eleventh studio album Nightbird....
" taken from their
NightbirdNightbird is the eleventh full-length studio album by the British synthpop band Erasure. Produced by Erasure, it was released on January 25, 2005 by Mute Records in the UK and the U.S.- History :...
album. In 2006 Erasure produced a country-western style acoustic album consisting of mostly non-single cuts from their previous albums. This album,
Union StreetUnion Street is the title of the twelfth album by Erasure. Announced on their in November 2005, Union Street was released on April 3 2006 in the UK and on April 18 2006 in the U.S. by Mute Records....
was preceded by the single "
Boy"Boy" is a ballad performed by British duo Erasure. Originally recorded in typical synth pop/Erasure style in 1997, the song appeared on their album Cowboy...
" originally included on their 1997
CowboyCowboy is an album recorded by Erasure in 1997 and released by Mute Records in the UK. In the U.S., it was released by Madonna's former label Maverick Records...
album.
On 26 January 2007, in a video message on the official Erasure website, the band announced the release of their sixteenth (thirteenth studio) album, entitled
Light at the End of the WorldLight at the End of the World is the thirteenth studio album by English synthpop duo Erasure. The album's release was announced on the band's website on January 26 2007 in a video message from members Vince Clarke and Andy Bell.-Background:...
. Released in the UK on 21 May 2007, with a US release the following day, it was preceded by the single "
I Could Fall in Love with You"I Could Fall in Love with You" is a song recorded by English synthpop duo Erasure. Written by band members Vince Clarke and Andy Bell, the track is the first single released from Erasure's thirteenth studio album Light at the End of the World. Remixes are provided by Jeremy Wheatley and Lee...
", released on 2 April 2007. The second single, "
Sunday Girl"Sunday Girl" is a song recorded by British synthpop duo Erasure. Written by Erasure members Vince Clarke and Andy Bell, it appears as the opening track on the duo's thirteenth studio album Light at the End of the World. The song was released as the album's second UK single on June 11, 2007....
" was subsequently released.
The album was produced by
Gareth JonesGareth Jones is a music producer and engineer notable for working with Depeche Mode, Einstürzende Neubauten, Wire and Erasure.-Background:Gareth Jones is married and currently living in North London....
and was a more 'dance oriented' effort than some of their more recent work with Clarke making reference to the new material sounding potentially a bit more like Andy Bell's 2005 solo effort
Electric BlueElectric Blue is the debut solo album by Erasure frontman Andy Bell, released 3 October 2005 by Sanctuary Records. The album was released in-between the Erasure albums Nightbird and Union Street...
.
Erasure went on to tour with
Cyndi LauperCynthia Ann Stephanie "Cyndi" Lauper is an American singer-songwriter and actress. She achieved success in the mid-1980s with the release of the album She's So Unusual and became the first artist to have four top-five singles released from one album. Lauper has released 11 albums and over 40...
,
Deborah HarryDeborah Ann "Debbie" Harry is an American singer–songwriter and actress, most famous for being the lead singer for the New Wave band Blondie. She has also had success as a solo artist, and in the mid-1990s she also performed and recorded as part of The Jazz Passengers...
,
Margaret ChoMoran "Margaret" Cho is an American comedian, fashion designer, actress, author, gay icon, and recording artist. Cho is best known for her stand-up routines, through which she critiques social and political problems, especially those pertaining to race, sexuality, and sex...
and other artists, for the 2007
True Colors TourThe True Colors Tour is an annual music tour created by American pop singer Cyndi Lauper. The tour benefits the Human Rights Campaign and other organizations that provide support to the LGBT community and to the straight friends and family who love them, including PFLAG and the Matthew Shepard...
of the United States, a tour which benefited gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender freedoms and rights. Erasure then went out on their own, headlining the "Light at the End of the World" tour in North America and Europe.
