Alan Wilder | |
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Background information | |
Birth name | Alan Charles Wilder |
Born | Hammersmith, London, England | 1 June 1959
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Instruments |
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Years active | 1975–present |
Labels | |
Member of | Recoil |
Formerly of | |
Website | recoil |
Alan Charles Wilder (born 1 June 1959) is an English musician, composer, arranger, record producer and member of the electronic band Depeche Mode from 1982 to 1995. After his departure from the band, the musical project Recoil became his primary musical enterprise, which initially started as a side project to Depeche Mode in 1986. Wilder has also provided production and remixing services to the bands Nitzer Ebb and Curve. In 2020, Wilder was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Depeche Mode. He is a classically trained musician. [1]
Alan Charles Wilder was born the youngest of three boys and was raised in Acton, West London. He began piano at the age of eight, through the encouragement of his parents. Later on, he learned the flute at St Clement Danes Grammar School and became a leading musician in his school bands. After school, Wilder worked as a studio assistant at DJM Studios. This led to him working for bands such as the Dragons and Dafne & the Tenderspots (as Alan Normal). Others include Real to Real (featuring Adrian Chilvers on bass, Pete Fresh on guitar, Wolfgang Marlander on drums and Paul St James on vocals), the Hitmen, and the Korgis, appearing on the UK No. 13 single "If I Had You" (1979).
Following the departure of Vince Clarke, Depeche Mode placed an advertisement in the music magazine Melody Maker : "Keyboard player needed for established band – no timewasters." Even though the ad was looking for someone under 21 (Wilder was 22), he lied about his age to get the job. He joined Depeche Mode in January 1982, initially as a tour keyboardist and soon thereafter as a full member of the recording band. His first studio contribution was on the single "Get the Balance Right!" in December 1982, released the following month.
Wilder wrote a handful of songs for Depeche Mode, including "Two Minute Warning" and "The Landscape Is Changing" (and a B-side, "Fools") from the album Construction Time Again , [2] "If You Want" (and a B-side, "In Your Memory") from the album Some Great Reward , [3] and co-wrote "Black Day" (and a B-side, "Christmas Island") around the release of the album Black Celebration . However, Wilder's more notable contributions to Depeche Mode were as a musician, arranger, and producer.
In addition to playing synthesizer throughout his time with Depeche Mode, Wilder also played piano on the band's signature ballad "Somebody". In the documentary film 101 , Wilder demonstrates how different synthesizer parts of a song are split and arranged across a sampling keyboard for playing them live during the concert, just one small example of Wilder's ongoing contributions to Depeche Mode during his time as a member of the group. For the recording of the album Songs of Faith and Devotion and its corresponding Devotional Tour, Wilder also played live drums.
For "Enjoy the Silence" from the album Violator , Wilder took Martin Gore's melancholy ballad-esque demo and re-envisioned the song as a percolating, melodic dance track. [4] The resulting single went on to become one of the most commercially successful songs in Depeche Mode's history.
In June 1995, Wilder announced his departure from Depeche Mode "due to increasing dissatisfaction with the internal relations and working practices of the group". [5] After his split from the band, Wilder was approached by Robert Smith with an offer to join the Cure. [6] According to Wilder himself, the possibility was offered on behalf of the Cure by Daryl Bamonte (tour manager for both Depeche Mode and the Cure, and brother of the Cure member Perry Bamonte), and Wilder declined as joining another band was the last thing on his mind. [7]
Wilder briefly reunited with Depeche Mode during the Teenage Cancer Trust concert at the Royal Albert Hall in London on 17 February 2010. During the encore, Wilder played piano on "Somebody". [5]
Recoil began in 1986 as a two-track experimental EP. Simply entitled 1 + 2 , the collection of primitive demos caught the attention of Mute Records label boss Daniel Miller and was inconspicuously released as a mini-album on 12" vinyl. An album, Hydrology , soon followed in 1988, and both were eventually re-issued by Mute on CD as Hydrology plus 1 + 2 .
