Vince Clarke
Encyclopedia
Vince Clarke is an English synthpop music
ian and songwriter
. Clarke has been involved with a number of successful groups, including Depeche Mode
, Yazoo
, The Assembly
and Erasure
.
) and raised in Basildon, Essex, Vince Martin initially studied the violin
and then the piano.
. Another band, named Composition of Sound, followed with another addition of Martin Gore
and also, Fletcher. Clarke provided vocals until 1980, when singer Dave Gahan joined the band, which was now renamed Depeche Mode. At that time, Clarke adopted his stage-name. The band initially adopted a slick synthesised electropop sound, which produced the album Speak and Spell
and the Clarke-penned singles "Dreaming of Me
", "New Life" and "Just Can't Get Enough" in 1981.
Clarke left Depeche Mode shortly thereafter. There were many rumoured reasons pertaining to his departure. Clarke himself has stated that he did not enjoy the direction in which the band was going. He commented on Depeche Mode's later material as being a little dark for his taste, but good nonetheless. He also commented: "Martin was a strong writer. He always had been. And I think when I left, it gave him the chance just to sort of emerge as the songwriter. I mean, he could always write songs. It's not like he just started because I left". Clarke also stated that he didn't enjoy the public aspects of success, such as touring and interviews, and found himself frequently at odds with his bandmates, particularly on the tour bus. He also stated: "I think everybody in the band, especially myself, imagined that the reason we were doing so well was because of themselves… We were pretty young and very lucky, and things had happened very quickly for us and I don't think we were really mature to handle the situation." Depeche Mode went on to achieve international stardom.
(at the time known by the nickname of 'Alf') to form the extremely popular synthpop
band Yazoo
(known as Yaz in the U.S.), which produced two albums and a string of hits including "Only You
", "Don't Go
", "Situation
", "The Other Side of Love
", "Nobody's Diary
" and "Walk Away from Love".
Yazoo split in 1983, and Moyet went on to have a successful solo career. Yazoo reformed in 2008 for a series of live dates to celebrate 25 years since the duo's split.
and it was their idea to collaborate as one-off associations with different artists on each new single, under the name The Assembly
, notably with singer Feargal Sharkey
they scored the Top 5 hit "Never Never
". In the meanwhile he founded the label Reset Records
with Eric Radcliffe. During 1983 and further on in 1984, he produced four singles "The Face of Dorian Gray" "I Just Want to Dance", "Claudette" and "Calling All Destroyers" for his friend Robert Marlow
, which were released on this label. They also produced an album, which was shelved but was released much later in 1999 under the name The Peter Pan Effect
. In 1985, another collaboration took place with Paul Quinn of Bourgie Bourgie
, the result was the single "One Day" by Vince Clarke & Paul Quinn. However, the project never took off, and Clarke moved on to other projects.
for a singer, and one applicant was Andy Bell
, who was a fan of his earlier projects. He teamed with Bell to form the group Erasure
, and the duo became one of the major selling acts in British music with international hits like "Oh L'amour
", "Sometimes
", "Chains of Love
", "A Little Respect
", "Chorus
", "Love to Hate You
", "Take a Chance on Me
" and "Always
".
The band has released 16 albums to date and have enjoyed a long string of hit singles spanning their more than two decades together, most recently topped-off by the 2005 top five hit "Breathe
" taken from their Nightbird album. In 2006 Erasure produced a country-western style acoustic album consisting of mostly non-single cuts from their previous albums. This album, Union Street
was preceded by the single "Boy
" originally included on their 1997 Cowboy
album.
On 26 January 2007, in a video message on the official Erasure website, the band announced the release of their sixteenth (thirteenth studio) album, entitled Light at the End of the World
. Released in the UK on 21 May 2007, with a US release the following day, it was preceded by the single "I Could Fall in Love with You
", released on 2 April 2007. The second single, "Sunday Girl
" was subsequently released.
The album was produced by Gareth Jones
and was a more "dance oriented" effort than some of their more recent work with Clarke making reference to the new material sounding potentially a bit more like Andy Bell's 2005 solo effort Electric Blue
.
Erasure went on to tour with Cyndi Lauper
, Deborah Harry
, Margaret Cho
and other artists, for the 2007 True Colors Tour
of the United States, a tour which benefited gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender freedoms and rights. Erasure then went out on their own, headlining the "Light at the End of the World" tour in North America and Europe.
The band released a new EP, Storm Chaser
, in September 2007. The EP contains nine tracks, one of them the winner of an online fan remix contest, for the track "When a Lover Leaves You", from the Light at the End of the World album.
The most recent Erasure album, Tomorrow's World, was released in October 2011, featuring production by Frankmusik.
, Pandit Dinesh and Asha Bhosle. The group, West India Company, released a four track, self-titled EP
.
Clarke worked with synthpop producer Martyn Ware
(of Heaven 17
and The Human League
) in 1999 as "The Clarke & Ware Experiment" and released the album Pretentious. The duo collaborated again in 2001 for the album Spectrum Pursuit Vehicle, which was created with "3D music technology" specifically designed for listening in headphones. 2001 also saw the release of the Clarke-produced album Erasure's Vince Clarke which featured The Peter Pan Effect
, an album that he and Eric Radcliffe
produced for his long time friend, Robert Marlow
. Clarke wrote "Let's Get Together" for the pop girl group Girl Authority
for their second album, Road Trip
. The song was originally meant to be for Depeche Mode, but was never recorded by them. Clarke also co-wrote "What Do I Want From You?" with Freeform Five
, for their album Strangest Things (2005).
Also in 2001, Clarke founded Illustrious Co. Ltd. with Martyn Ware, to create new forms of spatialised sound composition using their unique 3D AudioScape system, collaborating with fine artists, educational establishments, the performing arts, live events, corporate clients and educational settings round the world.
In 2004, Clarke provided additional music for an episode of Johnny Bravo
entitled "The Time of My Life".
Clarke was an essential component of a 2000 project called Family Fantastic. They produced the album Nice!. In 2007 Family Fantastic released a second album, entitled Wonderful.
On 21 May 2009, Clarke was awarded by an "Outstanding Song Collection" prize, during the Ivor Novello Awards
ceremony of the same day, in recognition of 30 years in the music industry.
with Yazoo
with The Assembly
In duet with Paul Quinn
With Erasure
Solo
In duet with Martyn Ware
with Family Fantastic
In RadioActivators
Vince Clarke / Martin Gore collaboration
Vince Clarke, ex-member of Depeche Mode
collaborated with his former colleague Martin Gore
for the first time since 1981 as techno duo VCMG on a yet-untitled instrumental minimalist electronic dance album, set to be released in early 2012. The first EP entitled "Spock" will be released worldwide exclusively on Beatport on 30 November 2011.
Remixes
He has remixed the following songs for artists other than Erasure:
in 1983 ). In order to connect analogue synthesizers
, analogue drum machine
s and analogue sequencers
together, multiple CV/Gate
cables were required between each device. This system was not standardised, so interoperability between instruments from different manufacturers was not always straightforward. In addition, some manufacturers used their own proprietary interfaces. When an industry-wide standard called MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) was introduced in 1983, Clarke, like most other electronic musicians, gradually migrated to the new technology. However, he continued to prefer his older analogue instruments:
For the Chorus album in 1991, he gathered together his collection of analogue synthesizers from various recording studio locations in London and set up a small studio in Amsterdam. This led Clarke to assemble an intricate patch system to more easily enable the control of his analogue instruments:
In 1993 Clarke described his approach to songwriting:
Clarke continued to expand his collection of analogue synthesizers and in 1994 set up "37B", a recording studio built adjacent to his custom-made home, "Ammonite", in Chertsey
, Surrey
. From 1994 to 2003, all Erasure albums were either wholly or in part recorded at "37B".