The band released a new EP,
Storm ChaserStorm Chaser is an EP recorded by synthpop duo Erasure. It was released in the UK and Germany by Mute Records on September 24, 2007 and a North American release followed on October 2...
, in September 2007. The EP contains nine tracks, one of them the winner of an online fan remix contest, for the track "When A Lover Leaves You", from the
Light at the End of the World album.
Clarke has stated in recent interviews that a new Erasure album is already in the works, one of a darker soundtrack nature.
Additional work
In July 1984, Clarke teamed with Neil Arthur and Stephen Luscombe of
BlancmangeBlancmange are a British synthpop band who came to prominence with a string of hits in the early to mid 1980s.- Biography:Blancmange was formed in Harrow, London in 1979 by vocalist Neil Arthur and instrumentalist Stephen Luscombe...
, Pandit Dinesh and Asha Bhosle. The group, West India Company, released a four track, self-titled
EPAn extended play is a vinyl record, CD, or music download which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as an LP. Usually, a CD single has around 10–28 minutes of music, an EP has up to 36 minutes, and an album generally has 30–80 minutes. Mini-LPs generally contain 20–30...
.
Clarke worked with synthpop producer
Martyn WareMartyn Ware is a British musician and music producer. As a founder member of both The Human League and Heaven 17, he was partly responsible for hit records such as "Being Boiled" and "Temptation"...
(of
Heaven 17Heaven 17 are a British synthpop band originating from Sheffield in the early 1980s. The trio comprises Martyn Ware , Ian Craig Marsh and Glenn Gregory...
) in 1999 as "The Clarke & Ware Experiment" and released the album
Pretentious. The duo collaborated again in 2001 for the album
Spectrum Pursuit Vehicle, which was created with "3D music technology" specifically designed for listening in headphones. 2001 also saw the release of the Clarke-produced album
Erasure's Vince Clarke which featured
The Peter Pan EffectThe Peter Pan Effect is the first album released by Robert Marlow. It was released in the summer of 1999, but was recorded 15 years earlier with Vince Clarke and Eric Radcliffe, shortly between the break-up of Yazoo and the formation of the Assembly and Erasure.The album was shelved, due to the...
, an album that he and
Eric Radcliffe-Background:Eric Radcliffe is a recording engineer and producer who worked with New Wave and synthpop bands in the early 1980s in Basildon, England: Later owner of Blackwing Studios....
produced for his long time friend,
Robert MarlowRobert Marlow is a synthpop musician and songwriter.-Biography:Robert Marlow grew up in Basildon with future Depeche Mode members Vince Clarke, Martin Gore, and Andy Fletcher. He is also tied to Alison Moyet, with whom he played in a band, The Vandals. He knew Andy and Vince from the Basildon...
. Clarke wrote "Let's Get Together" for the pop girl group
Girl AuthorityGirl Authority is an American pop girl group from Massachusetts.The group consists of nine girls, ranging in ages 11 to 16. The group was established in the summer of 2005 by the group's vocal coach/executive producer Samantha Hammel, Scott Billington, a Grammy award-winning producer and the CEO of...
for their second album,
Road TripRoad Trip is the second album from Girl Authority. Unlike the first album, Road Trip is a mixture of cover songs and original songs performed by Girl Authority...
. The song was originally meant to be for Depeche Mode, but was never recorded by them. Clarke also co-wrote "What Do I Want From You?" with
Freeform FiveFreeform Five is London based Dj/producer/song-writer Anu Pillai. It was his much admired remix of Isolee’s “Beau Mot Plage” in 1999 that alerted many to this production outfit...
, for their album
Strangest Things (2005).
Clarke was an essential component of a 2000 project called Family Fantastic. They produced the album
Nice!. In 2007 Family Fantastic released a second album, entitled
Wonderful.
On 21 May 2009, Clarke was awarded by an "Outstanding Song Collection" prize, during the
Ivor Novello AwardsThe Ivor Novello Awards, named after the Cardiff born entertainer Ivor Novello, are awards for songwriting and composing. They are presented annually in London by the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors and were first introduced in 1955.Nicknamed The Ivors, the awards take place...
ceremony of the same day, in recognition of 30 years in the music industry.
With Depeche Mode
- Speak & Spell
Speak & Spell is the debut album from the British synthpop group Depeche Mode, recorded and released in 1981. The album peaked at #10 in the UK Albums Chart.-Overview:This was the only Depeche Mode album with Vince Clarke as a member of the band...
(1981, album)
- "Dreaming of Me
"Dreaming of Me" is the debut single by Depeche Mode, originally released on February 20 1981 in the UK. The single was not commercially released in the United States.Two mixes of the song have been released, one which fades out, and one which does not...
" (1981, single)
- "New Life" (1981, single)
- "Just Can't Get Enough
"Just Can't Get Enough" is the third UK single by Depeche Mode. It was originally released in the UK in September 1981, and was also the band's first single to be released in the United States, on February 18, 1982. The song, a riff-driven Synthpop piece, was the final single to be written by...
" (1981, single)
- The Singles 81>85 (1985, compilation)
With Yazoo
- Upstairs at Eric's
Upstairs at Eric's is Yazoo's first album produced by the band and E.C. Radcliffe with assistance from Daniel Miller. It reached # 2 in UK and # 92 in US...
(1982, album)
- "Only You
"Only You" is a ballad written by musician Vince Clarke. He wrote it while with Depeche Mode, and offered it to them when he was leaving. They declined, and Clarke recorded it after forming the duo Yazoo with Alison Moyet. It was an instant success, hitting number two in the UK, and charting in the...
" (1982, single)
- "Don't Go
"Don't Go" is the second single taken from the British new wave band Yazoo's debut album, Upstairs at Eric's. Released in the UK in July of 1982, the song peaked at #3 on the UK singles chart, becoming Yazoo's second top five hit. In the US, where the band was known as Yaz, the song was their...
" (1982, single)
- "The Other Side of Love" (1982, single)
- You and Me Both
You and Me Both is the second, and final, album released by British synthpop duo Yazoo in 1983. As was their debut, the record was produced by Yazoo members Vince Clarke and Alison Moyet along with E.C. Radcliffe...
(1983, album)
- "Nobody's Diary
"Nobody's Diary" is a song recorded by British synthpop band Yazoo. It was released as the only single from their 1983 album, You and Me Both. The song was written by Yazoo vocalist Alison Moyet and produced by the band and Eric Radcliffe....
" (1983, single)
In duet with Martyn Ware
- Pretentious (1999, as The Clarke and Ware Experiment)
- Spectrum Pursuit Vehicles (2001, simply as Vincent Clarke & Martyn Ware)
Remixes
He has remixed the following songs for artists other than Erasure:
- 1988 Happy Mondays
Happy Mondays are a British alternative rock band from Salford, Greater Manchester. Formed in 1980, the band's original line-up was Shaun Ryder on lead vocals, his brother Paul Ryder on bass, lead guitarist Mark Day , keyboardist Paul Davis, and drummer Gary Whelan...
- "WFL (Wrote for Luck)"
- 1990 Betty Boo
Alison Moira Clarkson better known as Betty Boo, is a British singer, songwriter and pop-rap artist...
- "24 Hours" (Oratronic Mix)
- 1991 Fortran 5
Fortran 5 were a band from the early 90s, similar to such other acts of the time as The Orb, Fluke and Underworld. Their sound was mainly pop/electronic, but were notable in particular for their offbeat cover versions of Pink Floyd's Bike and Derek & The Dominos' Layla.The core members of the band...
- "Heart on the Line" (V.C. Mix)
- 1991 Habit - "Power"
- 1992 Nitzer Ebb
Nitzer Ebb are a British EBM group formed in 1982 by Essex school friends Vaughan Harris , Douglas McCarthy , and David Gooday...
- "Ascend" (Anonymous Mix)
- 1992 The Wolfgang Press
The Wolfgang Press were an English band active in the 1980s and 1990s. While many people were involved in most of their recordings , the core band consisted of Michael Allen , Mark Cox , and Andrew Gray . The band recorded for the 4AD label...
- "Angel"
- 1992 Betty Boo
Alison Moira Clarkson better known as Betty Boo, is a British singer, songwriter and pop-rap artist...
- "I'm on My Way" (The Batman and Robin Mix)
- 1993 The Time Frequency
The Time Frequency is a techno group from Scotland.Started by Jon Campbell and Steve Nelson in 1988 as a synth band, changing its name from Thru The Fire to The Time Frequency, it was one of Scotland's first techno bands and quickly established a strong following amongst the country's club-going...
- "Real Love'93"
- 1994 Sparks
Sparks is an American rock and pop music band formed in Los Angeles in 1970 by brothers Ron and Russell Mael , initially under the name Halfnelson...
- "When Do I Get to Sing "My Way""
- 1994 Alison Moyet
Alison Moyet , is an English pop singer-songwriter noted for her bluesy voice.-Early life:...
- "Whispering Your Name" (A Remix)
- 1995 Egebamyasi
Mr Egg is a musician credited as being one of the founding fathers of UK Acid House music. He formed the group Egebamyasi in 1984, and named it after Can's 3rd studio album Ege Bamyasi-Singles and EPs:...
- "Remont" (Vince Version)
- 1997 White Town
White Town is a techno-pop act from the United Kingdom, and is the work of one man, Jyoti Prakash Mishra.-Career:Mishra was born in Rourkela, India, on 30 July 1966, and has lived in England since the age of three...
- "Wanted" single
- 2001 Marlow
Robert Marlow is a synthpop musician and songwriter.-Biography:Robert Marlow grew up in Basildon with future Depeche Mode members Vince Clarke, Martin Gore, and Andy Fletcher. He is also tied to Alison Moyet, with whom he played in a band, The Vandals. He knew Andy and Vince from the Basildon...
- "My Teenage Dream" (Stealth Mix)
- 2001 Marlow
Robert Marlow is a synthpop musician and songwriter.-Biography:Robert Marlow grew up in Basildon with future Depeche Mode members Vince Clarke, Martin Gore, and Andy Fletcher. He is also tied to Alison Moyet, with whom he played in a band, The Vandals. He knew Andy and Vince from the Basildon...
- "No Heart" (Vince Clarke 2001 Dance Mix)
- 2002 Simple Minds
Simple Minds are a rock band from Scotland, who had their greatest worldwide popularity from the mid-1980s to the early 1990s. The band, from the south side of Glasgow, produced a handful of critically acclaimed albums in the early 1980s, and later went on to produce some politically inspired and...
- "Homosapien"
- 2005 Andy Bell
Andy Bell is the lead singer of the English synthpop duo, Erasure.-Career:...
- "Crazy"
- 2005 Rammstein
Rammstein is a German rock band from Berlin, formed in 1994. The band consists of members Till Lindemann , Richard Z. Kruspe , Paul H. Landers , Oliver "Ollie" Riedel , Christoph "Doom" Schneider and Christian "Flake" Lorenz...
- "Mann Gegen Mann" (Popular Music Mix)
- 2006 Rosenstolz
Rosenstolz is a German music band from Berlin. Their music combines several styles including rock, pop and ballads. AnNa R. and Peter Plate form the duo. They had their breakthrough in 1998 with the song Herzensschöner...
- "Nichts Von Alledem (Tut Mir Leid)"
- 2006 Noirhaus - "It's Over"
- 2009 The Saturdays
The Saturdays are a British-Irish girl group formed in Britain in 2008, comprising Frankie Sandford, Mollie King, Una Healy, Rochelle Wiseman and Vanessa White . The Saturdays made their recording debut in 2008 under the record label Fascination Records, a sub-division of Polydor Records...
