Andy Fletcher of Depeche Mode Has Passed Away

Andy Fletcher passed away today at the age of 60. I saw Depeche Mode live for the first time as a teenager back on July 14, 1986, at the Irvine Meadows Amphitheter in Irvine, CA. I grew up with their music and still listen to them to this day. They will always be a staple in my life. I have Andy Fletcher and the rest of Depeche Mode to thank for so much magic in my life on so many levels, from being a kid frolicking about in the 80s, to an adult dealing with the trials a tribulations of the day. Depeche Mode is a big part of that and Andy Fletcher was core to the band. He will be sorely missed by so many of us.

This post features two images of Andy. One from Wikipedia, and one from Discogs. The following bio is from Wikipedia. Don't miss the last sentence.

"Andrew John Leonard Fletcher (8 July 1961 – c. 26 May 2022), sometimes known as Fletch, was an English keyboard player, DJ, and a founding member of the electronic band Depeche Mode. In 2020, Fletcher was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Depeche Mode.[1]

In the late 1970s, Fletcher and schoolmate Vince Clarke formed the short-lived band No Romance in China, in which Fletcher played bass guitar. In 1980, Fletcher met Martin Gore at the Van Gogh pub on Paycocke Road in Basildon. With Clarke, the trio, now all on synthesizer, formed another group called Composition of Sound.[2] Clarke served as chief songwriter and also provided lead vocals until singer Dave Gahan was recruited into the band later that year, after which they adopted the name Depeche Mode at Gahan's suggestion.[3] Clarke left the group in late 1981, shortly after the release of their debut album Speak & Spell.[2]

Their 1982 follow-up album, A Broken Frame, was recorded as a trio, with Gore taking over primary songwriting duties.[4] Musician and producer Alan Wilder joined the band in late 1982 and the group continued as a quartet until Wilder's departure in 1995. From then on, the core trio of Gahan, Gore, and Fletcher remained active, up to the release of their 2017 album Spirit and ensuing world tour.[5]

Fletcher's role within Depeche Mode was often a topic of speculation. In early incarnations of the band, he played (electric and later synth) bass. As the band evolved after Vince Clarke's departure in 1981, Fletcher's role changed as each of the band members took to the areas that suited them and benefited the band collectively. In a key scene in D.A. Pennebaker's 1989 documentary film about the band, Fletcher clarified these roles: "Martin's the songwriter, Alan's the good musician, Dave's the vocalist, and I bum around."


Andy Fletcher and Daniel Miller talking about Depeche Mode early days

video upload by Michele Bisceglia

"This interview was shot in november 2015, but never edited and published.
We were in Verbier, Switzerland, for the 3 days happening Audi-o-Rama.
Depeche Mode founding member and keyboardist Fletch & Mute Records boss Miller remember the day they met and discuss other stories about the early days of the band"

A search on the first video to feature Depeche Mode comes up with the following 1981 performance from Top of the Pops. Andy Fletcher is on the Moog Prodigy.

Depeche Mode - Just Can't Get Enough 1981

video upload by memorylane1980s

The following is a live tribue by DX5. If you follow the site you should be familiar with his numerous covers of Depeche Mode. This site is about synths and the people who love synths. This is the first tribute I've seen by a fan of Depeche Mode and I wanted to include it.

Andy (Fletch) Fletcher, has sadly passed away today :( :( Chat and synth tribute to him.

video upload by DX5

Door #23: Morgen kommt der Weihnachtsmann (Santa’s Coming Tomorrow) - Synthmas '21

video upload by

"The song:
This songs lyrics wrote none other than Heinrich Hoffmann von Fallersleben who wrote among many other well known poems the German anthem. The melody appeared first in 1761 in France and was adapted by W. A. Mozart as base melody for his Piano Variations KV 265.

The gear:
Here my other Casio 'synth', the PT-1 comes into play. This successor of the legendary VL-1 got 4 instruments (Piano, Fantasy, Strings, Flute) and a rhythm section that is most notable for it's appearance in German Neue Deutsche Welle band Trio's track "Da Da Da". This is my very first synth I got as a present in the late 80s. Notice the Alf sticker that make this unit a unique one. I did a multi track recoring using my Boss RC-202 loop station. The tone signal is passed through the Zoom MS70 CDR effect unit adding some reverb, chorus, pitch and phaser.