Douglas McCarthy of Nitzer Ebb sang on Recoil's next album, Bloodline , released in 1992. Wilder recruited guest vocalists for the first time, with further contributions from Toni Halliday and Moby. Bloodline also yielded the first two Recoil singles, a cover of Alex Harvey's song "Faith Healer" as well as "Electro Blues for Bukka White".
In September 1996, after leaving Depeche Mode, Wilder began work in his own studio, The Thin Line. He pieced together what would become Recoil's next album, Unsound Methods (1997). The album was followed by Liquid (2000), SubHuman (2007), and Selected (2010).
Recoil returned in 2012 to release the concert film A Strange Hour in Budapest on Blu-ray.
In August 1991, after marrying his first wife, Jeri Young, Wilder bought a 30-acre, eight-bedroom country estate in Itchingfield, West Sussex, England, where he later built his personal recording studio, The Thin Line. In 2024, Wilder listed the property (minus the studio) for sale, citing the desire to downsize. [8]
In May 2024, Wilder purchased a vacation property in Vestfold, Norway. [9]
Wilder appeared on all of Depeche Mode's releases from "Get the Balance Right!" (31 January 1983) up to "In Your Room" (10 January 1994), later taking part in reissues and compilations containing material from his time in the band.
Studio albums
Live albums
Compilations
Singles
Video albums
Wilder organized with Omega Auctions an auction selling a lot of Depeche Mode collectible items on 3 September 2011 in Manchester. A DVD called Collected + was released as a promotion for these events.
Depeche Mode are an English electronic music band formed in Basildon, Essex in 1980. Originally formed with the lineup of Dave Gahan, Martin Gore, Andy Fletcher and Vince Clarke, the band currently consists of Gahan and Gore.
Vincent John Martin, known professionally as Vince Clarke, is an English synth-pop musician and songwriter. Clarke has been the main composer and musician of the band Erasure since its inception in 1985, and was previously the main songwriter for several groups, including Depeche Mode, Yazoo, and the Assembly. In Erasure, he is known for his deadpan and low-key onstage demeanour, often remaining motionless over his keyboard, in sharp contrast to lead vocalist Andy Bell's animated and hyperactive frontman antics.
Violator is the seventh studio album by English electronic music band Depeche Mode. It was first released on 19 March 1990 by Mute Records internationally, and by Sire and Reprise Records in the United States.
Mark Ellis, known by his professional pseudonym Flood, is a British rock and synthpop record producer and audio engineer. Flood's list of work includes projects with New Order, U2, Nine Inch Nails, Marc and the Mambas, Depeche Mode, Gary Numan, Sneaker Pimps, King, Ministry, The Charlatans, Thirty Seconds to Mars, Erasure, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, PJ Harvey, Foals, a-ha, Orbital, Sigur Rós, The Jesus and Mary Chain, The Smashing Pumpkins, The Killers, White Lies, Pop Will Eat Itself, Warpaint, EOB, and Interpol. His co-production collaborations have included projects with Brian Eno, Daniel Lanois, Steve Lillywhite, and longtime collaborator Alan Moulder, with whom he co-founded the Assault & Battery Studios complex. In 2006, his work with U2 led to his sharing of the Grammy Award for Album of the Year for How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb.
Nitzer Ebb are an English EBM group formed in 1982 by Essex school friends Vaughan "Bon" Harris, Douglas McCarthy (vocals), and David Gooday (drums). The band were originally named La Comédie De La Mort but soon discarded that and chose the name Nitzer Ebb by cutting up words and letters and arranging them randomly to create something Germanic without using actual German words.
Remixes 81–04 is a remix album by English electronic music band Depeche Mode, released on 25 October 2004. It was the band's first release since Daniel Miller's independent label Mute Records was acquired by industry major EMI in 2002. It features well-known remixes from the band's back catalogue, as well as previously unavailable mixes.
Songs of Faith and Devotion is the eighth studio album by English electronic music band Depeche Mode. It was first released on 22 March 1993 in the United Kingdom by Mute Records and a day later in the United States by Sire Records and Reprise Records. The album incorporated a more aggressive, darker rock-oriented tone than its predecessor Violator (1990), largely influenced by the emerging alternative rock and grunge scenes in the United States.
"Stripped" is a song by the English electronic music band Depeche Mode. It was released as the lead single from their fifth studio album Black Celebration (1986) on 10 February 1986, through Mute Records. Written by the band's lead songwriter Martin Gore, "Stripped" introduces the more dark and sample oriented composition that featured on the Black Celebration album. It incorporates various samples into its instrumental; most notably, the sound of an idling motorcycle engine was recorded, altered slightly, and inserted as a percussive element.
"Just Can't Get Enough" is a song by English electronic music band Depeche Mode. It was their third single, released on 7 September 1981, a month before the release of their debut studio album, Speak & Spell. It was recorded during the summer of that year at Blackwing Studios, and was the band's first single to be released in the United States, on 18 February 1982. A riff-driven synth-pop song, "Just Can't Get Enough" was the final single to be written by founding member Vince Clarke, who left the band in November 1981.
Recoil is a musical project created by English musician and former Depeche Mode member Alan Wilder. Essentially a solo venture, Recoil began whilst Wilder was still in Depeche Mode as an outlet for his experimental, less pop-oriented compositions. Once he announced his departure from the group in 1995, Recoil became Wilder's primary musical enterprise.
"Everything Counts" is a song by the English electronic music band Depeche Mode from their third studio album, Construction Time Again (1983). A live version of the song was released in 1989 to support the band's live album 101. The original single reached No. 6 on the UK Singles Chart, whereas the live version reached No. 22.
"Love, in Itself" is a song by English electronic music band Depeche Mode, released on 19 September 1983 as the second and final single from their third studio album, Construction Time Again (1983). The song peaked at number 21 on the UK Singles Chart.
"Blasphemous Rumours" / "Somebody" is a single by English electronic band Depeche Mode. It was released on 29 October 1984, as their twelfth UK single and first double A-side single. Both A-side songs are from the album Some Great Reward.
Some Great Videos is the first music video compilation by Depeche Mode, featuring ten music videos directed by Clive Richardson or Peter Care, released on 14 October 1985. It coincides with The Singles 81→85.
The World Violation Tour was a 1990 concert tour by English electronic group Depeche Mode in support of the act's seventh studio album, Violator. It was estimated that by the end of the tour, Depeche Mode had toured to 1.2 million fans.
Ebbhead is the fourth album of the British EBM group Nitzer Ebb. Co-produced by Depeche Mode's Alan Wilder in collaboration with Flood, it was released by Mute Records on 30 September 1991. The album features a continuation of their industrial sound with the inclusion of metal guitars for the first time, notably featured on the single Godhead as well as the Family Man remix. According to the band, the guitar parts featured were recorded samples.
Unsound Methods is the fourth studio album by Recoil, released in 1997. It was recorded at Alan Wilder's home studio, The Thin Line, in Sussex, during sessions that lasted from September 1996 to March 1997. The album was produced by Alan Wilder, with assistance and coordination by Hepzibah Sessa, and additional production and engineering by Steve Lyon. The album was mixed by Wilder.
Bloodline is the third album by Recoil, released on April 14, 1992. It was recorded at Konk Studios in London, during sessions that lasted from January to March 1991, being mixed later that same year. The album was produced by Alan Wilder, engineered by Steve Lyon, and assisted by Dave Eringa.
Industrial Complex is a studio album from British EBM group Nitzer Ebb. It was released by Major Records on 22 January 2010 in Europe, fifteen years after the band's last studio album. It is the band's first release after parting company with Mute Records following its 2006 retrospective, Body of Work.
The Global Spirit Tour was a 2017–18 worldwide concert tour by English electronic music band Depeche Mode in support of the group's 14th studio album, Spirit. During the summer 2017, the band played to more than 3 million fans in total. This is the last concert tour to feature keyboardist Andy Fletcher before his death in 2022.