Alan Wilder – “On hold for the time being” What happened to Alan Wilder? This must have been one of the must asked questions that the Side-Line staff received in the past three years and for sure one of the most asked on the multiple Depeche Mode forums around. Since Wilder aka Recoil released “Liquid”, a delicious feast for those who go for well sought after and elected sounds and top notch production, it became rather silent around the ex-Depeche Mode genius. His name popped up quite a few times when Depeche Mode released a new album just to indicate that “Alan would have done it way better”. Even Dave Gahan openly admitted that the band never had succeeded in replacing the 4th member who took off to head for other horizons in 1995. With the additional production of Alan Wilder on Paul Kendall’s recently released “Capture” album (namely on the track “Coma Idyllique”, see our interview with Paul Kendall) out on 0101 records under the name of The Digital Intervention we hailed Sussex to find Alan Wilder ready to do an exclusive full interview with Side-Line. After 3 years of complete silence, here’s Alan Wilder! Do notice that this online interview is completely different to the one printed in Side-Line issue 46, which you can purchase in our online shop. Be sure to visit Shunt, the official Recoil website. (By Bernard Van Isacker)
SL: How is the family Wilder doing?
AW: Stan is 2, he's a proper boy - loves cars, football, builds things. Paris is 8 and is the opposite of Stan, not surprisingly. She's just started at a new school and is very busy learning piano, riding and so on. They are both adorable - but I would say that wouldn't I?
SL: What have you been doing in these past couple of years of silence? I don't expect you have started taking up gardening?
AW: I've been enjoying all the things I never seemed to have time for when I was in the studio. They include travelling (around Europe), re-kindling relationships with other members of the Wilder family (my brother Stephen in particular), spending time with my kids and helping with their upbringing, spending time with Hep and taking her out occasionally :-), building a new glass courtyard, entertaining friends, playing tennis, walking, watching cricket, decorating, and drinking Campari while enjoying the best English summer we've had for a century.
SL: You don't release new music, but what I was wondering is if that also means you don't play either. Do you actually do some stuff for fun in the studio or is it a toy that is at the moment hidden in the attic?
AW: I don't use the studio for any other reasons but I do play the piano and drums at home quite often. I'm lucky enough to have two grand pianos - one in my bedroom and one in the main reception area of our house. When we have family or large gatherings, invariably, it ends around the piano for a sing song.
SL: As I understood from some of your most recent comments, your relation with Mute is somewhat troubled? Did the lack of promotion leave such a harsh feeling?
AW: For me, writing and producing albums is an intense experience, something I have to put every ounce of thought and creativity I have into. I'm a perfectionist and that tends to make each project that little bit harder - you feel you must improve upon what you've done in the past. Making 'Liquid' was probably the most grueling time I've ever spent in the studio. I was encamped there for sometimes 20 hours a day, for a year or so. Naturally, the rest of your life suffers as a result.
Frankly, I found it quite demoralising when the record was eventually released to find that certain marketing promises were broken (for example, an independent internet campaign was shelved) and CDs weren't available in even the most major record shops in the major cities during the weeks following the release, and this, despite picking up some promising radio play. For any artist, having people write or 'phone in asking why they can't find the product is THE single most frustrating thing.
The problem is that I find it impossible to make music in any other way and, even though shifting units is not necessarily the main reason for producing records, I'm just not prepared, at this time, to shut myself away for another year making another record that people won't get to hear. Not whilst I have young children that I wish to see grow up. I want to enjoy my kids and I want to be there for them when they need their father most. This is the reason I waited until I'd finished touring before having any children in the first place.
Having been involved in making albums for well over 20 years now, I just feel that at this time, I need to step back from it all and devote my time to some other things. I hope the fans will understand this.
SL: Which reminds me, the production you did on some Curve tracks in the end wasn't released, did you ever get a satisfactory explanation for this?
AW: Not really but so what. I guess Toni and Dean just saw it as 'work in progress' and it obviously didn't suit their needs in the final equation. Their loss though (laughs).
SL: Do you think that if a new Recoil album would be recorded, it could still be released on Mute or is that no longer an obvious choice?
AW: I would like to think so. Having said what I have about being let down, I can appreciate how difficult it must be, especially in today's 'Pop Idol' climate, to expose more thoughtful, challenging music. Distribution seems to be a real problem. There are very few outlets for the avant garde and I'm not the only artist who suffers because of this.
SL: Nitzer Ebb are no longer on speaking terms with Mute or Daniel Miller, do you feel that the atmosphere changed (to the worse?) since EMI has taken over Mute. Some people even told me that Daniel is completely out of the game and only interested in his own new label he recently founded, namely Credible Sexy Units.
AW: I can't speak for Nitzer Ebb and I can't really comment on how things have changed at Mute since the take-over. I know that one or two good allies have left the company but I haven't had a lot of contact with Mute over the last 2 years as I haven't been musically active.
