80s and 90s
Recoil began in 1986, when Daniel Miller (record producer and founder of Mute Records) heard some of Alan Wilder's demo recordings, which he had made on a 4-track cassette machine. These recordings were substantially different from anything Depeche Mode had released -- whilst they were still created using synthesizers and sampling, they featured little of Depeche Mode's catchy pop songwriting, instead opting for an experimental, John Cage-esque style. Due to the primitive and decidedly uncommercial nature of these pieces, Wilder and the record label decided to release the album inconspicuously, naming it 1+2. It eventually came out in mid-1986, not long after the release of Depeche Mode's well-received Black Celebration.In January 1988, during the middle of Depeche Mode's hugely successful "Tour for the Masses", Mute released the second Recoil album -- Hydrology. This followed in a similar vein to the previous Recoil record, consisting of entirely instrumental, synthesized landscapes. Unfortunately, due to Wilder's busy touring schedule, he was unable to effectively promote the record.
Recoil's first single was from his third album Bloodline, a cover of the Sensational Alex Harvey Band's "Faith Healer", with Douglas McCarthy from Nitzer Ebb on vocals. McCarthy would later reappear for two songs on the next album, Unsound Methods, including the single "Stalker". 1997's Unsound Methods was the first release after Wilder's decision to leave Depeche Mode. The fifth album, Liquid was released in 2000.
2000s on
Although there had been no releases for some time, in 2005 Alan Wilder confirmed that he would start work on a new album. On October 20, 2006, Alan appeared on a web greeting confirming a Summer 2007 target date for the next Recoil album. On April 22, 2007, Wilder released a statement on his MySpace page that the new album would be entitled subHuman and has been provisionally set for release on July 9, 2007. Included as guest vocalists this time are Carla Trevaskis and Joe Richardson, the latter will also deliver the vocals for a track titled "Prey" which was going to be the first and only single taken from "subHuman". A sample from the song was also put on Recoil's MySpace page. 2007 also saw the re-release of Bloodline (originally released in 1991) and Hydrology Plus 1+2 (originally released in 1988).Out on June 27 via iTunes and related download portals is "Prey", the newest single from Recoil. iTunes also prepared a special Recoil pack (similar to the Depeche Mode iTunes pack) holding all Recoil releases. It will be the first time that all the Recoil material is available via iTunes. The packet doesn't hold exclusives but does come in the DRM free high download quality version.
A special download-only remix of subHuman track "Killing Ground" by The Slips was released on on The Slips' MySpace page. The news also got out Alan Wilder was to start work on a new album pretty soon.
Late 2007, IGN, a unit of Fox Interactive Media, Inc., selected Recoil's "subHuman album as 'Best Electronic Album' for the year 2007.
2008
In February Alan Wilder announced, due to popular demand, a limited edition CD release of the double sided Recoil single "Prey"/"Allelujah" out on 25 February 2008. The CD is being issued, with the support of Mute, through the Russian label Gala Records in conjunction with depeche-mode.ru and is exclusively available on-line only via their website.Also in February, the ex-Depeche Mode member released an open letter on the Side-Line Magazine website, titled "Music For The Masses - I think not". In the article Wilder handles his vision on today's shifting music market and the position of the artist in this. In the small essay Wilder touches the volume war, the effect of excessive compression, the download spiral, alternative ways to release music, the birth of the fan powered release of the limited enhanced single 'Prey'/'Allelujah' in Russia, Mute Records, Depeche Mode, and much more.
December saw a brand new free bonus mix of "Prey" (taken from the "subHuman" album) released as a Xmas download on December 8. The mix was approved by Alan Wilder and re-mixed by David Husser.
From Wikipedia
