Alan Wilder

Alan Wilder

Born: June 1, 1959
in Hammersmith, London, England, UK
Alan Charles Wilder (born 1 June 1959) is an English musician, composer, arranger, record producer and former member of the electronic band Depeche Mode from 1982 to 1995. Since his departure from the band, the musical project called Recoil became his primary musical enterprise, which initially started as a side project to Depeche Mode in 1986. Wilder has also provided production and remixing services to the bands Nitzer Ebb and Curve. Alan Wilder was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2020 as a member of Depeche Mode. He is a classically trained musician.

Alan Charles Wilder was born the youngest boy born into a middle class family of 3 boys and was raised in Acton, West London. He began piano at the age of eight, through the encouragement of his parents. Later on, he learned the flute at St Clement Danes grammar school and became a leading musician in his school bands. After school, Alan worked as a studio assistant at DJM Studios. This led to him ending up working for bands such as the Dragons and Dafne & the Tenderspots (as Alan Normal). Others include Real to Real (featuring Adrian Chilvers on bass, Pete Fresh on guitar, Wolfgang Marlander on drums and Paul St. James on vocals), the Hitmen, and the Korgis, appearing on the UK No. 13 single "If I Had You" (1979).

Following the departure of Vince Clarke, Depeche Mode placed an advertisement in the music magazine Melody Maker: "Keyboard player needed for established band – no timewasters." Even though the ad was looking for someone under 21 (Wilder was 22) he lied about his age to get the job, and got away with it. He joined Depeche Mode in January 1982, initially as a tour keyboardist, and soon thereafter as a full member of the recording band. His first studio contribution was on the single "Get the Balance Right!" in December 1982, released the following month.

Wilder wrote a handful of songs for Depeche Mode, including "Two Minute Warning" and "The Landscape Is Changing" (and a B-side, "Fools") from the album Construction Time Again, and "If You Want" (and a B-side, "In Your Memory") from the album Some Great Reward and finally co-wrote "Black Day" (and a B-side, "Christmas Island") from the album Black Celebration. However, Wilder's more notable contributions to Depeche Mode were as a musician, arranger, and producer.

In addition to playing synthesizer throughout his time with Depeche Mode, Wilder also played piano on the band's signature ballad "Somebody". In the documentary film 101, Wilder demonstrates how different synthesizer parts of a song are split and arranged across a sampling keyboard for playing them live during the concert, just one small example of Wilder's ongoing contributions to Depeche Mode during his time as a member of the group. For the recording of the album Songs of Faith and Devotion and its corresponding Devotional Tour, Wilder also played live drums.

For "Enjoy the Silence" from the album Violator, Wilder took Martin Gore's melancholy ballad-esque demo and re-envisioned the song as a percolating, melodic dance track. The resulting single went on to become one of the most commercially successful songs in Depeche Mode's history. ...

Source: Article "Alan Wilder" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.

Movies for Alan Wilder...

