Deutsch-Amerikanische Freundschaft

Deutsch-Amerikanische Freundschaft (also known as DAF) were an NDW band from Düsseldorf, Germany. They formed in 1978 and split soon after, proving another influential leader in a budding synth scene.

The band held a pseudo-political approach, their name translating into English as German-American Friendship. Many of the band’s songs, though existential and nihilistic at first glance, were rumoured to have political undertones. The band originally began as a four-piece outfit, though after their first few records the band trimmed to two, vocalist Gabi Delgado-López and programmer/synth tech Robert Görl.

Though the band always employed a series of keyboards and analog synthesizers, DAF took a more synth-based approach soon after trimming their ranks, steering away from thrasy guitar-driven punk of their first two records, while still retaining a bit of their previous fury and intensity. The band soon gathered a large cult following, and quickly influenced emerging synth and industrial acts such as Depeche Mode, Soft Cell, and Coil.

Though remaining inactive for nearly two decades, both members of Deutsch-Amerikanische Freundschaft went on to pursue solo material, recording and developing electro and techno music over the course of their hiatus. The band reformed in 2003 with a slicker sound, new songs, and a higher political agenda.

For today’s consumption, I’ve uploaded a track from their third record, Alles is Gut as well as one of their more cherished early single releases:

download Deutsch-Amerikanische Freundschaft- ‘Kebab Traume’

download Deutsch-Amerikanische Freundschaft- ‘Als wär’s das letzte Mal’

and in closing, here’s a live performance of one of their best known tracks- ‘Der Mussolini,’ taken from a 2003 reunion show:

for purchase info:

D.A.F. Amazon music page

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *