Dave Ball completed work on Soft Cell’s final album, ‘Danceteria’, just days before his death, according to a statement from his bandmate.
Ball, the electronic music pioneer and one-half of Soft Cell, died this week (October 22) at the age of 66. The musician and producer, who also performed with acid house act The Grid, passed away at his home in London. A cause of death is not yet known.
Ball last performed live as part of the synth-pop duo when they headlined Rewind Festival in Henley-on-Thames this August, following a run of dates across North America.
Now, Marc Almond – Soft Cell frontman and Ball’s musical collaborator of 46 years – has revealed that Ball completed work on a new Soft Cell album just days before his passing.
In a lengthy Facebook post that paid tribute to Ball, Almond said: “He was focused and so happy with the new album that we literally completed only a few days ago.”
He added: “It’s fitting in many ways that the next (and now the last) album together is called ‘Danceteria’ as the theme takes us for a visit back to almost the start of it all, back to New York in the early 80’s, the place and time that really shaped us.
“We always felt we were an honorary American band as well as quintisentially British. We have always been self referential to the Soft Cell story and myths and this album in many ways will close that circle for us. I wish he could have stayed on to celebrate 50 years in a couple of years time. He will always be loved by fans who loved his music. It’s a cliche to say but it lives on and somewhere at any given time around the world someone listens to, plays, dances, and get’s pleasure from a Soft Cell song – even if it’s just that particular two and half minute epic.”
Almond concluded: “Thank you Dave for being an immense part of my life and for the music you gave me. I wouldn’t be where I am without you.”
Dear Soft Cell fansIt is hard to write this, let alone process it, but it is with the greatest sadness that the other…
Posted by Marc Almond on Thursday, October 23, 2025
Elsewhere in the statement, Almond said: “It is hard to write this, let alone process it, as Dave was in such a great place emotionally.
“…It’s so sad as 2026 was all set to be such an uplifting year for him, and I take some solace from the fact that he heard the finished record and felt that it was a great piece of work. Dave’s music is better than ever. His tunes and hooks are still unmistakably Soft Cell, yet he always took it to the next level too. He was a wonderfully brilliant musical genius and the pair of us have been on a journey together for almost 50 years.”
He went on: “In the early days we were obnoxious and difficult, two belligerent art students who wanted to do things our way, even if it was the wrong way. We were naive and made mistakes, although we never really saw them as such. It was all just a part of the adventure. Dave and I were always a bit chalk-and-cheese, but maybe that’s why the chemistry between us worked so well.
“Whenever we came back together after long periods apart there was always that warmth and chemistry. There was a deep mutual respect that gave our combined songwriting its unique power. We laughed a lot, and shared a sense of humour, and a love of film, books and music. Dave had shelves full of books and an array of wonderful and surprising musical references. He was the heart and soul of Soft Cell and I’m very proud of our legacy.”
Formed in 1979, when Ball and singer Almond were both art students in Leeds, Soft Cell helped to define the sound of British music in the 1980s and beyond. Their 1981 debut album ‘Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret’ changed the course of pop and paved the way for numerous synth-based duos, such as Pet Shop Boys, Eurythmics, Yazoo and Erasure.
Their second single, ‘Tainted Love’, topped the charts in the UK and in 17 countries around the globe. It was also certified as Britain’s best-selling single of 1981 and made the Guinness Book Of Records, as the single that spent the longest time on the US Billboard chart.
Between 1982 and 2021, Soft Cell released four more studio albums – ‘The Art Of Falling Apart’, ‘This Last Night In Sodom’, ‘Cruelty Without Beauty’ and ‘*Happiness not included’ – plus what is considered as one of the first remix albums, ‘Non-Stop Ecstatic Dancing’.
The duo earned four more UK top 10 singles with ‘Bedsitter’, ‘Torch’, ‘What!’, and ‘Say Hello, Wave Goodbye’, with Ball also helping to create extended, 12-inch mixes of the singles. He would often splice segments of tape together with razor blades, to give the band a decisive, club-friendly edge.
Born in Chester in 1959, Ball had moved from Blackpool to Leeds to study fine art. He first worked with Almond when he provided an electronic backdrop to a piece of the singer’s improvised performance art.
Away from Soft Cell, Ball was also one half of The Grid alongside esteemed musician and producer Richard Norris, with whom he enjoyed a string of chart successes in the ’90s, including the top three single and international hit ‘Swamp Thing’.
He also worked with major stars including David Bowie, Kylie Minogue, Pet Shop Boys and Erasure, as well as some alternative artists such as Psychic TV and Gavin Friday.
