Inspired by what he referred to as minimal dance music, Erasure's Vince Clarke sought Martin Gore, his onetime bandmate in Depeche Mode, to help him make a techno album. Gore obliged, and the two producers collaborated for the first time in three decades by working separately and swapping files. "Spock," a lean, stern, and detailed club track, was their debut A-side, credited to the name VCMG. It was released on the Mute label, home of Erasure and Depeche Mode, in November 2011 with remixes from Regis, Edit Select, and XOQ. The album Ssss arrived the following March, also on Mute. ~ Andy Kellman, Rovi