In 2004 Clarke moved to Maine
, USA. While waiting for his studio equipment to be shipped from the UK, he began using an Apple Mac laptop with Logic Pro
, Max/MSP
, and various software synthesizer
s (many of which were analogue emulations). Since then, he has continued to use Logic Pro, along with both software and analogue synthesizers:
As of 2009, Clarke has installed his analogue synthesizers along side his Logic Pro-based workstation in a custom-built commercial studio called "The Cabin" in Maine.
Current/recent studio equipment: Dave Smith Instruments Mopho, Roland System 700, Roland 100M, Roland Jupiter-8
, Roland Jupiter-4
, Roland MKS-80, Roland SH-1, Roland VP-330, Roland JP-8000
, Roland Juno-60
, Roland Juno-106
, Roland Super JX
, Roland D-550, ARP 2500
Modular, ARP 2600
, PPG Wave 2.2, Waldorf Microwave, Waldorf Pulse, Moog Modular
, Minimoog
, Moog Source
, E-Mu Modular System, Buchla 100 series Modular, Sequential Circuits Prophet-5, Sequential Circuits Pro-One, Oxford Synthesiser Company OSCar, Synton Syrinx, Korg MS-20
, Korg MS-10
, Korg 700, Korg M1
, Korg DVP, Serge Modular, Polyfusion Modular, Oberheim Xpander
, Oberheim SEM System, RSF Kobol, Electronic Music Studios VCS 3
, Sennheiser Vocoder VSM201, Apple Power Mac G5
, Apple MacBook Pro
.
Current/recent software: Apple Logic Pro
, Cycling '74 Max/MSP
, Arturia ARP 2600 V, Arturia Minimoog V, Arturia Moog Modular V, GForce impOSCar, GForce Oddity, LinPlug Octopus, Muon Tau Pro, Native Instruments Absynth, Native Instruments Reaktor
, Native Instruments FM7, Native Instruments FM8, Vienna Symphonic String & Choir Libraries
.
Tracy Hurley is the sister of the American writer Tonya Hurley
whose husband, Michael Pagnotta
, is the manager of Erasure
.
Vince Clarke is left-handed.
Synthpop
Synthpop is a genre of popular music that first became prominent in the 1980s, in which the synthesizer is the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s by the use of synthesizers in progressive rock, electronic art rock, disco and particularly the "Kraut rock" of...
ian and songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
. Clarke has been involved with a number of successful groups, including Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode are an English electronic music band formed in 1980 in Basildon, Essex. The group's original line-up consisted of Dave Gahan , Martin Gore , Andy Fletcher and Vince Clarke...
, Yazoo
Yazoo (band)
Yazoo are a British synthpop duo from Basildon, Essex. They had a number of Top 10 hits in the UK charts in the early 1980s...
, The Assembly
The Assembly
The Assembly were a synthpop project formed in 1983 in Basildon, England by:* Vince Clarke * Eric Radcliffe...
and Erasure
Erasure
Erasure are an English synthpop duo, consisting of songwriter and keyboardist Vince Clarke and singer Andy Bell. Erasure entered the music scene in 1985 with their debut single "Who Needs Love Like That"...
.
Early years
Born in South Woodford (then in EssexEssex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
) and raised in Basildon, Essex, Vince Martin initially studied the violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
and then the piano.
Depeche Mode
In the late-1970s, Clarke and schoolmate Andy Fletcher formed the short-lived band No Romance in China. In 1979, he teamed up with Marlow & Gore to form French Look, an early incarnation of Depeche ModeDepeche Mode
Depeche Mode are an English electronic music band formed in 1980 in Basildon, Essex. The group's original line-up consisted of Dave Gahan , Martin Gore , Andy Fletcher and Vince Clarke...
. Another band, named Composition of Sound, followed with another addition of Martin Gore
Martin Gore
Martin Lee Gore is an English songwriter, lyricist, singer, guitarist, keyboardist, remixer and DJ. He is a founding member of Depeche Mode and has written the vast majority of their songs...
and also, Fletcher. Clarke provided vocals until 1980, when singer Dave Gahan joined the band, which was now renamed Depeche Mode. At that time, Clarke adopted his stage-name. The band initially adopted a slick synthesised electropop sound, which produced the album Speak and Spell
Speak & Spell (album)
Speak & Spell is the first album from the British electronic group Depeche Mode, recorded and released in 1981. The album peaked at #10 in the UK Albums Chart.-Overview:This was the only Depeche Mode album with Vince Clarke as a member of the band...
and the Clarke-penned singles "Dreaming of Me
Dreaming of Me
"Dreaming of Me" is the debut single by Depeche Mode recorded at Blackwing Studios, originally released on February 20, 1981 in the UK. The single was not commercially released in the United States....
", "New Life" and "Just Can't Get Enough" in 1981.
Clarke left Depeche Mode shortly thereafter. There were many rumoured reasons pertaining to his departure. Clarke himself has stated that he did not enjoy the direction in which the band was going. He commented on Depeche Mode's later material as being a little dark for his taste, but good nonetheless. He also commented: "Martin was a strong writer. He always had been. And I think when I left, it gave him the chance just to sort of emerge as the songwriter. I mean, he could always write songs. It's not like he just started because I left". Clarke also stated that he didn't enjoy the public aspects of success, such as touring and interviews, and found himself frequently at odds with his bandmates, particularly on the tour bus. He also stated: "I think everybody in the band, especially myself, imagined that the reason we were doing so well was because of themselves… We were pretty young and very lucky, and things had happened very quickly for us and I don't think we were really mature to handle the situation." Depeche Mode went on to achieve international stardom.
Yazoo
Clarke then teamed up with singer Alison MoyetAlison Moyet
Alison Moyet , is an English singer, songwriter and performer noted for her bluesy voice.Her UK album sales have reached a certified 2.3 million, with 800,000 singles sold, all in the UK, where all seven of her studio albums and three compilation albums have charted in the Top 40 UK Album Chart,...
(at the time known by the nickname of 'Alf') to form the extremely popular synthpop
Synthpop
Synthpop is a genre of popular music that first became prominent in the 1980s, in which the synthesizer is the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s by the use of synthesizers in progressive rock, electronic art rock, disco and particularly the "Kraut rock" of...
band Yazoo
Yazoo (band)
Yazoo are a British synthpop duo from Basildon, Essex. They had a number of Top 10 hits in the UK charts in the early 1980s...
(known as Yaz in the U.S.), which produced two albums and a string of hits including "Only You
Only You (Yazoo song)
-Track listing:7": Mute/7 MUTE 20 # "Only You" - 3:10# "Situation" - 3:447": Sire/9 2-98447 # "Only You" - 3:10# "Winter Kills" - 4:0112": Mute/12 MUTE 20 # "Only You" - 3:10# "Situation" - 5:20CD: Mute/CD MUTE 20...
", "Don't Go
Don't Go (Yazoo song)
"Don't Go" is the second single taken from the British New Wave band Yazoo's debut album, Upstairs at Eric's. Released in the UK in July of 1982, the song peaked at #3 on the UK singles chart, becoming Yazoo's second top five hit. In the US, where the band was known as Yaz, the song was their...
", "Situation
Situation (song)
"Situation" is the title of a 1982 single by the British synthpop band Yazoo. The song was originally released in the UK as the B-side to Yazoo's debut single, "Only You", which went to number two on the UK Singles Chart. Released as a single in its own right in the U.S., the song peaked at number...
", "The Other Side of Love
The Other Side of Love
"The Other Side of Love" is a song by the British synthpop band Yazoo, released in 1982 as their third single. The single peaked at #13 on the UK Singles Chart, making it the band's least successful single and the only one of their four singles to miss the top 10...
", "Nobody's Diary
Nobody's Diary
"Nobody's Diary" is a song recorded by British synthpop band Yazoo. It was released as the only single from their 1983 album, You and Me Both. The song was written by Yazoo vocalist Alison Moyet and produced by the band and Eric Radcliffe....
" and "Walk Away from Love".
Yazoo split in 1983, and Moyet went on to have a successful solo career. Yazoo reformed in 2008 for a series of live dates to celebrate 25 years since the duo's split.
The Assembly
In 1983 Clarke teamed up with Eric RadcliffeEric Radcliffe
Eric Radcliffe is a recording engineer and producer who worked with New Wave and synthpop bands in the early 1980s in Basildon, England...
and it was their idea to collaborate as one-off associations with different artists on each new single, under the name The Assembly
The Assembly
The Assembly were a synthpop project formed in 1983 in Basildon, England by:* Vince Clarke * Eric Radcliffe...
, notably with singer Feargal Sharkey
Feargal Sharkey
Feargal Sharkey is a singer from Northern Ireland who first found fame as the lead vocalist of pop punk band The Undertones...
they scored the Top 5 hit "Never Never
Never Never (The Assembly song)
"Never Never" is the title of the only single released by the Vince Clarke project, The Assembly, in 1983.The song features Feargal Sharkey of The Undertones on vocals; Sharkey's performance on "Never Never" was a total departure from the punk sound of The Undertones. The song peaked at number four...
". In the meanwhile he founded the label Reset Records
Reset Records
Reset Records is a British record company founded in 1983 by Vince Clarke and Eric Radcliffe.The 4 singles from Robert Marlow were released on this label from his friend Vince Clarke. Absolute and Hardware released also some singles on the label.- External links :*...
with Eric Radcliffe. During 1983 and further on in 1984, he produced four singles "The Face of Dorian Gray" "I Just Want to Dance", "Claudette" and "Calling All Destroyers" for his friend Robert Marlow
Robert Marlow
Robert Marlow is a synthpop musician and songwriter.-Biography:Robert Marlow grew up in Basildon with future Depeche Mode members Vince Clarke, Martin Gore, and Andy Fletcher. He is also tied to Alison Moyet, with whom he played in a band, The Vandals. He knew Andy and Vince from the Basildon...
, which were released on this label. They also produced an album, which was shelved but was released much later in 1999 under the name The Peter Pan Effect
The Peter Pan Effect
The Peter Pan Effect is the first album released by Robert Marlow. It was released in the summer of 1999, but was recorded 15 years earlier with Vince Clarke and Eric Radcliffe, shortly between the break-up of Yazoo and the formation of the Assembly and Erasure.The album was shelved, due to the...
. In 1985, another collaboration took place with Paul Quinn of Bourgie Bourgie
Paul Quinn (Bourgie Bourgie)
Paul Quinn is a Scottish musician who was the lead singer of cult 1980s band Bourgie Bourgie, and also released records with Jazzateers, Vince Clarke and Edwyn Collins and sang on an early track by The French Impressionists.-Biography:...
, the result was the single "One Day" by Vince Clarke & Paul Quinn. However, the project never took off, and Clarke moved on to other projects.
Erasure
In early 1985, Clarke put an ad in Melody MakerMelody Maker
Melody Maker, published in the United Kingdom, was, according to its publisher IPC Media, the world's oldest weekly music newspaper. It was founded in 1926 as a magazine targeted at musicians; in 2000 it was merged into "long-standing rival" New Musical Express.-1950s–1960s:Originally the Melody...
for a singer, and one applicant was Andy Bell
Andy Bell (singer)
Andrew Ivan "Andy" Bell is the lead singer of the English synthpop duo Erasure. He also has a solo career, with the albums Non-Stop and Electric Blue.-Early life:Andy Bell originates from the Dogsthorpe area in Peterborough...
, who was a fan of his earlier projects. He teamed with Bell to form the group Erasure
Erasure
Erasure are an English synthpop duo, consisting of songwriter and keyboardist Vince Clarke and singer Andy Bell. Erasure entered the music scene in 1985 with their debut single "Who Needs Love Like That"...
, and the duo became one of the major selling acts in British music with international hits like "Oh L'amour
Oh L'amour
"Oh L'amour" is a song by English synth pop duo Erasure, released in April 1986 as their third single.It was issued by Mute Records in the UK and Sire Records in the U.S. to herald the June release of Erasure's debut album Wonderland, but became the third consecutive commercial failure for the band...
", "Sometimes
Sometimes (Erasure song)
"Sometimes" is a song by British synthpop duo Erasure, released in October 1986 as their fourth single overall.After three commercial flops from their debut album Wonderland, "Sometimes" became Erasure's first bonafide hit, peaking at number one in South Africa, number two in their native United...
", "Chains of Love
Chains of Love (Erasure song)
"Chains of Love" is a song by British synthpop duo Erasure, released in May 1988 as their ninth single overall.The song was released by Mute Records as the second single from Erasure's third studio album The Innocents. In the United States, Sire Records released it as the first single...
", "A Little Respect
A Little Respect
American band Wheatus released the song in July 2001 as their second single from their debut album. The single peaked at number three in the United Kingdom, while reaching number 19 in Austria and number 41 in New Zealand.-Critical reception:...
", "Chorus
Chorus (Erasure song)
"Chorus" is a song by Erasure which is the first single and title track to the duo's fifth studio album Chorus. It was released in 1991 by Mute Records in the UK and Sire Records in the U.S...
", "Love to Hate You
Love to Hate You
"Love to Hate You" is a song by Erasure which was released in 1991 as the second single from the duo's fifth studio album Chorus.-History:...
", "Take a Chance on Me
Take a Chance on Me
"Take a Chance on Me" is a song by the Swedish pop group ABBA. It was released in 1978 as the second single from their fifth studio album, simply called The Album. The song has been featured on a number of ABBA compilations such as ABBA Gold: Greatest Hits.-History:The working title of "Take a...
" and "Always
Always (Erasure song)
"Always" is a synthpop ballad by British duo Erasure. It was released in 1994 as the first single from their sixth studio album I Say I Say I Say. Mute Records issued the single in the UK, while Elektra Records released it in the U.S...
".
The band has released 16 albums to date and have enjoyed a long string of hit singles spanning their more than two decades together, most recently topped-off by the 2005 top five hit "Breathe
Breathe (Erasure song)
"Breathe" is a song by British synth pop duo Erasure. It was released by Mute Records in the UK and the U.S. as the first single from the band's eleventh studio album Nightbird....
