The core of DAF are Gabi Delgado-Lopez and Robert
Gorl. They met in Dusseldorf during the punk movement in
1977, Gabi singing in local punk bands and Robert
finishing his formal musical training (at the Leopold
Mozart Konservatorium in Germany and the
Musikhochschule-Graz in Austria). Along with Wolfgang
Spellmans, Ludwig Hass and Michael Kemner they released
their first album in Germany called Product der DAF on
Warning Records, it was a riot of synth and tape powered
heavy metal. They moved to London where they made their
England debut at the Marque club with The Fall. Shortly
after they signed to Mute
records. An early Sounds review summed up their early
music: "If DAF has an onstage duel with Throbbing
Gristle, there would be no-one left alive on stage to
announce the winner."
After releasing their first Mute single, Kebabtraume,
Conny Plank asked to produce them, by this time they had
been reduced to a duo. After releasing their first Mute
album, Die Kleinen Und Die Bosen, and second single, Tanz
Mit Dir, they embarked on a tour that encompassed Austria
(as guests of the Austrian Government playing as part of
Culture Week in Vienna) and Germany, with some London
dated mixed in the middle.
A change of record label, to Virgin, saw the release
of their second album, Alles Ist Gut, and a single, Der
Mussolini/Der Rauber Under Der Prinz, which charted in
England. The pair have also released solo work over the
years, Robert Gorl has released one album on Mute (Night
Full of Tension), and two singles, Mit Dir and Darling
Don't Leave Me with Annie Lennox.
Robert Gorl played drums on the first Eurythmics album
- In the Garden.
NME 27 March 1982
D.A.F Final Sessions
D.A.F., the German duo of Robert Gorl and Gabi
Delgado-Lopez, have decided that their next album - to be
recordd at Conny Plank's studio in April and May, fo
rlate summer rlease by Virgin - will be the last under te
name of D.A.F. But it won't mark the end of their
partnership - they simply feel that the D.A.F. concept of
vocals sung over a drum and synthesizer backing has
reached it's logical conclusion, and they will go on to
develop more ideas.
From the original line-up Chris Haas formed a
Berlin-based band called Liaisons Dangereuses who
released one single on Mute called Los Ninos Del Parque.
"DAF was the kind of band that had a very severe,
minimalistic concept in music. We were a two piece that
only sung in German. We restricted ourselves by using
electronis, acoustic drums and vocals. It was
concentrated power, the more minimal the better.
Eventually, after three albums, we realised that we had
reached our limits. The question was, 'Are we going to
continue and maybe repeat the whole thing again, or
should we stop and do something completely new?' DAF was
a band that never wanted to look back. I'm still good
friends with Robert, but when you work with someone for
five years you get into a routine of exchanging ideas.
Suddenly you discover that you're saying the same things
you said two albums previously. For me it's a very normal
thing. I wish alot of bands would break up after two or
three albums."
Gabi Delgado 1983
Discography
This is an abbreviated discography which only covers
the basic releases by the band. A more complete listing
(including catalogue numbers and band information) on
which most of this version was based, has been done by
Anders
Wahlbom in Sweden.
Singles
- Kebabtraume / Gewalt - Mute 5 - 1980
- Der Rauber und der Prinz / Tanz mit mir - Mute 11
- 1980
- Der Mussolini / El Que - Virgin 0271 - 1981
12" Der Mussolini / Der Rauber Under Der Prinz -
Virgin VS 418-12
- Als waer's das letzte Mal / Der Mussolini - Virgin
103 168 - 1981
- Der Raeuber und der Prinz / Rote Lippen - Virgin
103 374 - 1981
- Goldenes Spielzeug / El Que - 1981
12" Goldenes Spielzeug / El Que
- Liebe auf den ersten Blick / Sex unter Wasser -
1981
- Sex Unter Wasser / Knochen auf Knochen - 1981
- Kebab-Traeume / Ein bisschen Krieg - 1981
- Verlieb dich in mich / Geheimnis - 1982
12" Verlieb dich in mich / Ein bisschen
Krieg
- Absolute Body Control / 1st Step to Heaven (inst.)
