List of Recoil sample sources by album/Hydrology

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. During Alan Wilder's tenure with the group, Depeche Mode were among the most prolific acts to make use of sampling technology within a traditional pop music format. Following his departure from Depeche Mode in 1995, Wilder would continue to employ sampling as a means to enhance the atmosphere of his music through the Recoil project, including passages of contemporary music, film soundtracks, sample library audio, and samples from his past work with Depeche Mode. The analysis of these sample sources and how they are manipulated is a popular topic of discussion amongst fans of both groups.

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 aims to document all verifiable sound sources utilised by Alan Wilder in the production of the 1988 Recoil album Hydrology.

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 across the world. This article serves to provide 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 the production of the music described on this page, audio samples that lack official confirmation are not guaranteed to be accurate.

This article differentiates samples by their origin: Self-made samples, which describes any material originally recorded by Depeche Mode or Alan Wilder for the Recoil music project, and Sourced samples, which describe samples which were not originally recorded by either group. In addition to confirmed samples, this article also covers samples that are commonly misreported as having been used but have been directly refuted by a member or associate of Depeche Mode or Recoil.

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

Hydrology (1988)

1. "Grain"

"Grain" Recoil 1988	Self-made samples
	Sample	Notes			Audio
	Bell-like outro "ping"	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 played sporadically throughout the orchestral outro of "Grain". Notably, this sound is also used in "Strangelove", "Never Let Me Down Again", "Behind The Wheel", and "Route 66".			✖

2. "Stone"

"Stone" Recoil 1988	Self-made samples
	Sample	Notes			Audio
	Vocal elements	A manipulated sample of audio featuring sampled and live vocals (performed by Martin Gore) utilised throughout Recoil's "Stone" is derived from the opening moments of "Fpmip", a 1987 remix of Depeche Mode's "Pimpf". Notably, aspects of this sample would see further use with Recoil's "Freeze" and "Faith Healer".			Click to display/hide audio example
	Synthesizer elements	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 co-producer Dave Bascombe during the production of music albums for artists other than Depeche Mode in the mid to late 1980s. One floppy disk, labeled "Synth Bass (24)", features a preset titled "Wave Bass" featuring two synthesized bass samples that partly form the sequenced bass rhythm audible mid-way through "Stone".			✖
	Sample sources
	Sample	Source	Status	Notes	Audio
	Vocal elements	French train announcer, unidentified source	Official	Wilder confirmed in a Q&A on Shunt, the official Recoil website that "Stone" employs a vocal sample of a French train station announcer, but is unsure of its origin. The announcer says: "Attention! Attention! Quai n°5, départ imminent du Nord-Express à destination de Moscou [...]"	✖
	Woodwind elements	Charles Duvelle, Jean-Pierre Martin, Jacques M'bilo - Musique centrafricaine - "Musique de chasse Babinga" - 1962	Confirmed	A section of audio derived from "Musique de chasse Babinga" as recorded by Charles Duvelle, Jean-Pierre Martin, and Jacques M'bilo for the 1962 Ocora release Musique centrafricaine is briefly utilised in the outro of "Stone".	✖
	Drum elements, snare drum	Kraftwerk - Electric Café - "Boing Boom Tschak" - 10 November 1986	Confirmed	A snare drum element derived from "Boing Boom Tschak" by Kraftwerk is utilised sporadically throughout "Stone".	✖

3. "The Sermon"

"The Sermon" Recoil 1988	Self-made samples
	Sample	Notes			Audio
	Polish vocal sample	A vocal sample from a Polish radio broadcast reporting on Pope John Paul II's 9 June 1987 sermon in Warsaw can be heard in the introduction of "The Sermon". Wilder commented on the origin of this sample in a 2008 interview for komarnicki.pl: "I put the microphone on the shortwave radio, I tried to catch some climatic samples and that was the first thing that happened. I had no idea what they were saying! I liked the sound but it wasn't meant to be an integral part of the track, just atmosphere." The two audio samples state: [...] radcy nuncjatury w Lizbonie, którego Ojciec Święty mianował Pronuncjuszem Apostolskim w Tajla[-ndii...] [...] wzgórze wypełniło się młodzieżą maturalną… oprócz indywidualnych [inaudible] grup kraj przebyły też dwie pielgrzymki diecezjalne. Pierwsza z Archidiecezji Warszawskiej w liczbie około 8 tysięcy młodzieży [...] English Google translation: [...] counselor of the nunciature in Lisbon, whom the Holy Father appointed as Apostolic Pronunciator in Tajla [Thailand]... [...] the hill was filled with high school graduates ... in addition to individual freelance groups, two diocesan pilgrimages arrived in Prague. The first one, from the Archdiocese of Warsaw, was eight thousand young people strong, and they...			✖
	Bass guitar elements	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 co-producer Dave Bascombe during the production of music albums for artists other than Depeche Mode in the mid to late 1980s. One floppy disk, labeled "Bright Bass-GTR", features a preset titled "bright bass" that is comprised of two bass guitar samples which are used throughout "The Sermon" starting from approximately the five minute thirty-second mark. Notably, these bass guitar parts are also used during the chorus sections of the album version and throughout the single version of "Strangelove".			✖
	Synthesizer elements	A manipulated sample of audio utilised throughout "The Sermon" is derived from Depeche Mode's 1984 single "Blasphemous Rumours".			✖
	Sample sources
	Sample	Source	Status	Notes	Audio
	Vocal, chanting elements	Charles Duvelle, Jean-Pierre Martin, Jacques M'bilo - Musique centrafricaine - "Chant Dakpa pour l'Abbatage d'un arbre" - 1962	Confirmed	A section of audio derived from "Chant Dakpa pour l'Abbatage d'un arbre" as recorded by Charles Duvelle, Jean-Pierre Martin, and Jacques M'bilo for the 1962 Ocora release Musique centrafricaine is utilised throughout the outro of "The Sermon".	Click to display/hide audio example
	Woodwind, ethnic elements	Charles Duvelle, Jean-Pierre Martin, Jacques M'bilo - Musique centrafricaine - "Musique de chasse Babinga" - 1962	Confirmed	A section of audio derived from "Musique de chasse Babinga" as recorded by Charles Duvelle, Jean-Pierre Martin, and Jacques M'bilo for the 1962 Ocora release Musique centrafricaine is utilised throughout the outro of "The Sermon".	✖
	Snare drum elements	Michael Siegel - The Sounds Of The Office - "Postage Meter And Enveloppe Sealer" - 1964	Confirmed	A mechanical sound derived from "Postage Meter And Enveloppe Sealer" as featured on the 1964 Folksways Records field recording album The Sounds Of The Office.	✖
	Snare drum elements	Wire - Snakedrill - "A Serious of Snakes" - November 1986	Confirmed	A manipulated snare drum sound derived from the intro of "A Serious of Snakes" by Wire is utilised throughout "The Sermon".	✖
	Synthesizer elements	Emulator II factory library disk #37: Electric Guitar - Preset #3: "LoopedGuitar", SAMPLE 5, SAMPLE 9	Confirmed	Two muted harmonic guitar pluck samples derived from the Emulator II factory library disk #37 "Electric Guitar" are individually looped with a tight loop point and layered together to form the "buzzy" monophonic synth drone audible throughout "The Sermon".	✖