Depeche Mode (GB)

About

Also known as: DM, デペッシュ・モード

Few bands have reshaped electronic music the way Depeche Mode have. Formed in Basildon, Essex in 1980, they built their sound around synthesisers and dark, atmospheric textures, moving from the bright synth pop of their debut Speak and Spell into increasingly brooding territory with landmark albums like Black Celebration, Music for the Masses, and the platinum certified Violator. That last one alone hit number seven on the Billboard 200 and helped cement them as one of the defining acts of the late 20th century. Over more than four decades they racked up 54 UK singles chart entries, 17 Top 10 UK albums, and worldwide sales north of 100 million records, landing them in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2020. The classic lineup of Dave Gahan, Martin Gore, and Andy Fletcher continued until Fletcher's death in 2022, after which Gahan and Gore carried on as a duo, releasing Memento Mori in 2023. The core sound, heavy on atmosphere and tension, has never really gone out of style.