Depeche Mode are an English electronic band formed in 1980 in Basildon, Essex. The group's original line-up consisted of Dave Gahan, Martin Gore, Andy Fletcher, and Vince Clarke. Depeche Mode released their debut record in 1981, Speak & Spell, bringing the band onto the British new wave scene. Clarke left the band after the release of the album, leaving the band as a trio to record A Broken Frame, released the following year. Gore took over lead songwriting duties and, later in 1982, Alan Wilder officially joined the band to fill Clarke's spot, establishing a line up that would continue for the next thirteen years. The band's last albums of the 1980s, Black Celebration and Music ... more on Wikipedia