" taken from their Nightbird album. In 2006 Erasure produced a country-western style acoustic album consisting of mostly non-single cuts from their previous albums. This album, Union Street
Union Street (album)
Union Street is the title of the twelfth album by Erasure. Announced on their in November 2005, Union Street was released on 3 April 2006 in the UK and on 18 April 2006 in the U.S. by Mute Records....
was preceded by the single "Boy
Boy (Erasure song)
"Boy" is a ballad performed by British duo Erasure. Originally recorded in typical synth pop/Erasure style in 1997, the song appeared on their album Cowboy...
" originally included on their 1997 Cowboy
Cowboy (album)
Cowboy is an album recorded by Erasure in 1997 and released by Mute Records in the UK. In the U.S., it was released by Madonna's former label Maverick Records...
album.
On 26 January 2007, in a video message on the official Erasure website, the band announced the release of their sixteenth (thirteenth studio) album, entitled Light at the End of the World
Light at the End of the World
Light at the End of the World is the thirteenth studio album by English synthpop duo Erasure. The album's release was announced on the band's website on 26 January 2007 in a video message from members Vince Clarke and Andy Bell.-Background:...
. Released in the UK on 21 May 2007, with a US release the following day, it was preceded by the single "I Could Fall in Love with You
I Could Fall in Love with You
"I Could Fall in Love with You" is a song recorded by English synthpop duo Erasure. Written by band members Vince Clarke and Andy Bell, the track is the first single released from Erasure's thirteenth studio album Light at the End of the World. Remixes are provided by Jeremy Wheatley and Lee...
", released on 2 April 2007. The second single, "Sunday Girl
Sunday Girl (song)
"Sunday Girl" is a song recorded by British synthpop duo Erasure. Written by Erasure members Vince Clarke and Andy Bell, it appears as the opening track on the duo's thirteenth studio album Light at the End of the World. The song was released as the album's second UK single on 11 June 2007...
" was subsequently released.
The album was produced by Gareth Jones
Gareth Jones (music producer)
Gareth Jones is an English music producer and engineer notable for working with Depeche Mode, Einstürzende Neubauten, Wire and Erasure.-Background:Gareth Jones is married and currently living in North London....
and was a more "dance oriented" effort than some of their more recent work with Clarke making reference to the new material sounding potentially a bit more like Andy Bell's 2005 solo effort Electric Blue
Electric Blue (album)
Electric Blue is the debut solo album by Erasure frontman Andy Bell, released 3 October 2005 by Sanctuary Records. The album was released in-between the Erasure albums Nightbird and Union Street...
.
Erasure went on to tour with Cyndi Lauper
Cyndi Lauper
Cynthia Ann Stephanie "Cyndi" Lauper is an American singer, songwriter, actress and LGBT rights activist. She achieved success in the mid-1980s with the release of the album She's So Unusual and became the first female singer to have four top-five singles released from one album...
, Deborah Harry
Debbie Harry
Deborah Ann "Debbie" Harry is an American singer-songwriter and actress, best known for being the lead singer of the punk rock and new wave band Blondie. She has also had success as a solo artist, and in the mid-1990s she performed and recorded as part of The Jazz Passengers...
, Margaret Cho
Margaret Cho
Margaret Cho is an American comedian, fashion designer, actress, author, and recording artist. Cho is best known for her stand-up routines, through which she critiques social and political problems, especially those pertaining to race and sexuality. She has also directed and appeared in music...
and other artists, for the 2007 True Colors Tour
True Colors Tour
The True Colors Tour is an annual music tour created by American pop singer Cyndi Lauper. The tour benefits the Human Rights Campaign and other organizations that provide support to the LGBT community and to the straight friends and family who love them, including PFLAG and the Matthew Shepard...
of the United States, a tour which benefited gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender freedoms and rights. Erasure then went out on their own, headlining the "Light at the End of the World" tour in North America and Europe.
The band released a new EP, Storm Chaser
Storm Chaser (EP)
Storm Chaser is an EP recorded by synthpop duo Erasure. It was released in the UK and Germany by Mute Records on September 24, 2007 and a North American release followed on October 2....
, in September 2007. The EP contains nine tracks, one of them the winner of an online fan remix contest, for the track "When a Lover Leaves You", from the Light at the End of the World album.
The most recent Erasure album, Tomorrow's World, was released in October 2011, featuring production by Frankmusik.
Additional work
In July 1984, Clarke teamed Stephen Luscombe of BlancmangeBlancmange (band)
Blancmange are a British synthpop band who came to prominence with a string of hits in the early to mid 1980s.-Biography:Blancmange was formed in Harrow, Middlesex in 1979 by singer Neil Arthur and instrumentalists Stephen Luscombe and Laurence Stevens...
, Pandit Dinesh and Asha Bhosle. The group, West India Company, released a four track, self-titled EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
.
Clarke worked with synthpop producer Martyn Ware
Martyn Ware
Martyn "Teddy Bear" Ware is a British musician and music producer. He is the chairman of a local football team: PPA. As a founder member of both The Human League and Heaven 17, he was partly responsible for hit records such as "Being Boiled" and "Temptation"...
(of Heaven 17
Heaven 17
Heaven 17 are an English synthpop band originating from Sheffield in the early 1980s. The trio comprises Martyn Ware , Ian Craig Marsh and Glenn Gregory...
and The Human League
The Human League
The Human League are an English electronic New Wave band formed in Sheffield in 1977. They achieved popularity after a key change in line-up in the early 1980s and have continued recording and performing with moderate commercial success throughout the 1980s up to the present day.The only constant...
) in 1999 as "The Clarke & Ware Experiment" and released the album Pretentious. The duo collaborated again in 2001 for the album Spectrum Pursuit Vehicle, which was created with "3D music technology" specifically designed for listening in headphones. 2001 also saw the release of the Clarke-produced album Erasure's Vince Clarke which featured The Peter Pan Effect
The Peter Pan Effect
The Peter Pan Effect is the first album released by Robert Marlow. It was released in the summer of 1999, but was recorded 15 years earlier with Vince Clarke and Eric Radcliffe, shortly between the break-up of Yazoo and the formation of the Assembly and Erasure.The album was shelved, due to the...
, an album that he and Eric Radcliffe
Eric Radcliffe
Eric Radcliffe is a recording engineer and producer who worked with New Wave and synthpop bands in the early 1980s in Basildon, England...
produced for his long time friend, Robert Marlow
Robert Marlow
Robert Marlow is a synthpop musician and songwriter.-Biography:Robert Marlow grew up in Basildon with future Depeche Mode members Vince Clarke, Martin Gore, and Andy Fletcher. He is also tied to Alison Moyet, with whom he played in a band, The Vandals. He knew Andy and Vince from the Basildon...
. Clarke wrote "Let's Get Together" for the pop girl group Girl Authority
Girl Authority
Girl Authority is an American pop girl group from Massachusetts.The group consists of nine girls, ranging in ages 11 to 16. The group was established in the summer of 2005 by the group's vocal coach/executive producer Samantha Hammel, Scott Billington and the CEO of Rounder Records John Virant.All...
for their second album, Road Trip
Road Trip (album)
Road Trip is the second album from Girl Authority. Unlike the first album, Road Trip is a mixture of cover songs and original songs performed by Girl Authority...
. The song was originally meant to be for Depeche Mode, but was never recorded by them. Clarke also co-wrote "What Do I Want From You?" with Freeform Five
Freeform Five
Freeform Five is London based DJ, producer, songwriter Anu Pillai. It was his remix of Isolee’s “Beau Mot Plage” in 1999 that alerted many to this production outfit....
, for their album Strangest Things (2005).
Also in 2001, Clarke founded Illustrious Co. Ltd. with Martyn Ware, to create new forms of spatialised sound composition using their unique 3D AudioScape system, collaborating with fine artists, educational establishments, the performing arts, live events, corporate clients and educational settings round the world.
In 2004, Clarke provided additional music for an episode of Johnny Bravo
Johnny Bravo
Johnny Bravo is an American animated television series created by Van Partible for Cartoon Network. The series stars a muscular beefcake young man named Johnny Bravo who dons a pompadour hairstyle and an Elvis Presley-like voice and has a forward, woman-chasing personality...
entitled "The Time of My Life".
Clarke was an essential component of a 2000 project called Family Fantastic. They produced the album Nice!. In 2007 Family Fantastic released a second album, entitled Wonderful.
On 21 May 2009, Clarke was awarded by an "Outstanding Song Collection" prize, during the Ivor Novello Awards
Ivor Novello Awards
The Ivor Novello Awards, named after the Cardiff born entertainer Ivor Novello, are awards for songwriting and composing. They are presented annually in London by the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors and were first introduced in 1955.Nicknamed The Ivors, the awards take place...
ceremony of the same day, in recognition of 30 years in the music industry.
Discography
with Depeche Mode- Speak & SpellSpeak & Spell (album)Speak & Spell is the first album from the British electronic group Depeche Mode, recorded and released in 1981. The album peaked at #10 in the UK Albums Chart.-Overview:This was the only Depeche Mode album with Vince Clarke as a member of the band...
(1981, album)- "Dreaming of MeDreaming of Me"Dreaming of Me" is the debut single by Depeche Mode recorded at Blackwing Studios, originally released on February 20, 1981 in the UK. The single was not commercially released in the United States....
" (1981, single) - "New Life" (1981, single)
- "Just Can't Get Enough" (1981, single)
- "Dreaming of Me
- The Singles 81>85 (1985, compilation)
with Yazoo
- Upstairs at Eric'sUpstairs at Eric'sUpstairs at Eric's is Yazoo's first album produced by the band and E.C. Radcliffe with assistance from Daniel Miller. It reached # 2 in UK and # 92 in US...
(1982, album)- "Only YouOnly You (Yazoo song)-Track listing:7": Mute/7 MUTE 20 # "Only You" - 3:10# "Situation" - 3:447": Sire/9 2-98447 # "Only You" - 3:10# "Winter Kills" - 4:0112": Mute/12 MUTE 20 # "Only You" - 3:10# "Situation" - 5:20CD: Mute/CD MUTE 20...
" (1982, single) - "Don't GoDon't Go (Yazoo song)"Don't Go" is the second single taken from the British New Wave band Yazoo's debut album, Upstairs at Eric's. Released in the UK in July of 1982, the song peaked at #3 on the UK singles chart, becoming Yazoo's second top five hit. In the US, where the band was known as Yaz, the song was their...
" (1982, single) - "The Other Side of LoveThe Other Side of Love"The Other Side of Love" is a song by the British synthpop band Yazoo, released in 1982 as their third single. The single peaked at #13 on the UK Singles Chart, making it the band's least successful single and the only one of their four singles to miss the top 10...
" (1982, single)
- "Only You
- You and Me BothYou and Me BothYou and Me Both is the second, and final, album released by British synthpop duo Yazoo in 1983. As was their debut, the record was produced by Yazoo members Vince Clarke and Alison Moyet along with E.C. Radcliffe...
(1983, album)- "Nobody's DiaryNobody's Diary"Nobody's Diary" is a song recorded by British synthpop band Yazoo. It was released as the only single from their 1983 album, You and Me Both. The song was written by Yazoo vocalist Alison Moyet and produced by the band and Eric Radcliffe....
" (1983, single)
- "Nobody's Diary
with The Assembly
- "Never Never"Never Never (The Assembly song)"Never Never" is the title of the only single released by the Vince Clarke project, The Assembly, in 1983.The song features Feargal Sharkey of The Undertones on vocals; Sharkey's performance on "Never Never" was a total departure from the punk sound of The Undertones. The song peaked at number four...
(1983, single)
In duet with Paul Quinn
- "One Day" (1985, single)
With Erasure
- See Erasure discographyErasure discographyThis is the discography of British synth pop duo Erasure, consisting of keyboardist Vince Clarke and singer Andy Bell.-Studio albums:-Compilation albums:-Live albums:-Box sets:-Erasure Information Service releases:-Extended plays:...
Solo
- Lucky Bastard (1993, Sample CD)
In duet with Martyn Ware
- Pretentious (1999, as The Clarke and Ware Experiment)
- Spectrum Pursuit Vehicle (2001, simply as Vincent Clarke & Martyn Ware)
with Family Fantastic
- Nice! (2000)
- Wonderful (2008)
In RadioActivators
- "Knock on Your Door" (2001, single)
Vince Clarke / Martin Gore collaboration
Vince Clarke, ex-member of Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode are an English electronic music band formed in 1980 in Basildon, Essex. The group's original line-up consisted of Dave Gahan , Martin Gore , Andy Fletcher and Vince Clarke...
collaborated with his former colleague Martin Gore
Martin Gore
Martin Lee Gore is an English songwriter, lyricist, singer, guitarist, keyboardist, remixer and DJ. He is a founding member of Depeche Mode and has written the vast majority of their songs...
for the first time since 1981 as techno duo VCMG on a yet-untitled instrumental minimalist electronic dance album, set to be released in early 2012. The first EP entitled "Spock" will be released worldwide exclusively on Beatport on 30 November 2011.
Remixes
He has remixed the following songs for artists other than Erasure:
- 1988 Happy MondaysHappy MondaysHappy Mondays are an English alternative rock band from Salford, Greater Manchester. Formed in 1980, the band's original line-up was Shaun Ryder on lead vocals, his brother Paul Ryder on bass, lead guitarist Mark Day, keyboardist Paul Davis, and drummer Gary Whelan...
– "WFL (Wrote for Luck)" - 1990 Betty BooBetty BooAlison Moira Clarkson better known as Betty Boo, is an English singer, songwriter and pop-rap artist...
– "24 Hours" (Oratronic Mix) - 1991 Fortran 5Fortran 5Fortran 5 was an electronic music band recording music during the nineties.-Background:The band were made up of members David Baker and Simon Leonard, who had previously worked together on the music project known as I Start Counting. Around 1990 they had begun recording new material, and realised...
– "Heart on the Line" (V.C. Mix) - 1991 Habit – "Power"
- 1992 Nitzer EbbNitzer EbbNitzer Ebb is a British EBM group formed in 1982 by Essex school friends Vaughan "Bon" Harris , Douglas McCarthy , and David Gooday .-Band name:...
– "Ascend" (Anonymous Mix) - 1992 The Wolfgang PressThe Wolfgang PressThe Wolfgang Press was an English post-punk band, active from 1983 until 1995, recording for the 4AD label. The core of the band was Michael Allen , Mark Cox , and Andrew Gray , with many guest musicians....
– "Angel" - 1992 Betty BooBetty BooAlison Moira Clarkson better known as Betty Boo, is an English singer, songwriter and pop-rap artist...