Trailer material: Pexels.com (image @seurafrancis99, video @cottonbro)"

Trio -- Da Da Da [[ Official Video ]]

Published on Feb 7, 2011 Mystic Plug Relics

Classic video featuring the classic Casio VL-Tone. Trio's Da Da Da has been featured numerous times on the site, but oddly never this video.

This one inspired by the previous post featuring the modded VL-Tone with wood sides. I actually saw this video the other night and meant to post it at some point.

Light Blue Casio PT-1 Mini Keyboard Synthesizer Owned by The Faint?

Note: Auction links are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.

via this auction

"This unit was previously in the personal collection of American indie rock band The Faint.

Four Tones settings, Ten built in Rhythms. 1/8" output, Runs on 3, AA batteries. 6v power supply not included.

'This is one of the cutest little synthesizers Casio ever made. It dates from 1981, and is the big brother of the Famous VL-1. You will know the sound of the PT-1 and VL-1 from famous songs like "Da Da Da" by the German group "Trio" (recycled into many different advertising jingles over the last 26 years - most recently in Australia as "Sa-Ka-Ta"). It was also used in countless songs as a novelty fill in sound (The Bloodhound Gang have used their PT-1 on most of their albums).

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Casio CK-200 / Casio VL-1 Rock 1 Rhythm (aka Da Da Da)

Published on Mar 5, 2018 Retro Synth Ads / Mini Music Labs

"Did you know the Casio CK-200 contained a simplified version of the Casio VL-1 keyboard? Same 10 rhythms (and drum sounds), including the 'Rock 1' rhythm (aka: Trio's Da Da Da drum pattern)"

Modular Synth Masterclass with Gino Robair - 11.01.17 Torino (Italia)

Published on Jan 22, 2017 NOISECOLLECTIVE

"Hanno suonato
Erika Sofia Sollo - Voce, Effetti
Guido Bertolino - Moog SUB37, Modular
Daniele Pagliero - Moog SUB37
Silvano Audisio - Modular
Riccardo Gallio - Korg MS20
Fabrizio Nepote - Modular
HD Frank - Korg MS2000
Leo Gilardi - Sound Machines NS1

IL WORKSHOP
Il workshop prende in esame una serie di tecniche da utilizzare durante l'improvvisazione con sintetizzatori modulari e analogici in un contesto di gruppo e pone le basi per un concerto la sera stessa, con i partecipanti al workshop.

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NOISECOLLECTIVE Modular Synth Masterclass Workshop with Gino Robair

NOISECOLLECTIVE is having a modular synth masterclass workshop with Gino Robair. The event will be held at the Mothership club in Turin Italy. You can pick up tickets at NOISECOLLECTIVE here. The following are the details on the event, first in Italian, then English further below.

IL WORKSHOP
Il workshop prenderà in esame una serie di tecniche da utilizzare durante l'improvvisazione con sintetizzatori modulari in un contesto di gruppo e pone le basi per un concerto la sera stessa, con i partecipanti al workshop.

Il workshop si concentrerà sulla sensibilizzazione e l'ascolto globale durante l' improvvisazione, esplorerà strategie di patching per ottenere la massima varietà ed evitare la stagnazione.

Verranno presi in esame concetti come primo piano / sottofondo, solista / supporto, controllo gestuale, e intenzione / non-intenzione.

Particolare interessante per i musicisti che utilizzano sintetizzatori modulari perché spesso la tentazione con lo strumento è quello di sovrapporre semplicemente suoni.

Gino utilizza strategie, concetti e spunti basati sul suo lavoro e sul lavoro di John Zorn, Butch Morris, ROVA Sax Quartet, Anthony Braxton e Frank Zappa.

I partecipanti devono portare un loro strumento. Possono utilizzare qualsiasi synth analogico, anche se il workshop è prevalentemente incentrato sui sintetizzatori modulari.

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A Stupid Song for the Casio VL-5

Published on Aug 12, 2013 stexe·79 videos

"Da-Da-Dumb. A stupid song for a stupid instrument, the Casio VL-5.

It has a great rhythm section, and four-note polyphony. But there's a selection of only ten toylike patches. Selecting the patches and rhythm patterns is a convoluted process involving pushbuttons and a two-way toggle switch. There are no indicator lights, just a faint LCD display no larger than a watch face, so it's easily left on, expending the batteries. The chiclet keyboard is nearly unplayable. And despite its tiny size, I weighed it in at six pounds, seven ounces. That's with batteries, but without the pen.

Yes, the optical Scanner Pen, technological wonder of the 80's, destined to change musical creativity forever after. The keyboard includes a "songbook" (pictured), with a handful of tunes you can load into the VL's sequencer by scanning about 20 lines of code (ten each for pitch and note interval). I still can't get it to import an entire song successfully, and why should I bother? Technically it's RAM, but it's no more than a few unmodifiable, auto playing sequences. For this reason above all others, I declare the Casio VL-5 to be the Mostest Stupidest Keyboard that Ever Smelled.

Trio did Use a Casio VL rhythm in "Da Da Da", but it was the VL-1. Same sound, slightly different pattern."

Festival Oscillations/SESC Vila Mariana Featuring Herb Deutsch & More

via Astronauta Pinguim (Googlish translation below)

"Festival Oscillations

SESC Vila Mariana

Apresentação:

O termo “música eletrônica” é associado, principalmente nos dias de hoje, à raves e pistas de dança do mundo inteiro. Mas nem sempre foi assim. Houve um período no qual as coisas eram bem diferentes e o termo era utilizado quase que exclusivamente de forma acadêmica nas faculdades de música, que tinham entre seus mestres nomes que trabalhavam com estruturas musicais mais radicais e inovadoras, geralmente utilizando tecnologias recém inventandas e ainda em desenvolvimento. O período que vai desde as primeiras experiências com geradores de som construídos eletrônicamente e o uso destes aparatos para gerar ritmos dançantes é tão grande e tão cheio de mistérios que merece ser estudado com mais profundidade e, somente com estes estudos e o acesso do ouvinte à eles, entenderemos melhor a evolução pela qual a música moderna passou no ultimo século, acarretando inclusive mudanças sociais e comportamentais importantíssimas para a humanidade. Ao trazermos ao Brasil nomes como Herbert Deutsch, Harald Grosskopf, Hans-Joachim Roedelius e Silver Apples, não só realizamos um festival inovador - nunca antes realizado no nosso país - como também trazemos uma parte importante e (ainda) não devidamente documentada da música mundial!

Participantes do Festival Oscillations:

Herbert Deutsch – O compositor, arranjador e inventor norte-americano Herbert Deutsch - nascido no início da década de 30 - foi o grande nome ao lado de Robert Moog na invenção do sintetizador. Foi ele quem procurou o doutor Moog com a idéia de um novo instrumento baseado nos estudos de osciladores controlados por voltagem, já em andamento nas pesquisas de Robert Moog. Herbert Deutsch foi parte importante na confecção do protótipo numero um do sintetizador Moog, instrumento que mudou completamente a forma como a música passou a ser criada e apreciada nas últimas 5 décadas. Desde o início dos anos 60, ele tem se dedicado a lecionar nas cadeiras de Musica Eletrônica e Composição na Hofstra University, em Nova York. Herbert Deutsch apresentará sua famosa palestra/concerto/demonstração “From Moog to Mac”, que abrange desde seus primeiros experimentos com música eletrônica, ainda nos anos 50, até suas mais recentes pesquisas na área, passando pela invenção do sintetizador em 1964. Herbert utilizará instrumentos originais para suas demonstrações no auditório do SESC Vila Mariana.

