Specialing in minimalist and industrial electronic music, this German band formed in Dusseldorf in 1978. They released their first UK album – Die Kleinen Und Die Bösen (“The Small Ones and the Evil Ones”) – on the Mute label in 1980.
Pairing the lineup back to the duo of Robert Görl and Gabi Delgado-López, DAF then recorded three albums for Virgin in an 18-month period, containing a mixture of Teutonic fantasy, love songs and social statements.
Alles Ist Gut‘s standout track was Der Mussolini, on which – over a dominatrix of a synth riff – Delgado hollered the irresistible exhortation to “tanz den Adolf Hitler” (“dance the Adolf Hitler”).
The refusal by Delgado-López to sing in English condemned them to a minority international market. The band split during the recording of Für Immer in 1982, with both former members releasing solo albums.
The pair reunited in 1985 to record 1st Step to Heaven, their only album in English. They reformed again for the 2003 album Fünfzehn Neue DAF-Lieder (“15 New D.A.F Songs”).
Gabi Delgado-López died on 22 March 2020, aged 61.
Gabriel “Gabi” Delgado-López
Vocals
Robert Görl
Synthesizer, drums
Chrislo Haas
Synthesizer, bass, saxophone
Wolfgang Spelmans
Guitar
Michael Kemner
Bass