- "Issues" (Vince Clarke Remix)
- 2009 Marlow
Robert Marlow is a synthpop musician and songwriter.-Biography:Robert Marlow grew up in Basildon with future Depeche Mode members Vince Clarke, Martin Gore, and Andy Fletcher. He is also tied to Alison Moyet, with whom he played in a band, The Vandals. He knew Andy and Vince from the Basildon...
- "Home" (Vince Clarke's Starstruck Mix)
- 2009 Polly Scattergood
Polly Scattergood is a singer songwriter from Essex, England. She has been described as ethereal, dark, intense and quirky. while her musical style has been described as "early 21st century electro-dance-pop of London proper".- Early years :...
- "Other Too Endless"
- 2009 Franz Ferdinand
Franz Ferdinand are a Scottish rock band that formed in Glasgow, Scotland, in 2002. The band is composed of Alex Kapranos , Bob Hardy , Nick McCarthy and Paul Thomson .The band first experienced chart success when their second single "Take Me Out" reached #3 in the...
- "No You Girls" (Vince Clarke Remix)
- 2009 The Presets
The Presets are a Sydney-based Australian duo, consisting of Julian Hamilton and Kim Moyes. They first met in 1995 at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music where they were both studying. In September 2005, they released their debut album, Beams, to positive critical response. Their second album,...
- "If I Know You" (Vince Clarke Remix)
- 2009 Space Cowboy
Nick Dresti, better known by his stage name Space Cowboy is a French DJ, record producer and singer. He is a protégé of Norman Cook.-1996-2006: Career Beginnings:...
- "Falling Down" (Vince Clarke Remix)
Production and recording methods
When Clarke started out in the music industry in 1979, all synthesizers were analogue. In order to connect
analogue synthesizersAn analog or analogue synthesizer is a synthesizer that uses analog circuits and analog computer techniques to generate sound electronically. The earliest analog synthesizers in the 1920s and 1930s such as the Trautonium were built with a variety of valve and electro-mechanical technologies...
, drum machines and sequencers together, a complex series of patch cables was required controlling each aspect of the instruments sound. When the MIDI standard was introduced in 1983, Clarke, like most other electronic musicians, gradually migrated to the new technology. MIDI only requires one cable per instrument connection. However, he never felt as comfortable using MIDI as he did with his older analogue instruments, despite the ease of MIDI controllers and connections. For the Chorus album in 1991, he gathered together his collection of analogue synthesizers from various recording studio locations in London and set up a small studio in Amsterdam. This led Clarke to assemble an intricate patch system to more easily enable the control of his analogue instruments. In a 1993 interview for the Erasure fan club magazine Private Ear, Clarke stated about analogue “I can hear and feel that it's tighter than MIDI - we can even prove it using 'scopes. Because everything is clocked simply, it arrives bang on the beat. The whole production starts to 'tick over'. Just look at Kraftwerk's stuff. I think that 'feel' has been lost with MIDI sequencers. No matter what you do with MIDI, the music will never sound as good as it did in the good or Futurist days. That's why our tracks sound the way they do."
Clarke continued to expand his collection of analogue synthesizers and in 1994 set up 37B, a recording studio within his custom made home, named ‘Ammonite’, in Surrey. From 1994 to 2003, all Erasure albums were either wholly or in part recorded at 37B.
Clarke moved to Maine in 2004, but was unable to transport his studio equipment with him. Subsequent Erasure albums have been produced using computer based MIDI software synthesizers which Clarke stores on his laptop computer.
As of 2009, Clarke has set up his pre-midi analog synthesizers in a wooden hut-like structure in Maine, and combined it with a digital, logic based set up to form a new recording studio which is open for commercial use. It is called The Cabin.
Personal life
Clarke has been married to Tracy Hurley since 2004, and together they have a son named Oscar.
External links