Frank Ocean Recorded A Song With Depeche Mode, Is Officially The Coolest

Carl Williott | February 21, 2013 1:22 pm

Frank Ocean revealed to BBC Radio 1 on Tuesday (February 19) that he has 10 or 11 songs recorded for his next album, and that he has enlisted the help of Pharrell and Danger Mouse. And now we’ve got another juicy morsel to savor for the next couple weeks: thanks to a fortuitous bit of studio-booking, Ocean has recorded a song with Depeche Mode and it could end up on the channel ORANGE follow-up.

OK, so he recorded it with half of Depeche Mode. Frontman Dave Gahan told Entertainment Weekly Ocean was working in a New York City studio while Depeche Mode was nearby recording a session based around their forthcoming album Delta Machine, when one of Frank’s people approached the iconic synthers.

“We were in the studio in New York, and we were filming and recording some live tracks toward the end of the session. I was singing, Martin [Gore] on guitar, a few of the other guys,” Gahan said. “I realized there was this guy standing there just watching. An assistant came up to me in between songs and said, ‘Do you mind? Frank Ocean is here working in another studio and really wants to meet you guys.’ I wouldn’t have thought he would have even known who we are, but it turns out he’s a big fan.”

Of COURSE he’s a big fan, because he’s everything that’s right about music. Anyway, that chance meeting led to Ocean recording a track with DM member Martin Gore and The Knife producer Christoffer Berg. “I think [the song] is going to be part of his new record,” Gahan said. “Martin did some electronics and some modular synthesizer stuff he really wanted.” If this album is a direct sequel to channel ORANGE, as Ocean hinted it was, then we’re hoping that this will be “Pyramids II” and we. Can’t. Wait.