Exciting news from the world of dark-hued electronic music: Marin Gore and Vince Clarke, the two founder wizards of Depeche Mode, are working together for the first time in years and making a techno album. Speaking to Billboard, Gore said "Out of the blue I got an e-mail from [Vince Clarke] just saying, 'I'm interested in making a techno album. Are you interested in collaborating?' This was maybe nine months, a year ago. He said, 'No pressure, no deadlines,' so I said, 'OK,' and that's what we've been doing the last six months."

The pair have also collaborated on the new Depeche Mode remixes album, which also involved Alan Wilder. All this seems to be the result of a thawing of relations between the current and former members of Depeche Mode. "I think a few years ago it would have seemed highly unlikely for Alan and Vince to be involved in a project with us," Gore said, "but now we all get on OK, so it's not that strange."

Speaking about the recording process for the Vince Clarke techno project, Gore said "It was something different, and we didn't have conversations about it. It was more just like e-mails and file-sharing. It was something completely different - no vocals, all instrumental stuff."

It sounds as if you shouldn't get too excited about hearing a Gore / Clarke techno banger LP any time soon, though. "Even though it will probably be finished quite soon, it might not see the light of day for awhile," he said.