- 1985
- Brothers (Mix by DAF) / Brothers (Robert's Mix) -
1985
12" Brothers (Robert Gabi's Mix) / Brothers (Mike
Hedges Mix)
- Brothers (Mix Gabi) / Brothers (Mix Robert) - 1986
Brothers (Mix Gabi) / Brothers (Mix
Robert)
- 12" Voulez Vous Choucher Avec Moi Ce Soir sin
& sex mix - 1986
- 12" Pure Joy (We Do It All) / Party (Blonde Hair
Dark Brown Hair) - 1986
- The Gun (radio edit) / Program It (instrumental) -
1987
12" The Gun / Program It (instrumental)
12" The Gun (Bang! Bang! Club Mix) / Program It
(instrumental) / The Gun (Bang! Single Mix)
- 12" Der Mussolini (Remix '87) / Der Rauber und der
Prinz - 1987
- 12" Liebe auf den ersten Blick (1988 Remix by
Joseph Watt) / Liebe auf den ersten Blick (Original
Version) / Goldenes Spielzeug - 1987
- Verschwende deine Jugend (Official Version) / El
Que (Latin Mix) / Verschwende deine Jugend (Dub Mix) -
1989
Albums
- Produkt der Deutsch-Amerikanische Freundschaft -
1979
- Die Kleinen Und Die Bosen - 1980 -
- Alles Ist Gut - 1981 -
- Gold Und Leibe - 1981
- Fur Immer - 1982
- 1st Step To Heaven - 1986
- DAF (Compilation) - 1988
- DAF Hitz Blitz - 1989 -
Gold Und Liebe - Reviewed in The Face
Still a pared-down, hyper-efficient duo of
instrumentalists Robet Gorl and singer Gabi, DAF have
built up a huge following among German speaking audiences
but - and this must have something to do with their
principled refusal to sing in other than their native
language - they have yet failed to reproduce their
substantial German success in this country.
This is unfortunate, as they make some of the hardest and
often the best synthetic dance music to be heard and
their minimalist songs take the absolute essences of
certain musical structures to powerful extremes - take
the basic rock'n'roll phrase which in the structure of
"Greif Nach Den Sternen" (Grab The Stars) on this new
album and listen to the way Gorl and producer Connie
Plank have propelled and warped it.
Plank's role ought not to be underestimated; like it or
not, there is a dimension of technical skill in making
this soet of music work. Plank is able to make Gorl's
simple synth rhythms really jump - and jump out of your
speakers or headphones - in a way that very much depends
on his unique experience in creating sounds in the
studio.
Listen to the opening bass synthesiser on Ultravox's song
"I Remember (Death In The Afternoon)", on "Rage In Eden"
if you're in any doubt.
It's much more fashionable, of course, to talk about DAF
and sex, though without the translation of their Iyrics
which was provided with their last Virgin album, most
English speaking listeners are left a little in the dark.
Live, it's a different matter, as there is no ignoring
Gabi's potently sensual stage manner and the duo's
tightly-focussed personal slyle.
Perhaps this is where the problem lies; without their
presence or an understanding of their lyrics. DAF's music
remains too austere. Lust and passion do pound their way
through songs like "Muscle" and "Absolute Bodycontrol",
but without the words, it remains a very one-dimensional
impression and the subtleties of dividing the album into
"dark" and "light'' sides are lost. The corrupted
kindergarten innocence of songs like "Golden Toys" is
something one would like to appreciate in more depth.
If they are satisfied with merely making impressions - in
all sorts of senses - here, then it'll have to do. But I
suspect they're holding back a much wider exposure of
their music's modernist passion. And that is a waste.
GAVIN HUNT