SL: Nevertheless critics have already argued that Mute has been neglecting its latest output, poorly mastered DM singles DVD, poorly edited 101 DVD,... which leaves the impression that they are milking the Mute cow at the EMI offices.
AW: These kinds of problems are nothing new - it's just down to incompetence rather than any change in attitude.
SL: As far as the internet goes, Shunt has taken quite a nap, it surprises me that you didn't start a monthly column or so... What kind of an internet user are you actually?
AW: Not a lot to talk about right now. As far as internet goes, I rarely surf for the hell of it. I tend to use the net when I need something - air flights, banking, supermarket shopping. Very boring I know but, believe it or not, I don't have the time for much else. I'm actually very busy!
SL: Do you in fact think that you'll ever start taking up production again for a band like you once did with Nitzer Ebb?
AW: I'm unlikely to take on a production job for an unknown artist, for similar reasons as I've mentioned. I never say never and if something came along that was just too exciting to pass by, then maybe, but don't hold your breath.
SL: What does Recoil stand for anno 2003/2004 ? What does it mean to you now, today?
AW: I'm not down on the project itself. Since it's so open-ended, it could go anywhere musically. Reaction and reviews have generally been good, certainly since 'Unsound Methods' and, as I've said, sales are not what it's all about. The project is just on hold for the time being.
SL: I remember that Dave solicited openly for your production skills for his solo album. Hearing the album, I think I understand why you didn't do it... care for any comment?
AW: I'm not aware actually that Dave was after any of my so-called production skills. As you know, I try not to comment too specifically on the newer works of DM but I'm pleased for David. I'm sure it feels mighty fulfilling to have got some of his own writing off his chest and it's indicative of his state of mind that he got it done and is out on the road, which he clearly loves. I went to see him play in London recently and enjoyed it. It was good to see him afterwards and catch up with a lot of people I hadn't seen for a while. I also met his partner in crime, Knox, who seems like a nice chap.
SL: What's on your cd-player lately?
AW: Robert Wyatt, “Kill Bill” soundtrack, Unkle, Elbow. I was mainly disappointed with “Tour De France” by Kraftwerk. I can't get as excited by a Kraftwerk release these days as I used to. I just can't imagine them being groundbreaking anymore. Perhaps that's just far too high an expectation.
Добавлено (2006-11-14, 9:16 Am)
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Alan Wilder’s Recoil is a dark brooding atmospheric concept that challenges the listeners emotions with its conflicting shades of light and darkness.
The project began in ernest in 1986 whilst Wilder was still enjoying huge success as the 4th member of Depeche Mode. 1 + 2 was the first release followed swiftly in 1988 by Hydrology which earnt Wilder some early rave reviews “Recoil’s reason for existence is to create soundscapes which fluctuate and radiate warmth and affection. .”, as good a summing up as any although later releases proved to lean towards moodier output. It was two years again before Bloodline (1990) was released featuring appearances from Moby no less and Nitzer Ebb’s Douglas McCarthy. “Disconcerting but ultimately very moving”, was an accurate summing up of the continuing mood of the album and project as a whole. However, people may not have been ready for such a release, in the early 90’s most were still inclined to sit and listen to the modern day heroes of electronica, few trawled the alternative section of the record store, if indeed one existed.
Fortunately Alan Wilder still had a foot in both camps, Depeche Mode were at their peak and Recoil allowed him to safely experiment on his own terms. However, in 1996 Wilder broke through the chains and left Depeche Mode whilst it had begun to rapidly fall apart no thanks to Dave Gahan’s drug abuse. This gave Wilder the impetus to throw himself fully into the project. The result Unsound Methods (1997) is the most effective and challenging Recoil release to date. The reviews were fanatical but perhaps one of the most satisfying soundbytes at the time of its release was from Mixmag magazine who simply stated: ”If you’re listening to ‘Unsound Methods’ a lot you should probably see a psychiatrist”, I doubt a higher compliment could be made to a creative artist hell bent on pushing the boundaries of electronic music. With a fifth instalment to Recoil’s catalogue (Liquid) due during the first part of 2000, we took the opportunity to reflect with Alan upon his past achievements and future hopes.
The reviews for Unsound Methods were generally excellent, do you pay much attention to what is written in the media, and do you think they understood the mood you were trying to convey with the album? I try not to be too affected - you have to be careful about the emphasis you put on other peoples opinions, whether good or bad, because music is so subjective. It's also hugely personal and one never has a guarantee that it will relate to anyone elses life or experiences. With bad press, I take it with a pinch of salt and try and remember that it's almost impossible to pigeon-hole Recoil because it's such a synthesis of so many different styles, and consequently, this makes it difficult for those in the mainstream media who need things to conform, to understand what's behind it.
Your forthcoming album Liquid is due for release in March, can you tell me what mood the album will project? Is it to be much different to the narrative style of Unsound Methods? In many ways this record is more similar to the last album than the last album had been to the previous one. There was a big change between Bloodline which was ‘91 and Unsound Methods' which was '97. This one is more like UM although I think lyrically it№s much much stronger and the emphasis on the words is greater, much more in the form of complete, structured stories. Atmospherically it№s very similar, quite filmic and very expansive. With all the Recoil projects I№ve done, the writing and recording process is simultaneous. I always start with absolutely nothing and I have to sort of make each piece of a jigsaw and then put it together. I work instinctively and trust my intuition on things. The music dictates everything - that№s the point - and unless it gives me a particular shiver, I reject it so I end up with a series of soundscapes that all have the kind of quality Im looking for and somehow link together. From there I try to choose people that I think will enhance that, people that will be sympathetic.
I understand the album was given a preview at a Nine Inch Nails concert in December, do you have an affinity with Trent, any collaborations forthcoming? I don't know Trent all that well and there are no collaborations planned. I suppose there are some similarities in our approach. I'm sure he's a perfectionist as well although I suspect our personalities are quite different.
What are your hopes for the album, is respect more important than sales at this moment in your career?My attitude to this record is the same as it's always been. Sales figures aren't my primary concern - I think it's obvious from the tone of the Recoil output that I'm not interested in writing Top 40 pop music. I just make the kind of music I like to listen to. If other people like it, then great.
Diamanda Galas will be featuring on the album too, as much of Unsound Methods was narrative I wondered if Diamanda would be contributing? She wrote new words for Liquid.
I am hoping to interview Diamanda soon myself, is there anything I should avoid asking her, I believe she is not one for holding back on the vocabular? Er, yes, there are one or two things but I'm not perpared to incur the wrath of the woman. Tread carefully.
How did you find working with her? She was great fun and was a joy to have around for 5 days - not to mention a dream to work with........a consummate professional on all levels.
Recoil generally projects a dark, moody image. Do you find it easier to write this sort of material, do you have plans to experiment within other genres? It's not really a question of ease - I just don't have any desire to write about the plight of the rain forests or having babies. I find the..... more unsettling side of life intriguing and ultimately more challenging. Experiment within other genres? Doesn't Recoil already do that?
You've also done some intro music for a Channel 4 documentary, did you enjoy that, how does that type of work differ from what your used to? I enjoyed doing it very much. I found the restrictions of working to a very specific brief in terms of time and content both frustrating and educational. I'd be interested in working on something more substantial.
Do you feel able to get about more now that you have left Mode and are working on a more 'adult' (if that's the right word) style? Do you get recognised in public much now? I'm not the kind of character who forces his personality on other people so I've never had a huge problem with being recognised. Nowadays it depends where I am and what I'm doing. At a gig up in town for example, it's quite possible. In my local supermarket, rarely (except by my local police chief who's a mad Recoil / DM fan and admitted that he's seen me at Tescos a few times but has always been too embarrassed to say "hello").
You appear to get very involved in every aspect of your career, areas that some would probably leave to others. Your web site is very personal and quite refreshing actually. Why have you taken this approach?The fans themselves often ask different kinds of questions than journalists. I'm prepared to answer questions and provide information and material in the form of editorials etc. because I want to have a website that's 'special' and this is essentially what fans want from artists - personal contact and an insight as to what makes them tick. I don't believe you should do nothing but take from your supporters. It's important to acknowledge them.
Talking of DM, Steve Malins biography is now out, are you happy with how you are portrayed in the book, and the enclosed quotes? It's no literary masterpiece but I think it's a pretty entertaining (and amusing) read all-round. On the whole it's accurate (barr one or two glaring mistakes like the spelling of Daryl BALMONTE). However, there are a couple of things that I can only describe as utter bollocks.... such as the claim that I got the band together after the end of the Devotional tour and said that for the next DM album no-one was allowed to be in the studio except me and that I wanted total control. There was no such meeting about a new LP and I've certainly never said this - the only meeting we had after the end of the tour was a year later when I told the others about my intentions to leave. There was also a suggestion that I tried to split the band by leaving. I certainly didn't do it to break up DM, nor did I think this would happen. I have also never once regretted my decision to quit. It was the best move I could have made for many reasons. For the most part I'm happy with the majority of the quotes although there are one or two times where I definitely didn't, or wouldn't have phrased something the way it appears in print - either because it's tactless or just encorporates words that I don't use. Whilst Steve Malin's book offers the most comprehensive insight so far into the much-hyped subject of 'roles', it is still essentially a third-party take on what was (and remains) a very private environment and shouldn't be interpreted as the definitive guide to life in DM - there's loads of stuff that DIDN'T come out that people don't know about. Throughout the eighties when Depeche Mode were taking off was there a lot of competitiveness with other bands of the era. Who did you really respect in those days, if anyone?And who were the biggest arseholes? Within DM, there was rivarly with Vince Clarke after he left the group and during the eighties, with Duran and Spandau Ballet. Personally, I never understood it. We very much looked up to the early electro pioneers such as Kraftwerk, DAF and so on.
Who would you say has most influenced you creatively throughout your career, right up to today? No one person in particular. Initially, my family and then later, people like Dan Miller, Gareth Jones and Flood but mainly, just inspiring music from all genres.
Where do you stand on the analogue vs digital debate. Is analogue just a fashion or a useful tool for you to use in the studio? I always push for vinyl release because there's something very nostalgic and special about owning a record. The pure sound of analogue is without doubt superior to digital. With records, if one could remove the surface noise and some of the distortion problems associated with vinyl, what you would be left with is better compared to16-bit (or even 24bit) digital. In the studio, I use analogue (tape, compressors, Neve eq, outboard fx, synths) and digital (computers, protools, fx plug-ins). Each has different advantages.
Are Kraftwerk more influential than the Beatles? No.
Alan Wilder interview, Barcode 2000 ©
Добавлено (2006-11-14, 9:20 Am)
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Most critics only seem to be interested in old blues artists, has beens and dissapeared rock & roll legends. So it's about time "for something completely different" in our legendary series : an interview with Depeche Mode !
These keyboardwizzards are undoubtedly the black sheep of the rockpress and the major labels. David Gahan, Martin Gore, Alan Wilder and Andrew Fletcher know however to "stumm" them with their most recent European tour which was completely sold out. At first I only attended one of their gigs to be able to tell everyone I was there too... It turned out however to an interview with Alan Wilder, who I knew from 4 years ago, before he was a member of Depeche Mode.
Backstage: I can see you have a Steinway Grand Piano in your living room here. Are you maybe planning to tour solo in the near furture ?
Alan Wilder: No not really. I just started to study some of our old compositions again. Really interesting, but damn hard work. I started pianolessons when I was 8. That education gave me a good background in my carreer in the popbiz. So notwithstanding all mordern hi-tech synth stuff I still enjoy playing a good piano a lot.
Backstage: Do you compose also ?
Alan Wilder: Sure ! I absolutely love Mahler and composers like Philip Glass, who move along between popular and classic music.
Backstage: And the older electronic "Music Concrete" ? Edgar Varese for instance ?
Alan Wilder: To be honest before I joined Depeche Mode, I didn't know the first thing about electronic music. It was Daniel Miller, the boss of our label, Mute Records, who showed me around the electronic scene and let me hear bands like Kraftwerk for the first time. Daniel is for that matter also a great keyboard player.
Backstage: What was your first synth ?
Alan Wilder: A mini-Moog, a better instrument than most of the recent stuff. We still use it for certain bassparts...
Backstage: How did you end then up with Depeche Mode ?
Alan Wilder: I answered an ad they placed in Melody Maker.
Backstage: Typical, you had to audition of course ?
Alan Wilder: Yes, the band was in a kinda strange period at that time. They were young and successfull, were hardly one year together and had already scored a few big hits. Vince Clark, their song writer left the band and the rockpress started shouting "The End of Depeche Mode" immediatly. This worked however very stimulating and Martin decided to take over the song writing from then on, but they still needed someone to play synth on tour. So in my first year with Depeche Mode, I was only an employee, only later I became a full member.
Backstage: Why do you think they choose you out of, I bet a load of others ?
Alan Wilder : At the audition almost all the people who showed up were fans, and I think my nonchalance was greatly appreciated by Dave, Andrew and Martin. Besides I could play along with them immediatly. Martin is all right, however i was kinda reserved towards their working method. At a certain time I demanded more voice. Lucky I was concidered as a full member from then on, otherwise I would have left them after only a few months.
Backstage: From hearing, it's really hard to determine who is playing what exactly ?
Alan Wilder: Oh, we don't pay attention to that at all ! It's not of any importance to us nor to the public. Because of our line-up, without a drummer, we try to play as much as possible live. It doesn't matter how that exactly happens. I take the real slavery on me. I convert the multitrack drumparts to 8-track and reform the structure of the songs completely after the recording, in a way they come over live as well. I divide all important melodies among Martin and myself, so we don't have to program anything for those. Most of the time we use an E-Max Emulator. We split the keyboard in six parts so we can play 6 sounds at one time. So each tour asks for a lot of preparation, but once that's finished everything works out fine. All percusions are also triggered with the E-Max. We never experienced any technical problems during a concert yet, but that can always happen. Because of that we always take a backup, because the harddisk might always go down by overheating. Most of the backup synthparts are also prepared on tape and also for those we have a backup, just in case...
Backstage: You guys look to be commited to technologie. Is it possible to, during a show, completely change the set or change versions of the songs ?
Alan Wilder: We have an alternative set which we play if we give more than one concert in the same place. In that 2nd set we have a lot more room to change, experiment or make the songs much longer if the atmosphere demands for it.
Backstage: For whoever wants to buy a new synth the marked is flooded these days, what would you advise to someone who wants to buy a synth today ?
Alan Wilder: For a lot of synths you can say : appearances are deceptive. When you play them at first the sounds look imposing. But after a while you find out you can't really do a lot with them. You are stuck with a hand full of factorysounds. It's much better to buy a good, but not to complicated analogue synth with wich you can make your own sounds. A sampler can be a good sollution too. In any way, you have to have the possibility to be creative with the sounds. For people who don't want to play in a band imediatly the fall in prices of recordingmaterial is very interesting. In little time a home 8-track recorder will be afordable for everyone.
Backstage: What are your oppinions towards sampling ?
Alan Wilder: Positive without any doubt. With a sampler you can get sublime sounds in an easy way. Every time, before we start recording, we spend a day or 4 to work on or add sounds to our library. Sometimes we even go out with some mikes and a portable recorder to, for instance, record some weird sounds at a rubbish-dump. Later in the studio we try out wich sounds match best with wich songs. Within the group we experiment a lot with samplers and I must say some sounds bring inspiration to melodies sometimes. Sampling has in many ways something "vampire-ish". You suck up what you need and throw the rest, the body, away. It's refreshing to hear the Beasty Boys sample Led Zeppelin. A playful imitation is always the healthiest way of copying. To conclude, the main argument against electronics is that it destroys all emotional input. In some cases that might be so, but electronics gives you on the other hand such liberty that you can lead your creativity into other/better channels. The possibilities are there, and it's up to the musician to fully use them...
© BEYOND words 2003 - 2005
Добавлено (2006-11-14, 9:23 Am)
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Алан Уайлдер любит Ситроены
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Алан Уайлдер - одиозная фигура в сегодняшнем шоу-бизнесе. Он далек от околомузыкальной шумихи вроде очередной "раздачи слонов" на MTV, он не приемлет сегодняшних устоев шоу-бизнеса в целом. Почему? Неужели этому человеку не хочется славы или хотя бы присутствия одной из его композиций в чартах?
Все просто. Алан Уайлдер - бывший участник и музыкальный директор всем известной группы "Депеш Мод". В 1995 году, проведя 13 лет в одной из самых популярных групп из Англии и являясь неотъемлемой ее частью, Алан принимает трудное, но неизбежное решение покинуть DM. Ныне он занимается только своим сольным проектом "Рекойл" и только в свое удовольствие.
После трехгодичного перерыва, весной этого года, Алан завершил работу над новым альбомом Liquid. Как и на двух предыдущих работах - Bloodline и Unsound Methods, в новом альбоме Уайлдер смешал множетсво стилей, причем акцент сделан на индастриэловой составляющей. И не случайно - Алан знает толк в некоммерческой музыке. Именно "Рекойл", по просьбе индастриэл-гуру Трента Резнора, разогревал публику во время последнего турне NIИ.
Интересно, что Алан ездил когда-то на... "Жигулях"! Почему не на "Ровере" и не на "Остине"? Неужели звезда мирового масштаба когда-то каталась на тольяттинском "ведре"?!
Мне удалось связаться с Аланом по электронной почте, и он любезно согласился дать эксклюзивное блиц-интервью "АБw".
"АБw": - Алан, насколько мы знаем, вы когда-то ездили на "Ладе". Расскажите пожалуйста, какая именно это была модель и какого модельного года. Почему вы предпочли именно ее?
А.У.: - Я не помню, какого именно модельного года - это было очень давно. Примерно в 1981-м. И я не предпочитал ее! Я купил "Ладу", потому что мой отец рекомендовал ее как дешевый подержанный автомобиль. Никогда больше я не слушал отцовских советов.
"АБw": - Какие интересные моменты были в процессе эксплуатации этого автомобиля?
А.У.: - Глохнущий на трассе мотор и сильные мышцы от рулевого управления, как в танке.
"АБw": - Не эта ли машина снималась в клипе "Депеш Мод" Stripped 1986 года? Tам DM били молотками по универсалу "Лада-2102".
А.У.: - Не моя машина, к несчастью. Моя была красная.
"АБw": - Какими автомобилями вы управляете сегодня? И как вам они нравятся?
А.У.: - Я езжу на "Мерседесе SL300", "Рено-Эспас" и "Ситроене-Лайт 15" 1954 года выпуска.
У "Мерседеса" неплохая стоимость при последующей продаже, и, несмотря на дизайн 80-х годов, он превосходно выглядит (вероятно, речь идет о последнем поколении родстеров "SL". - ПРИМ.АВТ.). "Рено-Эспас" - великолепная машина, когда у вас есть ребенок, такой, как моя дочь Пэрис. "Ситроен" тоже классно выглядит и в основном сидит в моем гараже. К моей досаде, я все никак не могу найти время подойти к нему и покататься. "Ситроены" - моя первая любовь, и моя любимая машина всех времен - это легендарный "Ситроен DS", у меня был один такой...
Беседовал Денис СКОРОБОГАТЫЙ
Газета Автобизнес - Weekly N24 (221) 21 июня 2000 г.
Добавлено (2006-11-14, 9:41 Am)
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Future Music Magazine, November 1997.
Interview by Andy Jones
Alan Wilder is just about to release his third CD under the name of Recoil, but you may know him better as the man who provided much of the Depeche Mode sound between 1983 and 1995. Andy Jones joins him at Mute Records to discuss the new album, the gear, the Mode, and the advantages of being single...
"Demonic, vulnerable, medical, scary, evocative, obsessive, lonely, sensuous, tripnotic..." That's how Alan Wilder describes each of the tracks on his new album, Unsound Methods. It's how some critics have described Depeche Mode in the past which, if you think about it, isn't that surprising. Wilder was one of this world dominating foursome for well over a decade and helped sculpt some of their finest sonic moments. Some have said, myself included, that the last Depeche album lacked a little something, and it could be said that we have found it on Unsound Methods. Not that this recording sounds much like Depeche Mode - in fact, it's pretty unlike anything you may have heard, previous Recoil stuff included. Wilder has woven some pretty scary textures together and given the whole thing a hefty 90's kick up the arse with some super beats and vocals supplied by a fine and diverse bunch, including a New York poet and the ex-singer of Nitzer Ebb.
Tripriotic is indeed perhaps the best way of describing something like Unsound Methods. A new word to describe the indescribable. Even Mr. Wilder himself was unsure of how this latest Recoil offering would sound.
"I don't think you ever know," he explains. "I never know until it's finished! Along the way you have all sorts of concepts and ideas. You think you know where you?re going and then something happens or someone does something that turns it on its head again. So really you just keep an open mind and work instinctively as you go along. I work rather as a painter might. I just put something on a canvas and then that leads me to the next thing."
One advantage that Alan Wilder has is his access to a wide range of vocalists who temporarily join the Recoil fold. On the last album, Bloodline, Curve's Toni Halliday, Nitzer Ebb's Douglas McCarthy and a certain Moby helped out (Moby on the superb track "Curse," and Halliday on "Edge To Life," before she went on to more Leftfield things). This time around Wilder began the project unsure of whether artists would be involved at all.
"I started off doing something instrumental to see where it took me. It has retained the atmosphere but it became apparent that trying to complete the tracks as instrumentals wasn't going to stand up, and they'd need voices."
Douglas McCarthy reappears on Unsond Methods, but the other three artists are less well known. A gospel singer, Hilda Campbell; a spoken word artist from New York, Maggie Estep; and another singer, signed on the strength of a demo, Siobhan Lynch. "I thought it would be more interesting to use different people," Wilder explains. "it brings a degree of tension working on something with someone you don?t know. You have no idea what's going to happen. I think it?s a gamble very much worth taking with everything to gain and nothing to lose. It could go horribly wrong, in which case you just part company and move on. However, if it does work you have the potential to get something really special you didn't expect, while simultaneously making a new friends and colleagues in the process."
"I gave them fairly free reign. I really didn't want to impose on them too much. I wanted them to bring whatever they felt was appropriate to the project, but within a frame-work. I obviously gave them tapes of the music and loose themes or directions but nothing more than that. It gave them something to focus on but also enough scope to do their own thing."
The new Recoil sound has a real late 90s feel, largely due to the breaks that accompany the vocalists described above. But nothing in Mr. Wilder's life is intentional.
"I think you are constantly influenced by what is around at the time, but again I wasn't trying to get a particular feel. I was simply employing aspects of music that I enjoy. I like a lot of the kind of groove-based music of people like Massive Attack and Portishead. That sort of influence is in there in some of the rhythms. But I also like completely different types of music as well. When I'm going through CDs in the shops I always end up in the soundtrack section. I listen to quite a wide cross section of styles and what I produce is just a reflection of these tastes."
While Unsound Methods retains some typical Alan Wilder moments, the overall sound is quite a departure from Depeche Mode. Was this intentional? "I don?t think I was thinking about it that much," Alan replies. "I think that maybe there was a conscious move to do something less electronic but you utilize whatever you feel will work with the tune. If I thought something electronic was appropriate, I would have used it. I try not to have too many ground rules."
"There are a few sequencer parts but from a rhythm point of view I wanted something that really grooves more. To program sleazy drum rhythms electronically, or to find 'that' groove is difficult. I do play drums myself but not particularly well. Most of these are sampled loops cut up and mutated quite radically from their original source."
So what were the original sources? "There are all kinds of things really. I?m not sure whether I?m prepared In disclose them," he laughs. "I really just take sounds from wherever I can find them. There are various tapes that get passed around the industry that are full of drum loops and nothing else. I haven't got a clue where they come from and I couldn't even tell you if any of them are contentious. I also re-use sounds that we used with Depeche on occasion." These sounds were particularly noticeable on Recoil's first EP, 1 + 2, which Alan describes as him "just faffing around at home on a four-track cassette and experimenting with samplers." And did we hear some Kraftwerk on there? "Oh, I expect so," he jokes. "I wouldn't be surprised."
Splitting the Mode
While Recoil's output may be superb, it's hard to talk to Alan Wilder without asking about Depeche Mode. After all, he was with the band for many years. But after the rumours of a less than amicable split, you have to wonder whether the subject of Depeche Mode is a touchy one. Still, this is Future Music and we never hold back. But it's probably best to sidle into the subject with a less controversial question. Probably one about gear! Oh yes, here's one! So how was the gear split up when he left the band? "Well most of the equipment was group owned and then there were items that were individually owned," Alan explains. "I kept a few bits of group gear which we split up in a fair way. I ended up with a drum kit, some keyboards and a few other bits and pieces. Most of the equipment I now use is actually my own. I have a studio at my home in Sussex anyway."
So far so good. Ok, we might as well leap right in here with both feet. Why did he leave Depeche Mode? "At the time I left I put out a short statement explaining why. I did that because I thought it would be more succinct and more accurate and I could then close the lid on it and not have to deal with it again. But I'm not so naive to think that no one would ask again and there would never be any curiosity. The simple answer is that I'd just had enough of being in the group and I felt that I couldn't really do much more within the confines of the group. There were difficulties and communication breakdowns. It's ultimately a much more simple reason: that I wanted change and wanted to do something different. It was at a time in my life when I needed to clear out a lot of baggage and I just felt it was time to move on."
It always seemed clear cut in Depeche Mode as to who did what. Martin Gore wrote the songs; Martin or Dave Gahan sang them, and Alan did the sounds. Right?
"It's fair to say that the majority of the production/sound-shaping side of things on the last few albums was down to me and Flood (Depeche's producer) with Martin bringing in a few keyboard and guitar lines from his original demos. I think most of the detailed work was too boring for the other members of the group so they tended to disappear and allow me and Flood to get on with it. In fact, it's been suggested that I was unsociable, spending too much time in the studio. The truth is that the job just wouldn't have gotten done otherwise. It disappoints me that anybody whould think that wanting to achieve the best possible results isn't worthwhile."
Whatever the reason for the split, and however much bad feeling remains buried, the success of Depeche Mode around the world has surely left Alan not short of a penny or two, and now he has total control over his output. "I think that's true. Although there's certainly no great financial pressure to earn money from it now, the expectation is different. With Depeche Mode we knew there was a certain audience out there just waiting for it. That affected our judgement and the way we went about making a record. We were more precious about things and we'd feel we had to reach a certain standard and produce an album with potential singles on it. However, both then and now, I've never succumbed to those expectations or allowed myself to. I've always tried to do what I've wanted to do or what pleases me and then from that, if there's a single to be gleaned from an album, that's an advantage."
"I don't really know what my expectations are, or how many fans I've got. I guess there must be some kind of spin-off effect simply because I was in Depeche Mode. There will be a certain number of people interested in what I do, probably the ones who liked the elements I brought to the group anyway. I like to think that they?ll like what I'm doing now because it is a bit darker. I'd like to think there was a natural link. I wasn't consciously trying to make a link but I do think that just by me doing something there is bound to be some sort of connection between what 1?m doing now and what Depeche were doing. Certainly, over the last few Depeche albums, I was very much involved in putting together a lot of the music so it's bound to be that way."
Finally on the Depeche Mode front, does Alan think that he has personally influenced any of today's dance acts by being so heavily involved in such a high-profile band? "It's almost an impossible question for me to answer. There are links and influences. At the time of the Detroit sound, where the likes of Derrick May and those people were citing Depeche as a big influence, we were simply making out-and-out pop music that happened to use a few electronics. It was really song and melody based so I didn't see too much of a link. Our approach in the early days came from the likes of Kraftwerk and the use of technology rather than guitars, but we weren't the only band doing it. It really goes back to Kraftwerk."
So how does Alan work on a piece in the studio'? "With Unsound Methods, I ran everything live right up until, and throughout, the mixing process," Alan reveals. "In fact, almost nothing was committed to multitrack, so I could always have the flexibility to restructure a song at any stage. I never close the lid on anything. I normally start with some kind of rhythm groove and maybe a sequencer or string part. From there I try to think of a concept to move in a particular direction - maybe I'll get a vocal sample from a film as a guide. Then, once I have an idea to base things on, I can bring in other sounds and textures. There's a track called "Red River Cargo" which is about the 60s' civil rights movement in the American southern states. As soon as I had that idea, it immediately conjured up all sorts of sounds that evoke that time and place - swamp sounds, oppressive weather, gospel singers, dogs barking - and that's when the track started to develop. Those moments are particularly exciting. I'm not sure you ever surpass them."
So how is the whole lot put together? "I use Steinberg Cubase with a Mac, although I could start slagging off Steinberg now. I invested in the latest version, VST, with the hard disk to record vocals. It worked great for a while but as soon as I started to run it with a mixing console, it wouldn't stay in sync and I wasted a week of studio time finding out why. I had to go back a version, to Audio XT, and that's what I finished the project with. Perhaps Steinberg would like to refund my week's studio costs?"
"I'm in a situation now where my studio is a fantastic working environment but I don't quite have the technology to finish a project. I need to have most of my EQs and effects software-based. I also need to be able to do almost everything on the computer, along with some quality out-board gear, valve amps, compressors and so on."
"I've been the guinea pig for so many pieces of software. People that I respect have said to me 'the best thing to do is stay one year behind the technology,' and that's good advice. Every time I try using the cutting-edge stuff, because the potential is so enticing, I come unstuck. Most software manufacturers need a serious user before they can eliminate all the faults; benchtesting's not enough. I've been stung so many times that I?m already researching now, well ahead of my next project, so that it doesn't happen again."
Being Your Own Boss
After all these years, Alan has still retained enthusiasm for making music. And doing it on his own helps. "I love making records on my own terms," he agrees. "I like working with other people at appropriate times, but I don't want to be involved in partnerships or groups. I don't need the aggravation anymore. I'm probably more enthusiastic than I've ever been and now, and I'm in the position to do whatever I want. It's an idyllic situation and I'm very grateful for the years Depeche gave me to put me in this situation."
What of the future? What if the new album is not picked up by thousands of Depeche Mode fans? "I don?t have any expectations. I take care over every aspect and from that point of view I want it to be as strong as possible. I want it to be grown up and adult, and I'd like people that I respect to say they like it. In terms of selling records, if it happens, it happens. It's not going to make any real difference, but if you put any kind of work in, it's nice to get some kind of reward back."
Alan Wilder on Gear
ON SAMPLING
75% of what I do is sampling based. I use Akais. I've got a 3000 and an 1100. I also have an E-mu E111 which I'm phasing out because it keeps fucking up. I've had that for some time. I kept investing in the Emulator. I bought the original one - the E11 - but every time I'd buy one for nine grand they'd release another one six months later and I felt they didn't have any sympathy for upgrading. I've heard the E-IV is good though.
ON SYNTHS
I've got a rackmount Midimoog and OBX. I've got and old EMS which I don't use very much because I need to get it fixed. I have an ARP Odyssey which again, I hardly use and other bits and pieces. I haven't got a lot that I actually use. Most of it's been superceeded and just sits there. I use a Korg music station (a big one - I can't remember what it's called) for generic strings and things.
ON PHYSICAL MODELLING SYNTHS
I don't know that much about them to be honest. I'm not really that technical and don't look into the latest gear that much. I find it a bit boring and theres too much to keep abreast of. I'm one of those people who gets a little system and sticks with it. People tell me to change from Cubase but I like it and don't want to have to go through another learning curve. There's probably some great stuff out there and if I could be bothered to research it, then fine. I've recently bought Steinberg ReCycle which everyone tells me is the thing to use but I haven't actually got around to installing it and using it.
ON HIS FAVORITE DEVELOPMENT
Sampling opened up a massive new world. It must have been on the Construction Time Again album. Two keyboards came along at the same time - the original Emulator and the Synclavier. Daniel Miller invested in the Synclavier which is now a dinosaur. I think he spent about 60 grand on it. It didn't work all the time and we wasted months in the studio on it, although when it did work it actually sounded great. It was very exciting at the time. We went out and did all this metal bashing and then came back and put it in the Emulators. It was great fun and really inspiring. But in those days nobody thought of using drum loops though.
ON SAMPLING OTHER PEOPLE
It's still a grey area. If someone uses something of mine, and uses it cleverly and creatively, then I'm flattered and don't really mind. However, if they take a huge chunk, reproduce it identically, and then call it theirs, then that's a different matter. But I'd be hypocritical to complain about sampling. If you use something as a source sound which you then manipulate into something essentially new, to me that's perfectly acceptable and creative.
Fifteen Years of Making Music
Do you ever go back to old things that you've done either with Depeche Mode or Recoil? "It's healthy to look back at what you've done and see ways in which it could be improved. I have trouble in listening to stuff I've done in the past and enjoying it although there are the odd things." What are those? "'Faith Healer' from the last Recoil album is something I enjoy, along with 'Edge to Life' (from the same album). There are tracks from Depeche albums I still enjoy. 'In You Room' and 'Walking In My Shoes' still sound strong. Even going back to Violator, it sounds thin and polite over what I'd do now but I still think it's strong stuff." Can you see a progression in your sound all the way through? "There would be some serious problems if I wasn't moving on and learning from past experiences. I think that certainly the years working on Depeche Mode stuff with all the people we worked with - Dan Miller on the early stuff to people like Flood and Gareth Jones - has all been and invaluable learning experience and has left me with a strong idea of how to put the overall picture together."
