R&B prodigy Frank Ocean has reportedly collaborated with Depeche Mode member Martin Gore on a song set for inclusion on Ocean’s upcoming album. According to NME.COM , Ocean met the English synthpop band at a New York studio where they were working on material for a new album of their own entitled Delta Machine .
Ocean, who picked up a Brit Award for Best International Male yesterday, is reportedly a big fan of the band. According to lead singer Dave Gahan, “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.”
Christoffer Berg of The Knife was also involved in the collaboration. Gahan states that the track features “some electronics and some modular synthesizer stuff,” which Ocean wanted to utilize.
Rolling Stone reports that Frank Ocean is currently “10, 11 songs into” a new album, though no title or release date has been given yet. “It’s another cohesive thing, bordering on a concept record again,” said Ocean of the new collection of tracks. He plans to rent a place at Bora Bora and continue work on the album following a trip to London. Other collaborators include Tame Impala, King Krule, Pharrell, and Danger Mouse.
Depeche Mode is set to release Delta Machine on March 22. The album is their first since 2009’s Sounds Of the Universe . Following its release, the band will embark on a worldwide tour beginning in Tel Aviv on May 7. While the pairing of the sounds of Frank Ocean and Depeche Mode might seem odd, this collaboration comes amidst something of an R&B renaissance in the world of indie music. Acts such as The xx, Jessie Ware, and The Weeknd have all used R&B as a foundation for creating new sounds (to considerable critical acclaim) in recent memory.