Harald Grosskopf - Nascido no final dos anos 40, na cidade de Hildesheim (Alemanha), Harald Grosskopf é, desde o início da sua carreira artística no começo dos anos 70, um dos músicos mais atuantes da sua geração. Participou de mais de 100 discos de bandas e artistas importantes do chamado "krautrock", como Wallenstein, Cosmic Jokers, Ashra Tempel, Klaus Schulze e Walter Wegmüller, entre outros. Em 1980, Harald Grosskopf lançou seu clássico LP “Synthesist” (relançado recentemente pelo selo norte-americano Rvng Intl), além de atuar como músico na banda de apoio da cantora Lili Berlin, na primeira metade dos anos 80. Nos anos 90 e 2000, Harald participou de projetos ao lado do também músico e produtor alemão Steve Baltes (Sunya Beat e N-tribe), além de dedicar-se à sua carreira solo e também retornar à banda Ash Ra, onde permanece até hoje. Harald Grosskopf tem 6 discos solo lançados, sendo o mais recente uma nova roupagem do álbum “Synthesist” (1980), agora renomeado “Synthesist 2010” (Rvng Intl).

Hans-Joachim Roedelius - Hans-Joachim Roedelius é um dos principais nomes do "krautrock" (como era chamado o rock e a música eletrônica/experimental feita na Alemanha nos anos 60 e 70) e também pode ser considerado um dos principais e mais criativos pioneiros de várias subdivisões da música eletrônica, da "ambient" ao "industrial", devido à originalidade dos projetos e bandas nas quais foi integrante ao longo de 45 anos de carreira. Fundador do trio Kluster - ao lado de Conrad Schnitzler (ex-Tangerine Dream) e de Dieter Moebius -, do Cluster (com Moebius) e do Harmonia (com Moebius e Michael Rother, ex-Kraftwerk), Roedelius é um dos experimentadores mais sutis (e ao mesmo tempo um dos mais radicais) dentro das suas áreas de atuação, sendo citado como influência de nomes como o produtor Brian Eno, com quem Roedelius gravou 3 álbuns nos anos 70 ("Tracks and Traces", gravado pelo Harmonia em 1976, "Cluster & Eno" e "After the heat", ambos gravados por Roedelius, Moebius and Eno em 1977).

Silver Apples - Influência tanto para apreciadores da música eletrônica - aquela feita nos primórios, com equipamentos analógicos e sem toda a tecnologia "facilitadora" de hoje em dia - como para fãs do rock experimental que se fazia nos anos 60, o Silver Apples é uma das bandas mais interessantes da história da música mundial. Formada na segunda metade dos anos 60, a dupla original era constituida pelo baterista Danny Taylor e por Simeon Coxe III, executando uma parafernália eletrônica inacreditável na época (Simeon chegou a utilizar nove osciladores de áudio controlados por um mecanismo no qual ele utilizava as mãos, os pés e até os joelhos e cotovelos para tocar ao vivo). Nesta época a dupla gravou três discos imprescindíveis em qualquer coleção: "Silver Apples" (1968), "Contact" (1969) e "The Garden" (gravado em 1969, mas lançado somente em 1998), álbuns que colocaram os Silver Apples para sempre na história da música como uma das primeiras bandas eletrônicas de todos os tempos, antecipando inclusive toda a revolução eletrônica capitaneada pelo Kraftwerk e outras bandas alemãs na década seguinte. Hoje em dia, Simeon Coxe III mantém o legado da dupla vivo (apesar do falecimento de Danny Taylor em 2005), se apresentando nos maiores festivais de música do mundo! O Silver Apples se apresenta pela segunda vez no palco do SESC Vila Mariana.

CURADORIA/ DIRECAO ARTISTICA:

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REALISTIC Concertmate 200 - Rebranded Casio VL1 VL-Tone

Note: Auction links are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.
via this auction

"Genuine NEW REALISTIC Concertmate 200 Portable Electronic Mini Keyboard Synthesizer (clone of the Casio VL-Tone VL-1 rebranded for sale in Radio Shack stores) which comes in the factory box with the protective case (but no manual) as pictured in the actual photos. Radio Shack licensed and re-branded the CASIO VL-Tone with its proprietary name under the REALISTIC brand. This mini synthesizer is best known for its use in Trio’s song “Da Da Da”, which uses the “Rock 1” preset for its rhythm track. How is it new, you ask? Because it simply sat around in my storage for years without being taken out for use. I took it out to test it prior to listing though, to make sure it powers on and works. There is not a scratch or crack on it anywhere. It combines a calculator, synthesizer and sequencer. Released around 1980, the VL-1 originally sold for about $150. Specifications: Polyphony – Monophonic; Oscillators - 1 VCO; LFO - Vibrato, Tremolo; Arpeg/Seq - Sequencer: 100 notes, 1 pattern. Rhythm Machine: March, Waltz, Swing, Rock, Samba, Beguine, Bossa Nova; Keyboard - 29 tiny keys (with 3-position octave switch); Memory - 1 user patch, 5 preset sounds, 10 built-in rhythm patterns. Works on 4 AA batteries (or an optional AC Adapter)..."

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Roland JUPITER-80 Trio Performance

YouTube Uploaded by rolandmedia on Mar 19, 2012

"Jetro da Silva, Scott Tibbs and Steve Fisher perform their original composition, 'The Grey Mile.'"

Concertmate-200 Keyboard Synthesizer - Casio VL-1

via this auction

"This nice Realistic C-200 Keyboard is actually a Casio VL-Tone 1 clone specifically built for Radio Shack stores!

The Concertmate-200 is a monophonic VL-Tone 1 (VL-1) synthesizer with built-in calculator. The "M+" calculator memory also stores the timbre, ADSR, vibrato and tremolo setting for the synthesizer, and the short 29 buttons mini- keyboard could be transposed by a switch to low, mid and high pitch range. (In Germany the VL-1 became very famous by the pop group Trio's song "Da Da Da", which features the "rock" rhythm and piano sound of this tiny white keyboard.) The VL-1 was the first genuine "Volks- Synthesizer" and came out even earlier than the well known Yamaha DX-7. It was first released as the Casio VL-Tone 1, and later as the Realistic Concertmate-200.

Overview

29 Button Micro-Keys
Monophonic Main Voice
5 Preset Sounds : piano, fantasy, violin, flute, guitar (selected by slide switch with a small delay)
10 Analog Rhythms : march, waltz, 4-beat, swing, rock-1, rock-2, bossa-nova, samba, rhumba, beguine
24 Preset Patterns (8 Drum Rhythms / 8 Accompaniments / 8 Funny Arrangements)
Volume Slider Control
Tempo Slider Control
3 Octave Transpose Switch
Full-Function Built-in Calculator
ADSR synthesizer (uses calculator memory as sound parameter register)
LCD (displays calculator stuff and e.g. note values)
Demo Button (plays German folk song)
Tuning Trimmer (located case bottom)
Simple Sequencer (100 Notes, Editor Insert & Delete with Battery Backed-Up)
2 "One Key Play" Buttons (play and change note duration)
Built-in Amp-Speaker System
Jacks for AC Adapter & Line/Headphone Out
Operates on Batteries or Optional (not included) AC Adapter

Special Note

The Realistic C-200 Portable Electronic Keyboard is part of the Casio VL-Tone 1 synthesis series.

The C-200 is a monophonic sound generator based on multi-pulse square-wave tones with different digital envelopes. The digital envelopes with audible zipper noise are linear, and the analog rhythms consist of 3 (high, low, snare) sounds made from square-wave and shift register noise.

The C-200 Synthesizer has a fun variety of fantastic voice tones to modify and drum rhythms to play to."

pristine casio vl-1 & Trio - Da, Da, Da

via Bryan Bowman's Photos


Trio - Da, Da, Da

Update via brian in the comments:

casio pop.mp4

bowmoneydrums | January 23, 2011 |

"sketch of an idea that popped up when i was playing with the ADSR of the casio vl-1. this thing has really surprising functionality for the size and age of it...i added some delay and low end...rhythm and lead from the casiotone"

24x7digital MiniVLTone

"MiniVLTone for iPhone and iPod Touch is a shout-out to the 1980s handheld electronic era, paying homage to the Casio VL-Tone synthesizer. Jam back to the decade of one-hit-wonders and fondly recall the days when MTV still played music-videos! Listening to MiniVLTone's sampled beats will remind you of the rise of New Wave and Synth Pop, as well as the fall of the Berlin Wall, and playing some melodies on the chiclet keyboard will surely take you back to the time of 8-bit simplicity and Rubik's Cube complexity! And don't forget Trio's Da Da Da either! The Challenger and Chernobyl might be long gone, but SWING, ROCK-1, BOSSANOVA and SAMBA rhythms live on in Apple's iTunes App Store!

MiniVLTone includes the following features: 29 chiclet keyboard with OCTAVE control for four full octaves of square-wave synthesizer sonics, analog-style VOLUME slider control, five fantastic INSTRUMENTS (piano, fantasy, violin, flute, and guitar) in full circa-1981 monophonic fidelity, and ten awesomely eighties pre-drum-machine RHYTHMS (march ,waltz, 4-beat, swing, rock-1, rock-2, bossanova, samba, rhumba, and beguine), as well as the world-famously stylish DEMO SONG!

MiniVLTone does not include a calculator, recording mode, one-key-play, LCD display, or ADSR envelope programming, but it also does not require four AA-batteries!"
You can find MiniVLTone here:


Trio - Da Da Da

YouTube via Vohaa

"TRIO
1982/02/12, Markthalle, Hamburg
(maybe 1982, Alabama Halle, Munich)
German tv broadcast
Da da da ich lieb dich nicht du liebst mich nicht aha aha aha
03:19
A live performance of the early German-English version.
Enjoy, aha!"

Casio VL-1 VL-Tone

YouTube via DrSqu

"Casio VL-1 is a cult of the mini synthesizers. Monophon, build between 1981 and 1984. It inclouds a synthesizer, sequencer and a calculator. In this demo is show some funny things about it. Do you remember the song "Da da da" by "Trio" in 1982? Here, 25 years after, you'll see how to play it right. And with yout hands you also have a wah-wah ;) Interessting is the synthesis with some waveforms, ADSSR and 2 LFOs."

The CASIO VL-1 "VL-Tone" pocket calculator mini synth

YouTube via retrosound72.
"The Vl-1 plays the preset sounds (fantasy, violin, piano, flute, guitar) and the preset rhythm tones (rock 1, rock2, bossanova, samba, rhumba, beguine, swing, 4-beat, waltz, march). Used by Trio (Da, Da, Da) , Human League (Dare album). recorded with a simple web-cam. more info: www.retrosound.de"

The Casio PT-1

No title link. Just this shot and details pulled via this auction.

"This is one of the cutest little synthesizers Casio ever made. It dates from 1981, and is the big brother of the Famous VL-1. You will know the sound of the PT-1 and VL-1 from famous songs like "Da Da Da" by the German group "Trio" (recycled into many different advertizing jingles over the last 26 years - most recently in Australia as "Sa-Ka-Ta"). It was also used in countless songs as a novelty fill in sound (The Bloodhound Gang have used their PT-1 on most of their albums).

This casio has been lovingly looked after, and is in a lot better condition than when I got her, she's been cleaned inside and out, and the key and button contacts were cleaned about 6 months ago, so, it works reliably. The batteries have never leaked, although, sadly, I received it with no battery cover, so, it has never had one to hold in it's 4 x AA power source - but this is not a problem as the batteries stay in. There is also a slider cap missing from one of the controls on the front. You can move this around to be which ever control you need it to be.

The PT-1 has all the famous beats of the VL-1, and most of the same sounds. It also has little letters in the plastic under the keys to let you know which notes you are playing (C D E F G). I don't know of any other small casios that have this feature. It's not very useful if you are an experienced player, but, again, cuteness. The PT-1 has an interesting set of capacitor filters and single transistor gates which drive the percussion section and melody tone generator, and, although the heart of the synthisizer is Digital (using Walsh Tones), there are a great many things which can be modified and changed to alter the sound (to make it harsher or smoother, depending on your tastes). The "bends" which can be accomplished (routing the drum tones to the pitch of the main instrument to make arpeggios and such) are varied, and don't require too much experimentation to get good results."

via Loscha