– "I'm on My Way" (The Batman and Robin Mix) - 1993 The Time FrequencyThe Time FrequencyThe Time Frequency are a techno group from Scotland.Founded by Jon Campbell and Steve Nelson in 1988 as Thru The Fire, a synthpop band, before renaming themselves The Time Frequency, they were one of Scotland's first techno groups...
– "Real Love'93" - 1994 SparksSparks (band)Sparks is an American rock and pop band formed in Los Angeles in 1968 by brothers Ron and Russell Mael , initially under the name Halfnelson...
– "When Do I Get to Sing "My Way"" - 1994 Alison MoyetAlison MoyetAlison Moyet , is an English singer, songwriter and performer noted for her bluesy voice.Her UK album sales have reached a certified 2.3 million, with 800,000 singles sold, all in the UK, where all seven of her studio albums and three compilation albums have charted in the Top 40 UK Album Chart,...
– "Whispering Your Name" (A Remix) - 1995 EgebamyasiMr EggMatthew Egbert Wand, better known as Mr Egg is a musician credited as being one of the founding fathers of UK Acid House music...
– "Remont" (Vince Version) - 1997 White TownWhite TownWhite Town is a musical act from the United Kingdom, and is the work of one man, Jyoti Prakash Mishra.-Career:Mishra was born in Rourkela, Orissa, India on 30 July 1966 and has lived in England since the age of three...
– "Wanted" single - 2001 MarlowRobert MarlowRobert Marlow is a synthpop musician and songwriter.-Biography:Robert Marlow grew up in Basildon with future Depeche Mode members Vince Clarke, Martin Gore, and Andy Fletcher. He is also tied to Alison Moyet, with whom he played in a band, The Vandals. He knew Andy and Vince from the Basildon...
– "My Teenage Dream" (Stealth Mix) - 2001 MarlowRobert MarlowRobert Marlow is a synthpop musician and songwriter.-Biography:Robert Marlow grew up in Basildon with future Depeche Mode members Vince Clarke, Martin Gore, and Andy Fletcher. He is also tied to Alison Moyet, with whom he played in a band, The Vandals. He knew Andy and Vince from the Basildon...
– "No Heart" (Vince Clarke 2001 Dance Mix) - 2002 Simple MindsSimple MindsSimple Minds are a Scottish rock band who achieved worldwide popularity from the mid-1980s to the early 1990s. The band produced a handful of critically acclaimed albums in the early 1980s and best known for their #1 US, Canada and Netherlands hit single "Don't You ", from the soundtrack of the...
– "Homosapien" - 2005 Andy BellAndy Bell (singer)Andrew Ivan "Andy" Bell is the lead singer of the English synthpop duo Erasure. He also has a solo career, with the albums Non-Stop and Electric Blue.-Early life:Andy Bell originates from the Dogsthorpe area in Peterborough...
– "Crazy" (Vince Clarke Remix) - 2005 RammsteinRammsteinRammstein is a German Neue Deutsche Härte band from Berlin, formed in 1994. The band consists of members Till Lindemann , Richard Z. Kruspe , Paul H. Landers , Oliver "Ollie" Riedel , Christoph "Doom" Schneider and Christian "Flake" Lorenz...
– "Mann Gegen Mann" (Popular Music Mix) - 2006 RosenstolzRosenstolzRosenstolz is a German music band from Berlin. Their music combines several styles including rock, pop and ballads. AnNa R. and Peter Plate form the duo. They had their breakthrough in 1998 with the song Herzensschöner...
– "Nichts Von Alledem (Tut Mir Leid)" (Mix Up Mix) - 2006 Noirhaus – "It's Over"
- 2009 The SaturdaysThe SaturdaysThe Saturdays are a British and Irish pop girl group based in London, United Kingdom. The group consists of five members Una Healy, Mollie King, Frankie Sandford, Vanessa White and Rochelle Wiseman. In 2007 the band were formed through Fascination Records which gave them an instant record deal with...
– "Issues" (Vince Clarke Remix) - 2009 MarlowRobert MarlowRobert Marlow is a synthpop musician and songwriter.-Biography:Robert Marlow grew up in Basildon with future Depeche Mode members Vince Clarke, Martin Gore, and Andy Fletcher. He is also tied to Alison Moyet, with whom he played in a band, The Vandals. He knew Andy and Vince from the Basildon...
– "Home" (Vince Clarke's Starstruck Mix) - 2009 Polly ScattergoodPolly ScattergoodPolly Scattergood is a British singer-songwriter from Colchester, Essex, England, UK. She has been described as ethereal, dark, intense and quirky, while her musical style has been described as "early 21st century electro-dance-pop of London proper". Scattergood's debut album, self-titled, was...
– "Other Too Endless" - 2009 Franz FerdinandFranz Ferdinand (band)Franz Ferdinand are a Scottish post-punk revival band formed in Glasgow in 2002. The band is composed of Alex Kapranos , Bob Hardy , Nick McCarthy , and Paul Thomson .The band first experienced chart success when their second single, "Take Me Out", reached #3 in...
– "No You Girls" (Vince Clarke Remix) - 2009 The PresetsThe PresetsThe Presets are an Australian electronic duo formed in 2003, consisting of Julian Hamilton on vocals and keyboards, and Kim Moyes on drums and keyboards. They released their debut album Beams in 2005 to positive critical response. Their 2008 release Apocalypso debuted at number-one on the ARIA...
– "If I Know You" (Vince Clarke Remix) - 2009 Space CowboySpace Cowboy (musician)Nick Dresti , better known by his stage name Space Cowboy, is a DJ and twice Grammy Award nominated producer, who was born in Paris and raised in England.-Biography:...
– "Falling Down" (Vince Clarke Remix) - 2009 A Place to Bury StrangersA Place to Bury StrangersA Place to Bury Strangers are a New York–based noise rock band composed of Oliver Ackermann , Dion Lunadon and Jay Space . The band plays a heavy, atmospheric wall of sound-influenced blend of psychedelic rock, shoegaze and space rock...
– "In Your Heart" (Vince Clarke Remix) - 2009 AshAsh (band)Ash are an alternative rock band that formed in Downpatrick, Northern Ireland in 1992. The band has sold 8 million albums worldwide.-Band beginning, Trailer and 1977 :...
– "True Love 1980" (Vince Clarke Remix) - 2010 Andy BellAndy Bell (singer)Andrew Ivan "Andy" Bell is the lead singer of the English synthpop duo Erasure. He also has a solo career, with the albums Non-Stop and Electric Blue.-Early life:Andy Bell originates from the Dogsthorpe area in Peterborough...
– "Call On Me" (Vince Clarke Remix) - 2010 Andy BellAndy Bell (singer)Andrew Ivan "Andy" Bell is the lead singer of the English synthpop duo Erasure. He also has a solo career, with the albums Non-Stop and Electric Blue.-Early life:Andy Bell originates from the Dogsthorpe area in Peterborough...
– "Non-Stop" (Vince Clarke Remix) - 2010 GoldfrappGoldfrappGoldfrapp are an English electronic music duo, formed in 1999 in London, England, that consists of Alison Goldfrapp and Will Gregory ....
– "Believer" (Vince Clarke Remix) - 2011 Billie Ray MartinBillie Ray Martin-Career:Billie Ray Martin has had dance and pop hits in various collaborations and as a solo artist. Initially a guest singer for S'Express , she went on to work with the electronic/pop/house-music group Electribe 101. The group's only album was Electribal Memories because it disbanded...
– "Sweet Suburban Disco" (Vince Clarke Remix) - 2011 Depeche ModeDepeche ModeDepeche Mode are an English electronic music band formed in 1980 in Basildon, Essex. The group's original line-up consisted of Dave Gahan , Martin Gore , Andy Fletcher and Vince Clarke...
– "Behind the Wheel" (Vince Clarke Remix)
Production and recording methods
When Clarke started out in the music industry in 1979, most synthesizers were analogue (digital synthesizers were rare, and would remain that way until the launch of the Yamaha DX7Yamaha DX7
The Yamaha DX7 is an FM Digital Synthesizer manufactured by the Yamaha Corporation from 1983 to 1986. It was the first commercially successful digital synthesizer. Its distinctive sound can be heard on many recordings, especially Pop music from the 1980s...
in 1983 ). In order to connect analogue synthesizers
Analog synthesizer
An analog or analogue synthesizer is a synthesizer that uses analog circuits and analog computer techniques to generate sound electronically. The earliest analog synthesizers in the 1920s and 1930s such as the Trautonium were built with a variety of vacuum-tube and electro-mechanical technologies...
, analogue drum machine
Drum machine
A drum machine is an electronic musical instrument designed to imitate the sound of drums or other percussion instruments. They are used in a variety of musical genres, not just purely electronic music...
s and analogue sequencers
Music sequencer
The music sequencer is a device or computer software to record, edit, play back the music, by handling note and performance information in several forms, typically :...
together, multiple CV/Gate
CV/Gate
CV/Gate is an analog method of controlling synthesizers, drum machines and other similar equipment with external sequencers. The Control Voltage typically controls pitch and the Gate signal controls note on/off....
cables were required between each device. This system was not standardised, so interoperability between instruments from different manufacturers was not always straightforward. In addition, some manufacturers used their own proprietary interfaces. When an industry-wide standard called MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) was introduced in 1983, Clarke, like most other electronic musicians, gradually migrated to the new technology. However, he continued to prefer his older analogue instruments:
"... CV and Gate is tighter. I can hear and feel that it's tighter than MIDI – we can even prove it using 'scopes. Because everything is clocked simply, it arrives bang on the beat. The whole production starts to 'tick over'. Just look at KraftwerkKraftwerkKraftwerk is an influential electronic music band from Düsseldorf, Germany. The group was formed by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider in 1970, and was fronted by them until Schneider's departure in 2008...
's stuff. I think that 'feel' has been lost with MIDI sequencers. No matter what you do with MIDI, the music will never sound as good as it did in the good old FuturistSynthpopSynthpop is a genre of popular music that first became prominent in the 1980s, in which the synthesizer is the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s by the use of synthesizers in progressive rock, electronic art rock, disco and particularly the "Kraut rock" of...
days. That's why our tracks sound the way they do."
For the Chorus album in 1991, he gathered together his collection of analogue synthesizers from various recording studio locations in London and set up a small studio in Amsterdam. This led Clarke to assemble an intricate patch system to more easily enable the control of his analogue instruments:
"... the secret is having a good patch system – not as in patching to the mixing desk, but in patching CV and Gate. Because we don't use MIDI at all, you have to run three or four cables between each synth module – CV, Gate, Filter, Amplitude or whatever – and you've got to have a really unique system to do that."
In 1993 Clarke described his approach to songwriting:
"Andy [Bell] and I get together with a guitar and a tape recorder, I'll strum some chords, he'll sing a melody and we work in little sections, four or eight bars long. Then we'll try stringing the sections together. It's like a jigsaw puzzle. I find it very hard to relate songwriting to synthesizers, actually – we write songs in a very traditional way. The electronic side of things is just to create the atmosphere. It's mostly just messing about..!
"Once we've worked out a song, I start programming up the arrangement on the BBC UMIBBC MicroThe BBC Microcomputer System, or BBC Micro, was a series of microcomputers and associated peripherals designed and built by Acorn Computers for the BBC Computer Literacy Project, operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation...
sequencer, which lets me run 16 synths simultaneously. That way you get a better idea if parts are working together or not. Then we start refining the individual sounds. And finally the whole lot is transferred to my Roland MC4Roland MC-4 MicrocomposerThe Roland MC-4 Microcomposer was an early microprocessor-based music sequencer released by the Roland Corporation. It could be programmed using the ten key numeric keyboard or a synthesizer keyboard using the keyboards control voltage and gate outputs...
, piece by piece, so it's being run in CV and Gate. Once we've got that, it's a case of Andy sketching out vocal ideas – in the studio we use two 48 track digital tape machines, which gives Dinger 24 tracks just for his voice!"
Clarke continued to expand his collection of analogue synthesizers and in 1994 set up "37B", a recording studio built adjacent to his custom-made home, "Ammonite", in Chertsey
Chertsey
Chertsey is a town in Surrey, England, on the River Thames and its tributary rivers such as the River Bourne. It can be accessed by road from junction 11 of the M25 London orbital motorway. It shares borders with Staines, Laleham, Shepperton, Addlestone, Woking, Thorpe and Egham...
, Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
. From 1994 to 2003, all Erasure albums were either wholly or in part recorded at "37B".
In 2004 Clarke moved to Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
, USA. While waiting for his studio equipment to be shipped from the UK, he began using an Apple Mac laptop with Logic Pro
Logic Pro
Logic Pro is a hybrid 32 / 64 bit digital audio workstation and MIDI sequencer software application for the Mac OS X platform. Originally created by German software developer Emagic, Logic Pro became an Apple product when Apple bought Emagic in 2002...
, Max/MSP
Max (software)
Max is a visual programming language for music and multimedia developed and maintained by San Francisco-based software company Cycling '74. During its 20-year history, it has been widely used by composers, performers, software designers, researchers, and artists for creating innovative recordings,...
, and various software synthesizer
Software synthesizer
A software synthesizer, also known as a softsynth is a computer program or plug-in for digital audio generation. Computer software which can create sounds or music is not new, but advances in processing speed are allowing softsynths to accomplish the same tasks that previously required dedicated...
s (many of which were analogue emulations). Since then, he has continued to use Logic Pro, along with both software and analogue synthesizers:
"Nowadays, you can take the best bits from digital and analogue. On certain projects – say, if I'm doing library musicProduction musicProduction music is the name given to recorded music produced and owned by production music libraries and licensed to customers for use in film, television, radio and other media.-Introduction:...
– where you need to have instant recall all the time, then it's obviously much more convenient to use the computer. When it comes to writing a new song, though, I still like to have the old analogue gear there, too. But, a lot of soft synths have a character of their own, too; the Moog Modular V is just crazy!
"I think that analogue has an inherent sound to it – it's like the old argument over vinyl versus CD. It seems that you hear more frequencies coming from an analogue synth than you do from a software synth, but the great thing about the latter is that you can do far more complex modulation, both within the synth itself and on the keyboard. To emulate any of those really complex modulations on an analogue... well, you'd need a mile of cable."
As of 2009, Clarke has installed his analogue synthesizers along side his Logic Pro-based workstation in a custom-built commercial studio called "The Cabin" in Maine.
Current/recent studio equipment: Dave Smith Instruments Mopho, Roland System 700, Roland 100M, Roland Jupiter-8
Roland Jupiter-8
The Jupiter-8 is an eight-voice polyphonic analog subtractive synthesizer introduced by Roland Corporation in 1981.The Jupiter-8, or JP-8, was Roland's flagship synthesizer for the first half of the 1980's...
, Roland Jupiter-4
Roland Jupiter-4
The Roland Jupiter 4 was an analog synthesizer manufactured by the Roland Corporation of Japan between 1978 and 1981. It was notable as the company's first self-contained polyphonic synthesizer, and for containing digital control of analog circuits , allowing for such features as programmable...
, Roland MKS-80, Roland SH-1, Roland VP-330, Roland JP-8000
Roland JP-8000
The Roland JP-8000 is an analog modeling synthesizer released by the Roland Corporation in 1997.- Overview :The Roland JP-8000 was released in early 1997 to compete with the other analog modeling synthesizers of the period such as the Access Virus, Clavia Nord Lead the Korg MS2000 and the Yamaha AN1x...
, Roland Juno-60
Roland Juno-60
The Roland Juno-60 is a popular analogue 61-key polyphonic synthesizer produced by Roland Corporation in the early 1980s and a successor to the slightly earlier Juno-6. Like its predecessor, the Juno-60 has some digital enhancements, used only for clocking the oscillators and for saving and loading...
, Roland Juno-106
Roland Juno-106
The Roland Juno-106 was a hybrid digital/analogue polyphonic synth manufactured by Roland Corporation in 1984. It featured Digitally controlled oscillators for tuning stability and digital envelope generation along with analog filters and signal path....
, Roland Super JX
Roland JX-10
The Roland JX-10 was a 12-voice analog synthesizer produced from 1986 to 1989, and was the last true analog synthesizer made by Roland. It is essentially two Roland JX-8P synthesizers put together, along with a 76-note velocity-sensitive keyboard with aftertouch...
, Roland D-550, ARP 2500
ARP 2500
The ARP 2500, built from 1970 through the mid-70's, was ARP's first product. A monophonic analog modular synthesizer equipped with a set of sliding matrix switches above each module. These were the primary method of interconnecting modules. There were also rows of 1/8" miniphone jacks at the end...
Modular, ARP 2600
ARP 2600
The ARP 2600 is a semi-modular analog subtractive audio synthesizer, designed by Alan R. Pearlman , and manufactured by his company, ARP Instruments, Inc...
, PPG Wave 2.2, Waldorf Microwave, Waldorf Pulse, Moog Modular
Moog modular synthesizer
Moog modular synthesizer refers to any of a number of monophonic analog modular synthesizers designed by the late electronic instrument pioneer Dr. Robert Moog and manufactured by R.A Moog Co...
, Minimoog
Minimoog
The Minimoog is a monophonic analog synthesizer, invented by Bill Hemsath and Robert Moog. It was released in 1970 by R.A. Moog Inc. , and production was stopped in 1981. It was re-designed by Robert Moog in 2002 and released as Minimoog Voyager.The Minimoog was designed in response to the use of...
, Moog Source
Moog Source
The Moog Source is a monophonic Z80 microprocessor-controlled analog synthesizer manufactured by Moog Music from 1981 to 1985. The Source was Moog's first synthesizer to offer patch memory storage...
, E-Mu Modular System, Buchla 100 series Modular, Sequential Circuits Prophet-5, Sequential Circuits Pro-One, Oxford Synthesiser Company OSCar, Synton Syrinx, Korg MS-20
Korg MS-20
The Korg MS-20 is a patchable semi-modular monophonic synthesizer which Korg released in 1978 and which was in production until 1983. It was part of Korg's MS series of instruments, which also included the single oscillator MS-10, the keyboardless MS-50 module, and the SQ-10 sequencer...
, Korg MS-10
Korg MS-10
Korg MS-10 is an analogue synthesizer created by Korg in the mid to late 1970s. Unlike its bigger brother , the MS-10 only has one VCO per voice.The MS-10 is well known for its huge sounding electro bass sounds....
, Korg 700, Korg M1
Korg M1
The Korg M1 is the world's first widely-known music workstation. Its onboard MIDI sequencer and palette of sounds allowed musicians to produce complete professional arrangements...
, Korg DVP, Serge Modular, Polyfusion Modular, Oberheim Xpander
Oberheim Xpander
The Oberheim Xpander was an analog synthesizer launched by Oberheim in 1984 and discontinued in 1988. It is essentially a keyboardless, six-voice version of the Matrix-12...
, Oberheim SEM System, RSF Kobol, Electronic Music Studios VCS 3
EMS VCS 3
The VCS 3 is a portable analog synthesiser with a flexible semi-modular voice architecture, by Electronic Music Studios Limited in 1969....
, Sennheiser Vocoder VSM201, Apple Power Mac G5
Power Mac G5
The Power Mac G5 is Apple's marketing name for models of the Power Macintosh that contains the IBM PowerPC G5 CPU. The professional-grade computer was the most powerful in Apple's lineup when it was introduced, widely hailed as the first 64-bit PC, and was touted by Apple as the fastest personal...
, Apple MacBook Pro
MacBook Pro
The MacBook Pro is a line of Macintosh portable computers introduced in January 2006 by Apple. It replaced the PowerBook G4 and was the second model, after the iMac, to be announced in the Apple–Intel transition...
.
Current/recent software: Apple Logic Pro
Logic Pro
Logic Pro is a hybrid 32 / 64 bit digital audio workstation and MIDI sequencer software application for the Mac OS X platform. Originally created by German software developer Emagic, Logic Pro became an Apple product when Apple bought Emagic in 2002...
, Cycling '74 Max/MSP
Max (software)
Max is a visual programming language for music and multimedia developed and maintained by San Francisco-based software company Cycling '74. During its 20-year history, it has been widely used by composers, performers, software designers, researchers, and artists for creating innovative recordings,...
, Arturia ARP 2600 V, Arturia Minimoog V, Arturia Moog Modular V, GForce impOSCar, GForce Oddity, LinPlug Octopus, Muon Tau Pro, Native Instruments Absynth, Native Instruments Reaktor
Reaktor
Reaktor is a graphical modular software music studio of proprietary license developed by Native Instruments. It lets musicians and sound specialists design and build their own instruments, samplers, effects and sound design tools. It is supplied with many ready-to-use instruments and effects, from...
, Native Instruments FM7, Native Instruments FM8, Vienna Symphonic String & Choir Libraries
Vienna Symphonic Library
The Vienna Symphonic Library is a producer of samples of orchestral instruments recorded by members of the Vienna Philharmonic. For recording the samples, VSL uses the Silent Stage, a recording studio specially constructed for this purpose. The number of recorded samples currently is about 1.3...
.
Personal life
Clarke has been married to Tracy Hurley since 2004. They have a son named Oscar and live together in the United States, in Maine.Tracy Hurley is the sister of the American writer Tonya Hurley
Tonya Hurley
Tonya Hurley is an American writer and director in film, television, live performance, interactive media and the New York Times bestselling author of the book series ghostgirl...
whose husband, Michael Pagnotta
Michael Pagnotta
Michael Pagnotta is a veteran entertainment publicist, music supervisor and artist manager.He is perhaps best known as the former longtime spokesman and media advisor to Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, the mary-kateandashley brand and their company, Dualstar Entertainment Group...
, is the manager of Erasure
Erasure
Erasure are an English synthpop duo, consisting of songwriter and keyboardist Vince Clarke and singer Andy Bell. Erasure entered the music scene in 1985 with their debut single "Who Needs Love Like That"...
.
Vince Clarke is left-handed.