1. Depeche ModeMaster And Servant
I’m a huge fan of Depeche Mode. When Red Hot Chili Peppers started writing Californication back in 1998, I was 28-years-old and had just restarted my life. It sort of ended when I was 22, and I had a lot of near-death experiences in the ensuing five years. So when I came back into the world I was a real different person, Depeche Mode became my favourite band, and I just bought every 12” of theirs at a place near me called Vinyl Fetish that stocked a lot of UK imports.
Back then, I could play all the synth melodies to their songs on guitar. Their 12”s are so incredible because they’ve been a huge influence not only obviously on synth-pop, but almost every style of electronic music that means anything. It’s such an unusual thing for a pop group to have such a huge influence on the underground. And not subtly, either. This single is one of the weirder ones. I think these Adrian Sherwood remixes inspired them to get weirder with their own remixes, so I see it as a pivotal point for them in their remix career. I’m also a huge fan of his – stuff like Tackhead and the Ministry album Twitch. As my friend Danny Lohner from Nine Inch Nails says, the latter is like Depeche Mode on acid.
