Vince Clarke

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Vince Clarke, born Vincent John Martin in 1960, grew up in Essex and learned violin and piano as a child. He was inspired by electronic groups such as Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark and the Human League. In 1980, with school friend Andy Fletcher and Martin Gore, he founded the band Composition of Sound, which became Depeche Mode with singer Dave Gahan. Clarke wrote the singles Dreaming of Me, New Life and Just Can't Get Enough from 1981 and left the group shortly afterwards. He did not like the public side of success, such as touring and interviews. Alan Wilder took his place.

Music and breakthrough

He then formed the synth-pop duo Yazoo with singer Alison Moyet, called Yaz in America. Later he wrote for The Assembly. In 1985 he started Erasure, with singer Andy Bell. There Clarke makes the music, while Bell sings and does the talking on stage. The contrast is great: Clarke often stands almost motionless behind his keyboard, while Bell performs in a lively and exuberant manner. Erasure recorded more than two hundred songs and, by its own account, sold more than 28 million albums. Outside the group Clarke made solo albums such as Spectrum Pursuit Vehicle in 2001 and Songs of Silence in 2023.

Influence

In 2020 he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Depeche Mode. His influence lies in short, clear pop songs built on synthesizers. In School of Rock, Erasure belongs to the 1980s, because Sometimes from 1986 showed that an acoustic guitar goes perfectly well with synthesizers.

Listening

Discography

Studio albums

• 2001Spectrum Pursuit Vehicle
• 2009Deeptronica
• 20162Square
• 2023Songs of Silence
• 2025Doublespeak

In School of Rock

The chapters, maps and magazine stories of School of Rock are currently available in Dutch only.

• Mixtape 7: The 1980s^NL Reader