Never been a rock & roll band: DAF picked out pieces of punk ideology but ripped them away from the tired old posturing and low-slung guitars. Formed by Robert Görl and Gabi Delgado in the fertile scene around the Ratinger Hof venue in Düsseldorf, the members briefly dabbled with the notion of forming a band proper before realizing they needed more electronic instruments instead of more musicians. With a minimalist setup, their leather-clad stage attire and relentless tracks were way ahead of the time. DAF faced a perplexed music industry but paved the way for everything from EBM to various strains of German techno — the precise, pumping beats of classics like "Der Mussolini" still resonate.
