DAF: Die Kleinen und Die Bosen (Mute)
Bargain alert for collector scum - this thing still floats around
quite cheaply on vinyl. And, unlike their later stuff as a duo, it's
well worth your attention. Because in 1980, when they cut this one in
Germany w/Connie Plank, these guys were still Deutsche Amerikanische
Freundschaft. They were still a band - not just a studio project -
and, despite some awkwardly "futuristic" new wave touches on occasion
(sadly, nothing dates as badly as "the future") there's certainly
enough strong stuff here to warrant searching it down.
Some reference points - early Kraftwerk (on steroids)/Neu (just try
"Nacht Arbeit"), early Cabaret Voltaire & some anticipation of
Neubauten - the next important German outfit - to boot. Harsh,
sometimes near hysterical stuff that often seems like a German
parallel to the Pop Group's apocalyptic funk. Because Eurodisco, it
ain't…
And, as I've said before, it still floats around cheap - which just
goes to prove that unfashionable stuff is often your best buy. After
all, w/all the critical attention paid to Krautrock of late, and the
ongoing interest in German music from the 80s on, you'd think that the
one group that genuinely bridged that divide'd be lauded, rather than
forgotten. But, such is the case - at least at the moment…so, here's a
chance to get ahead of the game for a change.
Personal favorites include the aforementioned "Nacht Arbeit", the
stoptime dirge opening "Gewalt", "El Basilon"'s two churning funk
grooves - in which guitar & synth switch places, exchanging roles
between rhythm & disruption. And prove equally adept at both
roles…Then there's the opener, "Osten Wahrt am Langsten", which mines
the same kind of skeletal, disturbing mood that Cabaret Voltaire
specialized in at around the same time - only here w/the benefit of a
real rhythm section. All up, its strengths have easily survived the
vicissitudes of fashion and, if you've got any fondness for the music
of that period, this is one overlooked gem you shouldn't miss. Herein
endeth the lesson…
John Henry Calvinist
