MODE2K – a DJ project that brings the spirit of Depeche Mode to clubs around the world, is revisiting its origins in Plovdiv! On April 26th at the Bee Bop Cafe club, the two artists – Shunt and N:Mode – will treat fans to an evening dedicated to the cult band. After years of international appearances across Europe and North America, they have perfected a unique set with reworked versions, visual loops, and of course, lots of DM classics.
Just after Easter – it’s time for Your Own Personal Jesus in Plovdiv!
Venelina Varbanova, who will take part in the event as her DJ alter ego – Shut up, Baby! had the chance to catch up with N:Mode and Shunt before the start of the event at Bee Bop Cafe*.
Would you mind introducing yourselves? Who is “the master” and who is “the servant”? How did you start working together as DJs and how did the idea for the MODE2K project come about? What brought you together and what is the concept behind this project?
Shunt — We’ve had the opportunity to work together over the years. We’ve known each other for over 15 years, but the essence of MODE2K unfolded during the pandemic and was one of the first events with Depeche-Mode.org that we did in the summer of 2022. It became clear to us then that one person couldn’t handle the logistics on their own. So the dynamic of Master & Servant is more between us and the attendees, we are the servants for sure.
N:Mode — We are more of that component of the event that aims to make visitors feel good listening to their favorite music. We are simply two professionals who grew up in Plovdiv and, after years of experience abroad, we wanted to present a set of songs in a new and creative way.
You are both from Plovdiv. Your project has been around for 2 years. Any reason you are doing the event in Plovdiv now instead of the beginning? And which Depeche Mode song do you think best reflects the spirit of the bohemian city?
Shunt — Plovdiv is our second home and we have lots of memories that bring us back. We wanted to do something there last year, but logistically it was more reasonable to start in Sofia on Thursday, and on Friday and Saturday we were in Athens and Bucharest. The song that reminds us of Plovdiv is In Your Room, we will hear it on Beebop for sure.
N:Mode — Interestingly, the last event with the two of us (but with solo sets) + Julia (julianep) was back in 2010 at the Petnoto na Rorschach (15 years!) — for me, this is the first gig on home turf (in Plovdiv) since 2017, when Strange Affection and I did an event in celebrating 30 years of the release of Music for the Masses.
Besides Depeche Mode being a kind of missionary activity and a defining part of your life, if you had the chance to share something with them or point them with “light signals” what would it be?
Shunt — We often imagine what an event like this would have been like if Alan Wilder had to produce it. I don’t know about light signals, but his contribution is certainly missed by many of the band’s fans. Nowadays, almost everyone knows that Alan is a closed page for DM. But that doesn’t stop us from interpreting the songs in that direction.
N:Mode — We are often asked how MODE2K’s performances differ from traditional events dedicated to the band’s work, and we unknowingly (or not) draw a parallel with Alan Wilder’s A Strange Hour gigs, which we both had the good fortune to see live.
Thinking of MODE2K as an international act that toured from Sofia to New York makes me wonder: How do you adapt to different crowds while touring in different countries? Is the world in your eyes the same in Bucharest, in Athens, or in New York?
Shunt — Both US and Europe were unique and we had the pleasure of working with the local promoters and clubs. Depeche Mode is a band that brings together a lot of cool people, so it’s fun everywhere. The US reacts more favorably to the earlier catalog, in Europe, the 90s are stronger, but the difference is minimal. People are people.
N:Mode — The truth is that for each performance we make changes to the sequence of our setlist, and it often happens that we completely improvise according to the specific audience — especially in the final part of the performance. All the gigs so far have been successful, we are received well and with great respect everywhere, for which we are grateful.
How do you choose the visuals for your sets? Do you work closely with other artists, or is everything created by the two of you?
Shunt — Everything has been re-edited by the two of us, while we tried to stay true to the originals. The difference is in the details, though. The visuals and the music run completely separately, but the versions themselves have been edited to work better together.
N:Mode — The conversation could get very long and very technical if we go into details. Let’s say that before the debut MODE2K gig, there were about two days of equipment testing and over 60 hours of operational preparation for the subsequent events.
101 reasons that sets you apart from other DJs who work with Depeche Mode events?
Shunt — Depeche Mode is a brand that doesn’t need much advertising in itself, but we enjoy the trust of people who have attended countless gigs and we strive to bring more creativity. In addition to the playlists themselves, the songs are mixed in tempo and key, and even if there are attendees who haven’t heard particular tracks, the mood is 101%. The combination of sound and visuals, the experience, as well as the technical details themselves are at a pretty high level.
N:Mode — In last year’s set we had a moment where Fly on The Windscreen slows down by 20 beats per minute, where I mix in a sample from Pipeline, and Miro (Shunt) triggers a video loop from the Some Great Reward Tour where Alan hits a piece of metal. For this to work with the tempo drop, the visuals are triggered in drum mode from a MIDI controller for Resolume. We would definitely go out more often if other people did things like that. 🙂
We can’t forget your meeting with Andy Fletcher in Bulgaria and your 20 years of experience behind the decks. Tell us briefly about the experience of this memory with him and don’t hide if you have had other meetings with members of the band.
N:Mode — Over the years I have had meetings with all the band members (current and former), but the first one was with Fletch in September 2007, when by a strange coincidence I had to interview him at his hotel in Golden Sands before the performance in Kavarna. Two months later, at only 17 years of age — I had the honor of supporting him at 4KM (Sofia) in front of over 1500 people.
Shunt — In addition to Andy in Kavarna, I had the opportunity to work with Alan on several Recoil events in Prague and New York. I was left with the impression that he’s an incredible perfectionist who was involved in every element of the events. I was impressed by his good sense of humor as well. In Prague, I made the effort to ask him if I could play DM after Recoil because I felt like I would be crucified if I skipped that. Alan looked at me and smiled at the question, even tried suggesting I play It’s Called A Heart and What’s Your Name?, which made us both giggle.
(Editor’s note: It’s Called A Heart was a double single with Shake the Disease, and Alan has made it quite public that in his opinion the song that represents the band better is Fly On The Windscreen, which was later included on Black Celebration. What’s Your Name? is one of the songs that the entire band dislikes)
The track you open with?
Shunt — It’s different every time. The opening intro was a Blasphemous Rumours sample mixed over The Things You Said. It’s interesting that we also end on different songs, the last time was Black Celebration with Love Will Tear Us Apart by Joy Division.
N:Mode — As I mentioned earlier, each gig is different in itself and our extensive experience allows us to make changes on the fly depending on the audience and the country we are in.
The most unexpected and strangest place you’ve heard a Depeche Mode song is…?
N:Mode — I recently happened to hear Policy of Truth in the toilet at the Tokyo airport.
Shunt — The commercial breaks at this year’s Super Bowl. A 30-second commercial costs $8 million. The Super Bowl is to advertising agencies like the Academy Awards are to Hollywood, so it was strange to hear Depeche. Politically, things have been pretty extreme lately, and it was unexpected to hear an American religious group use Johnny Cash’s version of “Personal Jesus,” especially considering the song’s history of describing televangelists in the United States.
If you could go back in time and attend a Depeche Mode concert from the past, who would you choose and why?
N:Mode — I was recently in Asia DJing with my techno project Fuzoku and had the opportunity to visit the abandoned Folk Arts Theatre in Manila, Philippines, where Depeche Mode played in March 1994 during their Exotic tour in support of Songs of Faith & Devotion. I wouldn’t turn down being there for either of the two sold-out dates during this highly spiritual period for the band.
Shunt — It’s hard to pick one show from the present, let alone the past. For me personally, it’s a Black Celebration date in Germany or a Summer Tour date in the US, but I wouldn’t turn down any date from any tour between those two either.
How would you describe the evolution of Depeche Mode’s visual style over the years and how does this influence your visuals during your work with MODE2K?
Shunt — Speaking as fans, the band’s visual style is pretty well-defined, but lately the videos tend to not feature the band much. A nice exception is Ghosts Again, visually it’s the strongest song in recent times and the reference to Ingmar Bergman in the style of Anton Corbin is quite successful. In the set itself, we have a lot of visual references, including to David Lynch, and Trent Reznor, as well as a lot of classic films combined with video clips and concerts.
N:Mode — Although the event has a pretty clear theme – our influences are not only related to Depeche Mode. It would be amazing to make things come full circle and return to where we started many years ago. We look forward to seeing you at Bebop on April 26th. See you soon!
