GreenGo (1.09.2005 6:42)
Good news for Depeche Mode fans, as the promotion rolls on for their upcoming album, "Playing The Angel". In an interview given Monday, Dave Gahan explained that being in Depeche Mode is better than it has been for the past 15 years and that this is the first time since the mid-eighties that he is certain that Depeche Mode will make another record. And it seems he actually means it.

Dave, who's debuting as a songwriter for Depeche Mode with three songs on the new album, co-wrote his contributions with Mode's drummer-for-hire, Christian Eigner. Mute boss, Daniel Miller had flown to New York last year, and heard Dave's tapes and liked them, unlike "Paper Monsters", which Dave says Daniel "had a hard time with"... then it was decided that the album would have three Dave songs and the rest will come from Martin.

Together, the pair of them had written 15 songs, from which producer Ben Hillier chose the three that fit the album the best. Unlike previous producers, Hillier is not a fan of Depeche Mode by any means. Until his involvement with "Playing The Angel", Hillier had never heard any Depeche Mode album all the way through. And, with the exception of "Playing The Angel", he propably still hasn't. Before the sessions started Hillier was sent a package with the entire Mode catalogue - a package, he revealed as the sessions drew to a close, he had barely bothered to open...

Rather than taking this as an insult, Dave puts a positive spin on it. Hillier's apparant unfamiliarity with Depeche meant that he didn't have any pre-conceived notion of what a Depeche Mode record should sound like, something that might have been a disadvantage to their last two records, both produces by self-proclaimed Mode fans. Looking back, Gahan is far from pleased with the results of their collaboration with the two previous producers. Dave said that during the Exciter sessions Mark Bell just tinkered with computer in the corner, Fletch read magazines, Martin was more interested in making dj tapes in the another room than his own album and Dave was just bored out of his mind. He feels that Ultra and Exciter were the best albums they could do at that given time, but now, looking back, both albums give the impression of a three-legged-dog, ie. stumbling quite a lot, but still getting there at the end.

Now he feels that Hillier really became the fourth leg for them to stand on. Hillier is an old-school coach-type producer who pushes the band. "It came as a shock to Ben, how little we usually do in the studio," explains Dave. So Hillier forced the band to be more active, and created an atmosphere in which all parties were invited to let ideas flow and contribute to the mood.