Vince Clarke remixes and remodels a plethora of iconic names and songs.

Tinkly harmonies

It’s a two disc special collection of remixes by the electropop legend himself, Vince Clarke. The creative driving force behind such names as Depeche Mode, Yazoo, The Assembly and Erasure, Clarke created or co-created not only some of the most recognisable songs of the past 40 years but also a distinctive tonal quality that this new compilation showcases. Listen to tracks by original artists as diverse as Happy Mondays, Franz Ferdinand, Dido and Soft Cell and you’ll find yourself recognising the rich synth mixes and tinkly minimalist harmonies that characterise the Clarke sound.

And more!

Richard Evans of the Erasure Information Service has written extensive notes for the booklet. The cover star is Smudge, photographed and owned by Vince. The cover art, featuring the catch-all phrase “and more!” hints that this is a personal labour of love rather than the half baked work of a major label milking the back catalogue. Apparently, Clarke himself has made the selections.

Of course, Erasure did something similar with their album Other People’s Songs, a follow-up to the immensely popular and creatively brilliant Abba-Esque EP. Clarke’s attraction to what a synth can do inspires him to tinker with existing music as well as create from scratch.

For some artists, that sense of ‘I’ve got a new toy, what can I do with it?’ leads to self indulgent repetition. Not so with Clarke. Every iteration of his creative outlet brings something new to the mix, partly thanks to his understanding of who he’s working with. Whether it was Alison Moyet’s silky jazz-blues sound in Yazoo, Feargal Sharkey’s soulful wail in The Assembly or Andy Bell’s energetic passion in Erasure, Clarke doesn’t use his collaborators as mere mouthpieces, they are the lead players in his personal orchestra and that’s in evidence in Remix | Remodel too. He seems to have taken time to understand the original intent before building on it.

A range of soundscapes

The remixes range from ‘what it would have sounded like if Depeche Mode had written it’ to the electro-ambient soundscapes of Clarke’s more recent Songs Of Silence album.

The Saturdays’ Issues become a pumping disco anthem which does sound a lot like Go West by Pet Shop Boys at the outset. It actually suits the song better than the original guitar laden modern country sound.

Johnny Marr’s relentless post-punk anthem Spirit Power & Soul is transformed into something more ethereal, a cross between Depeche Mode and Soft Cell with a haunting, plaintiff overtone which lifts something new out of Marr’s version.

OMD, who Clarke cites as an early influence, submit their 1980 album track and B side Almost to the treatment, resulting in something less architectural and more… listenable. Clarke has taken all of the empty spaces inherent on OMD’s compositions and filled them with what Clarke does best of all, creating complex, rich, involving harmonies from surprisingly few notes.

Rather than describing the tweaks to all 26 tracks, you get the idea. Clarke has listened carefully to something in the original, lifted it out and filled in the spaces with his own creative personality. Overall, a very enjoyable product.

A good listen

If you’re a fan of Clarke and his various endeavours then you’ll be very familiar with his work, but perhaps less familiar with the work of such artists as YOVA, Dubfire or Bleachers. I’d certainly not heard of them. Probably the best compliment that can therefore be offered to such a remix compilation is that it reveals the essence of some great songs, inspiring the listener to go and check out the originals.

Overall, if you’ve enjoyed anything that Vince Clarke has ever created then you’ll enjoy listening to this variety of familiar and unfamiliar tunes which have been treated to a good tune-up.

Here’s Vince remixing Johnny Marr:

Erasure: Website

Vince Clarke: Spotify

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