List of Depeche Mode live sample sources by tour/1990 World Violation Tour

Glossary Terms used in this article

In audio production, sampling refers to the use of a portion (or sample) from a sound within another recording. As pioneers of the electronic music genre, Depeche Mode were among the most prolific acts to make use of sampling technology within a traditional pop music format. Among the many original samples recorded and utilized by Depeche Mode to enhance the atmosphere of their musical output are many that originated elsewhere, including brief passages of musical recordings by other artists, snippets of audio from television shows, radio broadcasts, films, environmental sounds, and more. Analysis of these sample sources and how they are manipulated is a popular topic of discussion amongst fans of the group.

Key
Official	The sample is confirmed to have been used in the specified song by a past/present member of Depeche Mode, an individual involved in its production, or band archivist Daniel "BRAT" Barassi.
Confirmed	The sample is independently confirmed to have been used in the specified song.
Likely	The sample is likely to have been used in the specified song but has not yet been confirmed.
Unconfirmed	The sample is not yet confirmed to have been used in the specified song.
Disproven	The sample is confirmed to not have been used in the specified song.
Unknown	It is unclear if the sample was used in the specified song.

Information

This page documents all verifiable sound sources for many of the musical parts used by Depeche Mode in the live concert tour arrangements of songs performed on the 1990 World Violation Tour.

Due to the manipulated nature of the samples described in this article, there is unavoidable potential for error or sample misattribution. To ensure accuracy, this article strives to use verified quotes from band members and recording personnel with citations wherever possible, audio examples, and independent research voluntarily contributed by Depeche Mode and Recoil fans worldwide. This article provides an interesting document on this topic in a tabular format that is organized, well-researched, and reasonably accurate. Please bear in mind that due to the limited number of relevant quotes for each sample from band members or associates involved in producing the music described on this page, audio samples that lack official confirmation are not guaranteed to be accurate.

This article differentiates samples by origin: Self-made samples, which describe any material initially recorded by Depeche Mode or Recoil, and Sourced samples, which describe samples not initially recorded by either group. In addition to confirmed samples, this article also covers samples commonly misreported as having been used but directly refuted by a member or associate of Depeche Mode or Recoil.

If you notice an error or wish to contribute or request the removal of information contained within this article, please feel free to contact us.

1990 World Violation Tour

"Never Let Me Down Again"

"Never Let Me Down Again" Depeche Mode 1987	Self-made samples
	Sample	Notes			Audio
	Guitar riff	In a 4 July 2019 interview with Super Deluxe Edition, Music For The Masses co-producer Dave Bascombe recalled the recording process for the guitar riff: [...] I remember Martin had his guitar, and it’s used quite a bit... the beginning of "Never Let Me Down [Again]" for example... What a wonderful, happy accident that was. It was supposed to start with the snare drum and then go straight in, but because of the nature of technology at the time, the guitar [riff] was played, then we sampled it into the Synclavier and it just kicked off as soon as it got code at the beginning of the track and we all went ‘Wow, that's great’, so that was an accident.			✖
	Lead melody	The lead melody is comprised of a plucked guitar-like sample combined with a vocal-like pad with a short loop (itself derived from a non-looped sample that is layered with another vocal-like sound to intensify the final four bars of each verse section in "I Want You Now"). The resulting voice is mixed with reverb to produce the textured, "roomy" effect heard on the album version of "Never Let Me Down Again". For live use, the part is played back comparatively dry. Other notable appearances of the guitar-like sample include a two-note fill during the verses of "Strangelove", the lead melody heard throughout the "Spanish Taster" mix of "To Have And To Hold", and a verse melody in "Blue Dress". In addition to its use in "Never Let Me Down Again" and "I Want You Now", the aforementioned solo vocal-like pad is also heard during the chorus sections of "Nothing".			✖
	Exploding firework	An exploding firework sound originally sampled for use with "Stripped" is occasionally played on the final note during live performances of "Never Let Me Down Again". Other notable uses of this sample include the final moments of "Pimpf", where it is layered with a large female-esque choir stab and played several notes down from its original key.			✖
	Synth bass	A synthesized bass layer audible throughout "Never Let Me Down Again" is likely derived from the PPG Wave 2.3 wavetable "031 Piano/Sax". Notably, A similar synthesizer bass drone originally recorded for use with "Policy Of Truth" is layered with this sound as it was performed during live performances on the 1993-1994 Devotional and Exotic tours.			✖
	Tom drums	In an April 2020 interview, Bascombe confirmed that the tom drum fills heard throughout "Never Let Me Down Again" are comprised of the tom drum sounds originally recorded for use in "Stripped" layered with other drum samples. Alan Wilder describes the recording of this sound in a 1998 editorial on Shunt, the official Recoil project website: "A hired drum kit was also set up in the large reception area of Westside and used to sample individual sounds, most notably the distinctive toms with their special ambience."			✖
	Wine glass arpeggio	In May 2020, fan "DMK" kindly provided DM Live Wiki with documentation for a series of Emulator II floppy disks that accompanied a collection of restored studio equipment used by Music For The Masses producer Dave Bascombe during the production of music albums for artists other than Depeche Mode in the mid to late eighties. One floppy disk, labeled "Wineglass (106)", features an untitled preset ("NULL PRESET"), which contains a bell-like sample, presumably the sound of a wine glass being tapped. This sample is used to produce the textured arpeggio that occurs throughout the chorus sections of "Never Let Me Down Again". Notably, this sound is also used in "Behind The Wheel", "Route 66", "Strangelove", and the Recoil instrumental "Grain".			✖
	Sample sources
	Sample	Source	Status	Notes	Audio
	Orchestral strings and choir pads	Carl Orff - Carmina Burana - I. Primo vere (In Springtime) - Ecce gratum - Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Southend Boys' Choir, Brighton Festival Chorus - 1 February, 1976	Official	"Never Let Me Down Again" utilizes two edited choral samples derived from a Royal Philharmonic Orchestra/Southend Boys' Choir/Brighton Festival Chorus performance of the Primo vere movement of Primo vere, the first section of Carl Orff's Carmina Burana. The performance, conducted by Antal Doráti on 1 February 1976, featured soprano vocals by Norma Burrowes, tenor vocals by Louis Devos, and baritone vocals by John Shirley-Quirk. The Latin words being sung within the samples include the final moments of the lyric "Hyemis sevitia. Ah!" ("The rigors of winter. Ah!"). In an April 2020 interview, Dave Bascombe described the technical challenge of manipulating the sampled audio for use in "Never Let Me Down Again": "I think it was Carmina Burana [...] It took ages getting it all in time and in tune. [Nowadays] that's a piece of piss."	✖
	"When The Levee Breaks" drum samples	Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin IV - "When The Levee Breaks" - 1971	Official	In a 4 July 2019 interview with Super Deluxe Edition, Bascombe recalled how the sampled percussion came to be used in "Never Let Me Down Again": "We were round at [Alan Wilder’s] house – and I said 'Right, I want to use "When The Levee Breaks" [Led Zeppelin] drums on [Never Let Me Down Again].' [...] I suggested using them for the main kick and snare."	✖
	Snare drum	New Order - "Love Vigilantes" - 1985	Confirmed	The second of four snare drum hits audible in the opening moments of "Love Vigilantes" by New Order is utilised throughout "Never Let Me Down Again". Similarly, this snare sound is used throughout "Stripped", "Breathing In Fumes", "Christmas Island", and "Nothing".	✖
	Brass layer	E-mu Systems - Emulator II factory library disk #63: ARP 2600 - SAMPLE 3	Confirmed	An edited synthesizer sample derived from Emulator II factory library disk #63 "ARP 2600" is utilised as a synth brass layer throughout the chorus sections of "Never Let Me Down Again".	✖
	Brass layer	E-mu Systems - Emulator II factory library disk #21: Assorted Trombones - SAMPLE 13	Confirmed	A looping trombone sample derived from Emulator II factory library disk #21 "Assorted Trombones" is utilised throughout the chorus and outro sections of "Never Let Me Down Again".	✖
	Pizzicato/strings	E-mu Systems - Emulator II factory library disk #08: Cello & Violin - SAMPLE 8, SAMPLE 16	Confirmed	Two cello and violin samples derived from Emulator II factory library disk #08 "Cello & Violin" are layered to form an octave with a sound previously recorded for use in 1986's "A Question Of Time" to form the pizzicato-like phrases audible during the second chorus section of "Never Let Me Down Again".	✖
	Tom drum layer	Emulator II OMI Universe of Sounds Volume 1 - Track Kit - "TRACK_KIT_SAMPLE 3"	Confirmed	An edited tom drum sound derived from the Emulator II OMI Universe of Sounds Volume 1 voice "Track Kit" is layered with a custom tom drum sound originally recorded for use with "Stripped" to form the tom drum fills heard throughout "Never Let Me Down Again".	✖
	Guitar riff and drum elements	3rd Bass - "Wordz Of Wisdom, Pt. 2" - 1989	Official	American hip-hop group 3rd Bass employed an uncredited sample of the opening guitar riff from Depeche Mode's "Never Let Me Down Again" for their 1989 track "Wordz Of Wisdom, Pt. 2". Depeche Mode were fond of their use of the sample, and would in turn sample it back from "Wordz Of Wisdom, Pt. 2" and employ it during the live interlude of "Never Let Me Down Again" as performed on the World Violation tour. Wilder would later use this sample and other elements from "Wordz Of Wisdom, Pt. 2" in the live production of "In Your Room" as part of Recoil's 2010-2011 Selected Events tour.	✖

"Shake The Disease" - Depeche Mode 1985	Sample overview
	Click to display/hide audio
	Self-made samples
	Sample	Notes			Audio
	Synthesizer, organ elements	A processed organ sound based on a custom Synclavier II timbre is combined with another musical element to form the melodic hook audible throughout "Shake The Disease".			✖
	Synthesizer, bass elements	A processed sound based on a custom Synclavier II timbre is combined with other musical elements to form the bassline audible throughout "Shake The Disease".			✖
	Synthesizer, bass elements	A synthesized bass sound based on a custom Synclavier II timbre is performed with other musical elements to form the bassline audible throughout "Shake The Disease".			✖
	Synthesizer, bass elements	A synthesized bass sound based on a custom Synclavier II timbre is performed with other musical elements to form the bass sound audible sporadically throughout "Shake The Disease".			✖
	Synthesizer, organ elements	A processed synthesized sound based on a custom Synclavier II timbre is audible during the chorus and outro sections of "Shake The Disease".			✖
	Synthesizer elements	A synthesized sound based on a custom Synclavier II timbre designed for use during the verse sections of "Everything Counts" is layered with a separate musical element to form the melody performed throughout the verse sections of "Shake The Disease".			✖
	Synthesizer elements	A synthesized sound based on a custom Synclavier II timbre is combined with multiple other musical elements to perform a melody audible during the middle eight section of "Shake The Disease".			✖
	Synthesizer elements	A synthesized sound based on a custom Synclavier II timbre is combined with multiple other musical elements to perform a melody audible during the middle eight section of "Shake The Disease".			✖
	Synthesizer elements	A synthesized sound based on a custom Synclavier II timbre is combined with multiple other musical elements to perform a melody audible during the middle eight section of "Shake The Disease".			✖
	Melodic elements	A celeste-like element is layered with a variety of other musical parts (including a separate bell sample and synthesized parts. This distinctive sound would also see use in several other Depeche Mode songs recorded during this era, including "It Doesn't Matter Two" and "But Not Tonight") to form a melodic part audible during the post-chorus sections of "Shake The Disease".			✖
	Percussive elements	A manipulated sample featuring percussive elements originally recorded for use throughout "It Doesn't Matter" is repurposed for use during the post-chorus sections of "Shake The Disease".			✖
	Sample sources
	Sample	Source	Status	Notes	Audio
	Synthesizer elements	Synclavier II Resynth Library Disk #4 - 4464 Harp	Confirmed	A harp-like synth pluck sound derived from the "Harp" timbre of Synclavier II Resynth library diskette #4 is layered with a separate sampled sound to form the lead melody heard during the chorus sections of "Shake The Disease".	✖
	Synthesizer elements	Synclavier II Timbre Directory Diskette #3 - 2337 Chimes #1 and Synclavier II Timbre Directory Diskette #1 - 2136 Calimba #2	Confirmed	A combination sound utilising two Synclavier partials (featuring edits to Synclavier II timbre directory diskette #3 "Chimes #1" and Synclavier II timbre directory diskette #1 "Calimba #2") is used to play a brief melody during the post-chorus sections of "Shake The Disease".	✖
	Mandolin, synthesizer elements	Emulator II factory library disk #25: Nylon Guitar & Mandolin and Yamaha DX7 factory ROM #1 Bank B: "CALIOPE"	Confirmed	A mandolin instrument derived from Emulator II factory library disk #25 "Nylon Guitar & Mandolin" is layered with an edit to Yamaha DX7 factory Rom #1 program "CALIOPE" to perform a melody audible during the middle eight section of "Shake The Disease".	✖
	Synthesizer, piano elements	Synclavier II Resynth Library Disk #1 - 4151 Clavinet 1 and Emulator II factory library disk #04: Grand Piano - SAMPLE 1, SAMPLE 2	Confirmed	A processed synthesized sound based on an edit to Synclavier II Resynth library diskette #1 timbre "4151 Clavinet" is layered with an edit to Emulator II factory library disk #04 "Grand Piano" to form a melody audible during the verse sections of "Shake The Disease".	✖
	Drum elements, bass drum	Yamaha Corporation - Yamaha RX-11 digital drum machine - 1984	Confirmed	A series of edited bass drum samples derived from the Yamaha RX-11 programmable drum machine are utilised throughout "Shake The Disease".	✖