On 4 June 2023, I finally saw Depeche Mode live! I was was with Christina and Kyan (Anya couldn’t make it because of her exams) and we were in Düsseldorf in Germany with our German friends. Here are photos we took of this unique memory.
On that day, Peter Gordeno had three keyboards in front of him:
- Top left: An Oberheim OB-X8 that brings back the analogue sounds of the Oberheim OB-X, OB-Xa and OB-8. According to SoundOnSound, “[the OB-X8 has the] 12dB/oct [2-pole] SEM‑style OB‑X filter and both the 12dB/oct [2-pole] and 24dB/oct [4-pole] modes of the CEM3320‑based OB‑Xa and OB‑8 filters are available.” for the iconic “Oberheim Growl”. Most people don’t know but I fell in love with synthesizers, not by listening to them, but by looking at the photo of a OB-Xa when I was a kid.
- Right: A Moog Minimoog Voyager XL released in 2010 for the 40th anniversary of the original Minimoog Model D. It is an expanded Moog Minimoog Voyager and is considered to be the ultimate Minimoog. So, the iconic “Moog Bass” is also covered.
- Bottom left: A Roland RD-2000 stage piano which has two independent sound engines (V-Piano Modeling for piano sounds and SuperNATURAL for “everything from tone wheel organs, modern and vintage synths, and other keyboard instruments to orchestral strings and brass, world instruments, and more.”
The “Oberheim Growl”, the “Moog Bass” and the Roland V-Piano and SuperNATURAL sounds (and, possibly, other sound sounds). Everything seems to be covered.
Interestingly, Martin Gore has a much simpler setup, a pair of Native Instruments Komplete Kontrol S61 MK2 released in 2017 and an iPad. The S61 are used to trigger and control a massive library of soft synths and samples managed off-stage by the musical director, Kerry Hopwood. This relatively simple setup gives Martin Gore immediate access to the entire history of Depeche Mode’s digital sound palette in a streamlined, modern package.
It’s time for Christina and I to watch Depeche Mode: M, the live Memento Mori concert film which “weaves Depeche Mode’s 2023 Mexico City performances with segments examining music, mortality, and Mexican death traditions.”