For the 40th anniversary of DAF, a lavish biography of the electro band and its great era in the early eighties pays tribute.
No, he is not a nostalgic, the Gabriel “Gabi” Delgado: “Unfortunately, it is unfortunately – I say sadly – that the stuff stays from there earlier.The music lovers buy vinyl, the haptic experience,” he says: “If If it were up to me, everything over the age of 30 would be banned! Get away with DAF! If people want that, they’ll have to do it again, and I’m not in favor of staying in museums Rembrandt night watch restored – let it rot until it’s gone! Show how time makes art! “Exclaims Gabi Delgado and laughs loudly.
The singer, songwriter and dancer of the German American Friendship, DAF for short, who became famous in the early eighties with sensually provocative machine-beat songs like “Dance the Mussolini” and “The Robber and the Prince”, is now a wiry 59-year-old, wearing black. Next to him is Robert Görl, who writes the DAF music and plays live drums. The 62-year-old, well-trained, in a gray sweater, smiles and says: “If you always restore the culture, as you say, it will not go on.” His soft Bavarian dialect would almost obscure the fact that he occasionally corrects the exuberant Delgado.
For the 40th anniversary of its founding, the band’s biography “Das ist DAF” is now published. In September Greenland Records had released a boxing set of the same name with the first four albums, remixes (including by Boys Noize) and two new songs. The heavy book combines talks that the authors Miriam Spies and Rudi Esch have each with Görl and Delgado, with memories of companions, fans, journalists and label makers. The reports, decorated with old photos, tickets and newspaper articles, bear witness to a great deal of passion and roll DAF’s career from its beginnings in Düsseldorf’s “Ratinger Hof” to its first TV appearances, the rise to a successful electro band, to current concerts and solo projects.
In the foreword to “That’s DAF,” author Miriam Spies notes that the memories of shared experiences at Görl and Delgado often diverge. This benefits the reading pleasure, it gives the project something dazzling. For example, when it comes to working with producer legend Conny Plank, Görl gushes about the “comfortable little situation” Plank had prepared for them, while Delgado says they all hauled them like the world champions and “then Robert went over there and got there turned around. ” The rollout led to the album “Everything is Good” and paved the way for the deal with the major label Virgin. Promptly it rained money and fame – but also clearance sales allegations from the punk scene.
According to Delgado, they never felt at home there: “Robert studied music, I came from the punk scene, but I did not write ‘Sex Pistols’ on my leather jacket, but ‘Yves Saint Laurent’ to provoke the punks. We agreed that we want to do something that uses the energy and philosophy of punk, the do-it-yourself, but musically has nothing to do with it. ”
DAF are not finished even after 40 years. According to Delgado, because he and Görl are two completely independent artists. Their 2: 0-principle – if one of them does not like something, it is thrown away – also led to ruptures, four times they have separated: “I’m also Spaniard, dramatic, and I find harmony puke. If we quarrel, we quarrel, but that does not mean that we hate each other or are vindictive! ” Görl usually calls Delgado – and he just says yes to a DAF reunion. Otherwise, they are solo hardworking.
There are only a few recordings of early DAF concerts on the internet. Thankfully, some will come alive in the book. There is talk of pogo and beating, of the wild dancing Gabi and drumming Robert, who performed to the backing of Cassette.
“Young musicians, invent new tools!”
Meanwhile, the backings come from CD. Everything else is (almost) like before, as you could experience at the November 2017 gig in the sold-out Hamburger Markthalle. Well, Delgado was running more than he was dancing, overflowing and his “boys and girls” titled fans with water while Robert Görl hit the drums. Thousands of fans sang and danced, even Pogo, but everything remained peaceful.