Depeche Mode influenced many of today's popular recording artists, in part due to their recording techniques and innovative use of sampling. For example, Pet Shop Boys cited Violator (and "Enjoy the Silence" in particular) as one of the main sources of inspiration during recording of their critically acclaimed album Behaviour. Neil Tennant, “We were listening to Violator by Depeche Mode, which was a very good album and we were deeply jealous of it.” Chris Lowe agrees, “They had raised the stakes.” Techno pioneers Derrick May, Kevin Saunderson and Juan Atkins regularly quoted Depeche Mode as an influence on the development of techno music during the Detroit Techno explosion in the mid 1980s.
According to Matt Smith, the former music director of the modern-rock radio station KROQ, "The Killers, The Bravery, Franz Ferdinand — that whole wave of music owes a tremendous amount to Depeche Mode."
Chester Bennington, vocalist of Linkin Park, was inspired by the band. Another Linkin Park member Mike Shinoda, "Depeche Mode is one of the most influential groups of our time. Their music is an inspiration to me..."
The band's influence is spread throughout different genres of music. Raymond Herrera, the drummer of the metal band Fear Factory, "A lot of different music influenced the way I play now. Like the band Depeche Mode. If I could sound like Depeche Mode, but be fast like Slayer, I think I might be onto something". According to Darren Smith, the guitarist of the post-hardcore band Funeral For A Friend, "dark, moodier stuff" in his band's music was "Depeche Mode-influenced."
