A bit of bad news/good news. John Peel, the enormously influential DJ who helped the world see such great bands as Joy, Division, New Order, The Smiths, and countless others, passed away this weekend of a heart attack. He was as much of a legend as the bands and artists he helped create and promote.

Unable to smoothly segway to the next point... I was overwhelmed last night when I saw that Depeche Mode had released a remix album. Currently available as a limited edition 3 cd set. Depeche Mode has always been a favorite of mine since both my brother and sister introduced me to them. But besides their creative use of synthesizers and the deep puncturing lyrics Dave Gahan, they had a wonderful talent for remixing their music. I always went to Tower Records to get their 12" singles as soon as they came out because they were loaded with intricate reinterperetations of themselves. Of particular note were the 3 seperate releases of Master & Servant and a version of Everything Counts that would later be included on their next release and help fuel the popularity of the song.

They continue to have an amazing array of remixes of their more current releases as well calling upon Kruder and Dorfmeister, Underworld, Air, DJ Shadow, Renegade Soundwave, Dave Clarke, Timo Maas, and more. Anyway, if you like Depeche Mode but haven't experienced their remixes, check them out now.