Depeche Mode - Photographic / Some Bizzare Version (Cover by Synthfluencer)

video upload by Synthfluencer

"'This is Photographic!' - Depeche Mode fans know these words Dave Gahan yelled when playing live in Hammersmith Odeon in 1982. Actually, Photographic is a song from the very, very early days of Depeche Mode and might be created when they still called themselves 'Composition of Sound'. The 'Some Bizzare Version' is actually the first song they officialy released ever on a compilation named 'Some Bizzare Album'.

The song is one of the darker, harder DM songs and this version is even more raw and gritty. It is very reminiscent of the transitions from punk to wave, and the DIY aesthetic of punk in particular comes to the fore here with the hand-played synthesizers. Well before Depeche Mode redefined the genre of synth pop this early version of 'Photographic' is recorded on the gear they could afford back in the days: A Kawai S-100F, a Yamaha CS5, a Moog Prodigy and a Korg KR-55 drum machine. In my cover version I use two of the original synths, the Kawai and the Yamaha to recreate an authentic sound. The role of the Prodigy is taken over by a Behringer Model D, some support sounds by Pro-1 and Pro-800."