Recoil (band)

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Recoil
Image:Alan Wilder Best Of.jpg
Alan Wilder, circa 2006
Background information
Origin Sussex, England
Genre(s) Electronica
Avant-garde
Years active 1986–present
Label(s) Mute Records
Website www.recoil.co.uk
Members
Alan Wilder

Recoil is a musical project created by former Depeche Mode member Alan Wilder. Essentially a solo venture, Recoil began whilst Wilder was still in Depeche Mode, as an outlet for his experimental, less pop-oriented compositions. Once he announced his departure from the group in 1995, Recoil was transformed from a small side-project, into Wilder's primary musical enterprise.

Contents

[edit] 80s and 90s

Recoil effectively began in 1986, when Daniel Miller (record producer and founder of Mute Records) heard some of Alan Wilder's demo recordings, which he had made on a 4-track cassette machine. These recordings were substantially different from anything Depeche Mode had released — whilst they were still created using synthesizers and sampling, they featured little of Depeche Mode's catchy pop songwriting, instead opting for an experimental, John Cage-esque style. Due to the primitive and decidedly uncommercial nature of these pieces, Wilder and the record label decided to release the album inconspicuously, naming it 1+2. It eventually came out in mid-1986, not long after the release of Depeche Mode's well-received Black Celebration.

In January 1988, during the middle of Depeche Mode's hugely successful "Tour for the Masses", Mute released the second Recoil album — Hydrology. This followed in a similar vein to the previous Recoil record, consisting of entirely instrumental, synthesized landscapes. Unfortunately, due to Wilder's busy touring schedule, he was unable to effectively promote the record.

Recoil's first single was from his third album Bloodline, a cover of the Sensational Alex Harvey Band's "Faith Healer", with Douglas McCarthy from Nitzer Ebb on vocals. McCarthy would later reappear for two songs on the next album, Unsound Methods, including the single "Stalker". 1997's Unsound Methods was the first release after Wilder's decision to leave Depeche Mode. The fifth album, Liquid was released in 2000.

[edit] 2000s on

Although there had been no releases for some time, in 2005 Alan Wilder confirmed that he would start work on a new album. [1] On October 20, 2006, Alan appeared on a web greeting confirming a Summer 2007 target date for the next Recoil album.[2] On April 22, 2007, Wilder released a statement on his MySpace page that the new album would be entitled subHuman and has been provisionally set for release on July 9th, 2007.[3] Included as guest vocalists this time are Carla Trevaskis and Joe Richardson, the latter will also deliver the vocals for a track titled "Prey"[4] which is believed to feature on the first single taken from "subHuman". A sample from the song was also put on Recoil's MySpace page. 2007 also saw the re-release of Bloodline (originally released in 1991) and Hydrology Plus 1+2 (originally released in 1988)[5].

Out on June 27th via iTunes and related download portals is "Prey", the newest single from Recoil. iTunes also prepared a special Recoil pack (similar to the Depeche Mode iTunes pack) holding all Recoil releases.[6] It will be the first time that all the Recoil material is available via iTunes. The packet doesn't hold exclusives but does come in the DRM free high download quality version.[7]

A special download-only remix of subHuman track "Killing Ground" by The Slips was released on October 1, 2007 (2007-10-01) on The Slips' MySpace page. The news also got out Alan Wilder was to start work on a new album pretty soon. [8]

Late 2007, IGN, a unit of Fox Interactive Media, Inc., selected Recoil's "subHuman album as 'Best Electronic Album' for the year 2007[9].

[edit] 2008

In February Alan Wilder (ex-Depeche Mode) announces[10], due to popular demand, a limited edition CD release of the double sided Recoil single "Prey"/"Allelujah" out on 25th February 2008. The CD is being issued, with the support of Mute, through the Russian label Gala Records in conjunction with depeche-mode.ru and is exclusively available on-line only via their website.

Also in February, the ex-Depeche Mode member released an open letter[11] on the Side-Line Magazine website, titled "Music For The Masses - I think not". In the article Wilder handles his vision on today's shifting music market and the position of the artist in this. In the small essay Wilder touches the volume war, the effect of excessive compression, the download spiral, alternative ways to release music, the birth of the fan powered release of the limited enhanced single 'Prey'/'Allelujah' in Russia, Mute Records, Depeche Mode, and much more.

[edit] Discography

[edit] Albums

- The CD release 1+2 and Hydrology were released as one.

[edit] Singles

  • "Faith Healer" (March 9, 1992 / Mute 110) UK #60
  • "Drifting" (October 13, 1997 / Mute 209)
  • "Stalker"/"Missing Piece" (March 9, 1998 / Mute 214)
  • "Strange Hours" (April 3, 2000 / Mute 232)
  • "Jezebel" (August 21, 2000 / Mute 233)
  • "Prey" (June 25, 2007 / iMute 372)[13]
  • "Prey/Allelujah" (enhanced CD) (March 2008 / CDMute372)

[edit] References

  1. ^ Recoil returns with new album
  2. ^ YouTube video-Recoil - new album in 2007
  3. ^ Recoil's MySpace
  4. ^ First track new Recoil album "subHuman" revealed
  5. ^ Mute re-releases 2 classic Recoil albums
  6. ^ Recoil catalogue in special iTunes pack
  7. ^ Recoil iTunes digital bundle out on July 9th
  8. ^ Free Recoil remix 'The Killing Ground' available for download - new album in the pipeline
  9. ^ Recoil wins IGN's best of 2007 electronic album award
  10. ^ Limited Russian CD release for Recoil single 'Prey'/'Allelujah'
  11. ^ Recoil / Alan Wilder - "Music For The Masses - I think not."
  12. ^ Recoil catalogue in special iTunes pack
  13. ^ Recoil to release download single only

[edit] External links