Alan on Depeche Mode’s sound and sampling process:
With a Depeche Mode song, the first thing we decide upon is atmosphere. After that, we might add sampled sounds. They could be anything—pebbles in a can or industrial noises using oil cans, skips, concrete… All the technology we use is computer-based, but our interest is in what you can do with that, not how it works. There’s no reason to be scared of computer technology. People blame technology for musical sterility, but that’s rubbish. It comes down to ideas.




















