Alan Wilder

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 Bside Fools from the album Construction Time Again and If You Want and a Bside In Your Memory from the album Some Great Reward and finally cowrote Black Day and a Bside Christmas Island from the album Black Celebration However Wilders 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 bands 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 Wilders 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 Gores melancholy balladesque demo and reenvisioned the song as a percolating melodic dance track The resulting single went on to become one of the most commercially successful songs in Depeche Modes history Source Article Alan Wilder from Wikipedia in English licensed under CCBYSA 30