Depeche Mode - Strange & Strange Too
Title: Depeche Mode - Strange & Strange Too
Released: December 8, 2023
Type: Movie
Freshly Restored from Original Super 8 Sources, the Compilation of Groundbreaking Depeche Mode Videos, Directed and Filmed by Anton Corbijn, includes 11 Music Videos + 6 Previously Unreleased Outtake "Vignettes". Previously available as individual titles in VHS and Laserdisc formats, Strange (1988) and Strange Too (1990) are compilations of the provocative and visionary short films lensed by master photographer/director Anton Corbijn, in collaboration with Depeche Mode, to create a new visual iconography for the band and their music. When assembling the final edits for Strange and Strange Too, Corbijn created a visual running order where the individual music videos are perceived as one continuous film, with additional interstitial content not seen in the original clips.
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Depeche Mode: Video Singles Collection
Title: Depeche Mode: Video Singles Collection
Character: Self
Released: November 11, 2016
Type: Movie
The complete collection of Depeche Modes videos.
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Depeche Mode - Delta Machine
Title: Depeche Mode - Delta Machine
Character: Self
Released: November 17, 2014
Type: Movie
1. Welcome To My World 2. Angel 3. Heaven 4. Secret To The End 5. My Little Universe 6. Slow 7. Broken 8. The Child Inside 9. Soft Touch/Raw Nerve 10. Should Be Higher 11. Alone 12. Soothe My Soul 13. Goodbye 14. Long Time Lie 15. Happens All The Time 16. Always 17. All That’s Mine
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Recoil A Strange Hour In Budapest
Title: Recoil A Strange Hour In Budapest
Character: Self
Released: August 12, 2012
Type: Movie
The band fronted by former Depeche Mode member Alan Wilder captured live in performance in Budapest. Wilder gave Recoil his full attention when he left Depeche Mode in 1995. The concert was filmed in Budapest's Szikra venue and saw the band play songs from all stages of their career.
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Depeche Mode: 1983 “Teenagers Growing Up, Bad Government… and All That Stuff.”
Title: Depeche Mode: 1983 “Teenagers Growing Up, Bad Government… and All That Stuff.”
Character: Self
Released: March 26, 2007
Type: Movie
"Teenagers Growing Up, Bad Government… And All That Stuff" - While Alan Wilder becomes a full member of Depeche Mode, the band experiment with new sounds through sampling, for their third album "Construction Time Again".
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Depeche Mode: 1985–86 “The Songs Aren't Good Enough, There Aren't Any Singles and It'll Never Get Played on the Radio”
Title: Depeche Mode: 1985–86 “The Songs Aren't Good Enough, There Aren't Any Singles and It'll Never Get Played on the Radio”
Character: Self
Released: March 20, 2007
Type: Movie
"The Songs Aren't Good Enough, There Aren't Any Singles And It'll Never Get Played On The Radio" - Like the other reissues, the DVD includes a documentary on the album. The title - The Songs Aren't Good Enough, There Aren't Any Singles and It'll Never Get Played on the Radio - is Gore paraphrasing Daniel Miller about his demos for Black Celebration in the film. The double-documentary discusses both The Singles 81→85 and Black Celebration, its more challenging commercial success (especially the song "Stripped") and all five related singles. It also includes a plethora of behind-the-scenes footage of the making of Black Celebration and the ensuing tour. Highlights include the band meeting The Cure, and behind the scenes footage of several of the music videos. The documentary is nearly an hour long.
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Depeche Mode: The Best Of Videos Vol. 1
Title: Depeche Mode: The Best Of Videos Vol. 1
Character: Self
Released: March 16, 2007
Type: Movie
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Depeche Mode: 1982 “The Beginning of Their So-Called Dark Phase…”
Title: Depeche Mode: 1982 “The Beginning of Their So-Called Dark Phase…”
Character: Self
Released: October 3, 2006
Type: Movie
"The Beginning Of Their So-Called Dark Phase…" - A documentary about the making of the album A Broken Frame, featuring interviews with the group including former band member Vince Clarke, new live member Alan Wilder and other relevant personnel such as Daniel Miller of Mute Records. It also features vintage footage from UK television.
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Depeche Mode: 1991–1994 “We Were Going to Live Together, Record Together… and It Was Going to Be Wonderful…”
Title: Depeche Mode: 1991–1994 “We Were Going to Live Together, Record Together… and It Was Going to Be Wonderful…”
Character: Self
Released: October 3, 2006
Type: Movie
"We Were Going To Live Together, Record Together… And It Was Going To Be Wonderful…" - As part of the band's Documental series about their history, the documentary short about the making of Songs of Faith & Devotion and its eventual tour showcases the band moving into different directions where they nearly killed each other followed by a tour that broke the band leading to the departure of its longtime member Alan Wilder.
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Depeche Mode: 1984 “You Can Get Away with Anything as Long as You Give It a Good Tune…”
Title: Depeche Mode: 1984 “You Can Get Away with Anything as Long as You Give It a Good Tune…”
Character: Self
Released: October 3, 2006
Type: Movie
"You Can Get Away With Anything As Long As You Give It A Good Tune…" - Short documentary of making "Some Great Reward", the fourth studio album.
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Depeche Mode: 1989–90 “If You Wanna Use Guitars, Use Guitars…”
Title: Depeche Mode: 1989–90 “If You Wanna Use Guitars, Use Guitars…”
Character: Self
Released: June 6, 2006
Type: Movie
"If You Wanna Use Guitars, Use Guitars…" - A 32-minute short film, entitled Depeche Mode 1989–90 (If You Wanna Use Guitars, Use Guitars), featured interviews with the band, Daniel Miller, Flood, François Kevorkian (who mixed the album), Anton Corbijn (who directed the music videos and did the album's photography/cover), and others. It also includes news footage from the infamous "riot" in Los Angeles, which gave the band media publicity the day before Violator came out.
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Depeche Mode: 1987–88 “Sometimes You Do Need Some New Jokes…”
Title: Depeche Mode: 1987–88 “Sometimes You Do Need Some New Jokes…”
Character: Self
Released: June 6, 2006
Type: Movie
"Sometimes You Do Need Some New Jokes…" - In both musical and commercial terms, Depeche Mode had been building slowly but steadily by the time of Music for the Masses in 1987. The album really did feel like a great leap forward. It was the start of a new chapter. This short film tells the story of that album, it's aftermath and the impact on the band. The DVD also contains a 5.1 surround sound mix of the original album.
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Depeche Mode: The Videos 86-98
Title: Depeche Mode: The Videos 86-98
Character: Self
Released: September 28, 1998
Type: Movie
The Videos 86>98 is a music video compilation by Depeche Mode, featuring almost two dozen music videos directed by a variety of directors, released in 1998. It coincides with The Singles 86>98. The original movie was released on VHS and DVD. There was however a special edition, DVD only, called Videos 86>98 + (without "The", and with "+") released in 2002. The DVD was two discs, the first disc being identical to the only disc in the original DVD, while the second DVD contains bonus material not found in the original release.
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Depeche Mode: Devotional
Title: Depeche Mode: Devotional
Character: Self
Released: September 30, 1993
Type: Movie
This video release by Depeche Mode features almost an entire concert from their 1993-1994 Devotional Tour, filmed in Barcelona, Liévin and Frankfurt.
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Depeche Mode: Strange Too
Title: Depeche Mode: Strange Too
Character: Self
Released: January 1, 1990
Type: Movie
Strange Too - Another Violation by Anton Corbijn is the third music video compilation by Depeche Mode, featuring more videos directed by Anton Corbijn, released in 1990. Unlike the previous video, Strange, all the videos are fully in color. There are six videos, all songs from the album Violator, released in the same year. There is one for each of the four singles, plus two bonus videos, for "Halo" and "Clean", exclusive to "Strange Too". As with its predecessor, Corbijn shot all six videos in Super-8. The tallest woman in the "Halo" video is a young Jenna Elfman. The Drive-In featured in the introduction to the compilation is the "Motor Vu Drive-In", located in Erda, Utah, west of Salt Lake City, near the town of Tooele, this part of the video being shot the day after the band's concert in Salt Lake City in July, 1990.
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Depeche Mode: 101
Title: Depeche Mode: 101
Character: Self
Released: April 27, 1989
Type: Movie
A fascinating documentary focusing on backstage realities of art and business during the British synthesizer band's 1988 American tour.
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Depeche Mode: Live at the Pasadena Rose Bowl
Title: Depeche Mode: Live at the Pasadena Rose Bowl
Character: Self
Released: March 13, 1989
Type: Movie
Depeche Mode's famous 101st and final concert of the 1987-1988 Music For The Masses Tour at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena.
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Depeche Mode: Strange
Title: Depeche Mode: Strange
Character: Self
Released: January 1, 1988
Type: Movie
Strange - A Black and White Mode by Anton Corbijn is the second music video compilation by Depeche Mode, featuring the first five Depeche Mode videos directed by Anton Corbijn, released in 1988. Corbijn shot the entire video album in Super-8. The five videos are mostly in black and white, except for some random megaphones that were colored red. There were the three main singles for Music for the Masses, the final Black Celebration single "A Question of Time", and "Pimpf", the instrumental closer to Music for the Masses. The "Pimpf" video is currently exclusive to "Strange".
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Title: Na siehste!
Character: Self
Released: November 4, 1987
Type: TV
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Depeche Mode: New Dress · Hamburg
Title: Depeche Mode: New Dress · Hamburg
Character: Self
Released: May 16, 1986
Type: Movie
Depeche Mode: Black Celebration Tour May 16,1986: Alsterdorfer Sporthalle, Hamburg 01. Christmas Island 02. Black Celebration 03. A Question of Time 04. Fly on the Windscreen 05. Shake the Disease 06. Leave in Silence 07. It's Called a Heart 08. Everything Counts 09. It Doesn't Matter Two 10. A Question of Lust 11. Blasphemous Rumours 12. New Dress 13. Stripped 14. Something to Do 15. Master and Servant 16. Photographic 17. People Are People 18. Boys Say Go! 19. Just Can't Get Enough [cut off] (20. More Than a Party [not in video])
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Depeche Mode: The World We Live in and Live in Hamburg
Title: Depeche Mode: The World We Live in and Live in Hamburg
Character: Self
Released: January 1, 1985
Type: Movie
First video release by Depeche Mode, featuring almost an entire concert from their 1984 Some Great Reward Tour, in Hamburg, Germany on December 14, 1984.
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Title: MTV Video Music Awards
Character: Self
Released: September 14, 1984
Type: TV
An annual award ceremony presented by MTV to honor the best in the music video medium.
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Depeche Mode: Live at Hammersmith Odeon
Title: Depeche Mode: Live at Hammersmith Odeon
Character: Self
Released: October 25, 1982
Type: Movie
Tracklist: Oberkorn (It's A Small Town) , My Secret Garden , See You , Satellite , New Life , Boys Say Go! , Tora! Tora! Tora! , Nothing To Fear , Leave In Silence , Shouldn't Have Done That , The Meaning Of Love , Just Can't Get Enough , A Photograph Of You , The Sun & The Rainfall
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Title: Champs-Elysées
Character: Self - Depeche Mode
Released: January 16, 1982
Type: TV