Alan Wilder

It made complete sense.

But when band member Alan Wilder, when he heard the demo, he immediately heard something quite different.

Without telling Martin Gore, Alan Wilder and the producer of the album Flood, they took the backing track, accelerated the tempo, and built a driving disco-influenced rhythm section around it.

When they presented the transformed version of Martin Gore, he was furious.

The idea of putting a danceable beat behind his song about serenity, it felt like a total betrayal.

The number one song the week that it hit number eight was Ice Ice Baby by Vanilla Ice.

Sorry Ice, Depeche Mode deserved number one.

Sadly, Alan Wilder is no longer with Depeche Mode.

But if you trace where it comes from, it's not just a synth bass on its own.

Behind that groove was an actual guitar rhythm played by Alan Wilder, processed through a chorus effect and then treated with subtle saturation so that it blended into the electronic texture like a second synth.

What I find fascinating about this technique is how they used a simple guitar amp patch, basically an outboard rack of EQ and a small speaker cabinet, to inject analog warmth that the ARP 2600 couldn't deliver alone.

Now, if you dive deeper into the production notes, you'll see that Mark Flood Ellis was careful with microphone placement on those guitar tracks.

like a lot and in the process writing some of the greatest tracks of his career.

Alan Wilder became disillusioned and felt like his input was not acknowledged.

He often clashed with Martin over creative differences and while the other members were absent Alan was the one working with Flood in the studio day and night, trying to hold it all together.

Because of the growing tensions and Alan not receiving the credit that he deserved, he quit Depeche Mode in June 1995.

You can hear Flood's presence throughout Songs of Faith and Devotion.

He had just come off the back of producing Act On Baby for U2 and Violator.

But Alan Wilder puts his creative stamp all over the 10 tracks here.

He utilises his precise and sharp production skills.

I saw her live.

What movie did Dirk watch to take his mind off of Alan Wilder's departure from Depeche Mode? Was he laughing at the foibles of Hugh Grant in Nine Months or dreaming of a sumptuous stunt show while watching Waterworld? Only he knows.

So, Dirk, what's your pick for 1995?

Well, first, the Juno Reactor remix of Control by Tracy Lourdes is a