In 1980, the English new town of Basildon gave birth to a humble band of schoolmates with big dreams. Vince Clarke and Andy Fletcher had been noodling around in local groups since their teens – even a short-lived outfit called No Romance in China was inspired by The Cure. By March 1980, Clarke (then on vocals and guitar) and Fletcher (on bass) teamed up with their friend Martin Gore to form Composition of Sound, hauling their gear into a local youth center for rehearsals.
These early practice sessions were endearingly unglamorous: the band often played in basements, living rooms, and even an under-12 youth club disco at Woodlands School in Basildon – where a crowd of bemused children fiddled with the synth knobs as the trio performed. It was a far cry from the arena stages they’d one day command, but in those basement rehearsals the seeds of synthpop stardom were sown.
The turning point came one evening in early 1980 at a local youth jam session. Dave Gahan – a flamboyant young Basildon singer with a passion for Bowie — happened to belt out David Bowie’s “Heroes” at a rehearsal in a nearby room. Vince Clarke overheard the performance and was impressed. Within a week, Clarke phoned Gahan and asked him to audition for Composition of Sound. Gahan brought not only a stronger voice but a bit of flash the band lacked – he “looked the part” and had a crew of trendy friends who followed him. The new four-piece lineup of Clarke, Gore, Fletcher, and Gahan played their very first show together on June 14, 1980, at Nicholas Comprehensive School in Basildon. Thanks to Gahan’s mates packing the audience, that debut gig went down a storm – a fact not lost on the band, who joked that Dave’s popularity gave them a ready-made fanbase.
With a charismatic frontman now on board, the group felt it was time for a rebrand. They’d never been fond of the clunky Orchestral Manoeuvers in the Dark-inspired name “Composition of Sound.” (Clarke had even facetiously suggested “Musical Moments” as a new name at one point – an idea quickly dropped). Instead, Gahan proposed “Depeche Mode,” after spotting the title of a French fashion magazine in a local shop. Roughly translated as “fashion dispatch,” the phrase had a chic, modern ring to it. The band officially adopted the name Depeche Mode in September 1980, just in time for a series of gigs in London. (Ironically, when they first played the new-name debut show, the venue’s flyer misspelled it as “Depache Mode” — nobody had heard of Défense Mode before!) Name quibbles aside, Depeche Mode was born, and the young Basildon band was on its way to leaving an indelible mark on the synthpop scene.
Even before Gahan’s arrival, the Basildon boys had been busy crafting original songs – first on guitars, then increasingly on synthesizers as the new wave of electronic music swept Britain. Vince Clarke, initially a guitarist, became enamored with synth-pop after discovering Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD) and realizing the potential of affordable synths to create new sounds. By mid-1980, Composition of Sound had largely ditched their guitars in favor of analog synthesizers and a drum machine, following in the footsteps of pioneers like OMD, Gary Numan, and Mute Records artist Fad Gadget. This stylistic shift is evident in the band’s early demo recordings, which capture Depeche Mode in transition from minimalist post-punk into hooky electronic pop.
At least two demo tapes were recorded in 1980 during this formative period. The first tape – a four-track demo laid down before Gahan joined – featured Vince Clarke on lead vocals (and guitar), with Martin Gore on synth and Andy Fletcher on bass. It included an embryonic version of “Photographic,” a tune called “Television Set,” and two other now-lost tracks. Clarke’s voice and a lo-fi production made these early cuts stark and raw, influenced by the DIY aesthetic of the post-punk era. Shortly after Dave Gahan entered the lineup, the band recorded a second demo tape in the summer of 1980, this time properly showcasing Dave’s vocals. Tracked at a tiny studio in Essex, this three-song tape was a snapshot of Depeche Mode finding its synth-driven sound. Notably, even on these recordings, Andy Fletcher still played bass guitar alongside the electronics—a holdover from their live setup, lending a dubby low-end to the synth melodies.
The Summer 1980 demo tape contained three songs that would hint at Depeche Mode’s bright future:
-
“Ice Machine” – A punchy, arpeggiated synthpop number written by Vince Clarke. This song would later be released as the B-side to Depeche Mode’s debut single, “Dreaming of Me,” in early 1981. On the demo, you can hear Gahan finding his voice as he croons the chorus, and Fletcher thumping an actual bass guitar beneath the icy electronics. “Ice Machine,” with its infectious riff, stands as an early statement of intent for the band’s melodic synth style.
-
“Radio News” – An unreleased gem that never made it to an official album, but remains a fascinating artifact for fans. “Radio News” clearly shows the influence of Depeche Mode’s future labelmate Fad Gadget – its off-kilter electronic sound and quirky, slightly dark atmosphere echo the experimental minimal synth vibe that Fad Gadget was known for – as well as OMD’s classic single “Electricity,” which had inspired Vince’s move to all-electronic music. The demo track’s pulsing, metronomic rhythm and newscaster-sample aesthetic illustrate how the young band was soaking up ideas from the cutting edge of synthpop circa 1980.
-
“Photographic” – Perhaps the most important song on the tape, “Photographic” would soon become Depeche Mode’s first officially released track. The demo version is faster and rawer than the one that fans later heard on the band’s debut album. With its driving synthetic drums and a bold synth hook, “Photographic” was strong enough to catch attention outside Basildon. In fact, when electronic music impresario Stevo Pearce was assembling a futurist compilation called Some Bizzare Album, he selected “Photographic” to showcase Depeche Mode. The band – still unsigned at the time – recorded a fresh studio version of “Photographic” in late 1980 (with Mute Records’ Daniel Miller informally co-producing) for inclusion on Some Bizzare Album, which was released in early 1981 Appearing on that influential compilation alongside soon-to-be stars like Soft Cell and The The gave Depeche Mode an early boost. It was their first track ever pressed to vinyl, and its frenetic energy and bright synth stabs marked the arrival of a new synth-pop contender. (That compilation version of “Photographic” would later resurface as a bonus track on Depeche Mode’s Singles 81→85 collection, testament to its historical significance in the DM canon.)
These demo tapes, though “very… raw” in Clarke’s own words, document a pivotal evolutionary step. They capture Depeche Mode straddling two worlds: the grubby analog spirit of the late ’70s post-punk scene, and the gleaming electronic optimism of the ’80s New Wave. Martin Gore later laughed about how limited their gear was – he’d owned his synth for only a month and “didn’t know [he] could change the sounds,” so every track ended up using the same preset. Yet, in those rudimentary recordings, one can hear the DNA of what would become the Depeche Mode sound: bouncy melodic hooks, innovative use of synth textures, and a knack for moody, minor-key undercurrents lurking beneath the pop sheen.
Listen below:
Or via: