SACREDDM.NETthe online depeche mode archive
SACREDDM.NET
the
online depeche mode archive
site intro go to year fan club miscellaneous links
SITE INTRO
Site News - Tuesday 13th November 2007
The front page celebrating the site's third birthday has now (finally) come down but for the time being the page I added with comments from site visitors is still online, click here to read it.
To view the waiting list of items to be added to Sacred DM, click here.
Items added in the last update:
From The Observer Music Monthly, October 2007
"Peter Robinson vs. Dave Gahan, Depeche Mode" [NME, 29th September 2007]
Site Stats:
Site launch: Saturday 4th September 2004, 09:42am
Total Items: 574
Total Word Count: 769,451
Welcome to Sacred DM - the online Depeche Mode archive.
This site is dedicated to gathering together and displaying as many appearances as possible of Depeche Mode in the music press and newspapers, be that in articles, interviews, or reviews of their performances and releases (arranged according to year). It also features material produced by Depeche Mode's information service / fan club / Bong Magazine ("fan club"), transcripts of items such as interviews released in 'spoken word format' - video or audio - and other items such as promotional material and tour programmes ("miscellaneous" section).
It covers all eras from 1981 to the present - a sort of virtual library for fans, students, anyone who for professional reasons needs quick access to hard information about Depeche Mode, or just the mildly curious. The intention is to allow the band to speak for themselves via their press appearances in the course of their career while gently pointing out any errors or misleading points. Just like anyone in the public eye, Depeche Mode have not been immune to unhealthy gossip, Chinese whispers or just plain misunderstanding over the years. This does no-one any favours in the long run, and I hope this site provides a reliable antidote.
Most of the audio transcripts in the "miscellaneous" section have been specially transcribed for this site, and hence have probably never been available in written form before. So those who are not native English speakers and not confident enough with their English to be able to listen to a spoken-word interview will be able to read material about Depeche Mode that was previously unavailable to them.
If this is your first visit to Sacred DM, it'd hardly be surprising if you were just a bit daunted by the volume of material and wondering where to start to find what you need. So I'll explain to you how I've tried to make the site more user-friendly. [back to top]
Each section contains material sorted by date. For most items there is a summary plus a word count to give you an idea of whether it's the sort of thing you're after. Clicking on the title takes you to the main page for that item.
An item's main page will have this again plus a quote, and the main text of the item (sometimes this extends to several pages in the case of longer items). There are also links to images of each page of the item where appropriate.
Wherever possible, I've provided on the main page some links to items which may also be of interest. They may, for example, be items which cover the same subject from a different angle, or discuss the same aspect of the band but at a much different point in time. Some articles are specialist (for example, covering the band's history, the music business or studio work) so here I'll suggest items in a similar vein. And frankly, some articles are not as well written as they could be, so I'll point you towards one that does it much better.
You'll probably see footnotes throughout most items, in the form of a [1] in the text. This will be where I've needed to comment on something - clicking the number takes you to the bottom of the page. When you've read the comment, click the [continue] and you'll be returned to where you were, so as not to lose your place. The footnotes could be because I'd like to show you something interesting on the same subject, because something being said is wrong, or because it's not wrong but potentially misleading and I need to make that clear. [back to top]
These are supposed to make it easier for a newcomer to the site who needs to find information on a particular area. As I've said, the amount of material must be pretty daunting, so I'm collecting together items covering similar areas and linking them together one by one so that you only need to follow the trail from one item to the next.
The Newcomer's Trail - Have you only recently discovered the delights of the Mode and do you want to make up for lost time? Unsure where to start at finding articles giving you an overview of who the band are, their history and their style? Or maybe you are in the media and need to do some background research fast. This trail should bring you up to speed.
If you have time, you could do worse than soak up this fantastic, huge article which about wraps it up single handedly. Failing that...
[Follow the Newcomer's Trail - 7 items]
The Media Trail - Are you particularly interested in how the band have fitted in (or not) to the workings of the music industry and how they've worked as a business? This trail covers specialist items looking at the music industry and media.
[Follow the Media Trail - 6 items]
The Technical Trail - Covering the band's studio work and the technics of how their music is actually made: of particular interest to electronic musicians and music specialists.
[Follow the Technical Trail - 10 items]
The Devotion Trail - On a lighter note than the last two, items that go some way to encapsulating what it is about Depeche Mode that moves their fans as they do. Plenty for the committed fan to bask in, but useful for any outsider who's ever seen a bunch of Mode fans together and thought, "What the - ??"
[Follow the Devotion Trail - 7 items]
I've tried to be courteous in referencing the items on this site: The names of the author and photographer(s) and the name and date of what the item appeared in appear prominently.
All the items on this site are displayed because I believe they deserve greater longevity than they have had in their original format. I hope the respective authors will understand my aim is to promote their work and that it helps them as much as everyone else to have a place where they can compare other authors' work.
While designing this site I contacted several magazines regarding copyright issues and asking if there was any problem with me using their material in this way. Without exception, there has been no response. This has led me to believe most authors are fine with their articles appearing here, so I haven't slavishly contacted every magazine (many are in any case defunct). However, if you are an author of something on this site and you do take exception to it being displayed, by all means contact me (address below) and I'll be happy to talk about some kind of arrangement.
If for any reason you need to use a quote from any of the items, please remember to reference the item in full (magazine, date, article title, author). However please do not use whole items: if you need the contents of an entire article or other piece, you should instead provide a link to the relevant page on Sacred DM, and credit the site. This is because in these instances you aren't only making use of the material itself, but also my efforts in transcribing the piece. [back to top]
There are a great many people who have helped me immeasurably with getting this site off the ground and who deserve sincere thanks.
First and foremost Lorcan Maguire who has given me lots of technical help - the site would simply not exist otherwise.
Also Richey Estcourt for technical advice and support from the word Go; Yvette Valenzuela, Michael Rose, Chris Brown, Gina Gomez and Thomas Eckardt who have generously provided copies of items used on this site; and finally all the people whose unflagging support and enthusiasm for the entire project have made such a difference - Lyn Garneau, Janine Smith, Dasha Kalinina and Michael Strong. [back to top]
You can email me at -
webmaster@sacreddm.net
Feel free to contact me with any questions, comments or queries about this site.
Nothing is too big or too small and no question too stupid, so if there is something in particular you are looking for, do get in touch and I will try my best to help. Think of me as a librarian quietly bustling around in the background, trotting up stepladders and pulling down dusty old books you couldn't reach! At the end of the day I've typed up and cross-referenced every single thing you see here, so it makes me pretty familiar with the content...
If you have any items not displayed here which you are prepared to share, please contact me. I'm looking for articles in English from any era on any aspect of Depeche Mode. If you could provide scans that would be ideal, or failing that, quality colour copies (so long as the text is legible) or even you send me the magazine and I return it to you! But check the waiting list first, as I may already have it waiting to go online.
The vastness of this site (and sod's law) means mistakes will always creep in. If you find anything at all amiss in the way of dead links, or links that don't go where you expected, factual errors or typos (however small!), I really would appreciate you letting me know as I'm striving for an accurate and reliable site. [back to top]
Happy browsing!!!
Just remember, no eating or drinking, please switch off all mobile phones and keep your personal belongings with you at all times....
Enjoy the site!
site intro go to year fan club miscellaneous links