Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft – Nur Noch Einer

Gabi Delgado passed away in 2020. At the time, DAF had been making plans for a new album. It was to consist of tracks written by the duo when they shared a flat at Holland Road in London's Kensington district in the very early 1980's, as well as some new compositions. 

About a month and a half after Gabi passed away, in May 2020, Robert Görl and Grönland Records presented 'Ich denk an dich", a new track credited to DAF and Robert Görl, with the following statement. 

"Gabi and I had some grand plans. We wanted to make a new DAF album. We were thinking of it being a mix of new tracks created on the fly and a selection of our best hidden gems left over from the 80s. We were really raring to do it. We were certain the album was a done deal. We wanted to finish producing it this summer. I listened to all our old bare-bones from back then again – absolute treasures! 

Gabi departed this life suddenly, a life he loved so much, and I've resolved to produce all of these unheard jewels for DAF and Gabi in spite of it all. They were written while we were sharing an apartment on Holland Road in London (1981/1982). I dedicate the song Ich denke an dich ('I Think of You') to Gabi." 

(Robert Görl, May 2020)

At the time, we all thought that "Ich denk auf dich" was one of those old tracks, something from the archives that Robert had produced for the new album. Now that the album has been announced, "Ich denk auf dich" is not actually on the track list. Does that mean that it was a brand new track?

Anyway, the new DAF album is called "Nur Noch Einer" (just one more) and it will be released on the 26th of November 2021. The album cover features a photo that must have been taken during the sessions for Pure Joy in 1986 (the fruit, the clothes), but with a typographic treatment reminiscent of the classic albums from 1980-1982.

The CD version will contain 15 tracks, as per the list below.

1. Erste DAF Probe
2. Im Schatten
3. Kunststoff
4. Wir sind wild
5. Das pur pur rot
6. Gedanken lesen
7. Du bist so zart
8. Ein Kind aus dem Ratinger Hof
9. Loslassen
10. Neue Welt
11. Kein Ausweg
12. Es muss ans Licht
13. Holland Road
14. Das Geschenk
15. Nur noch einer

The limited vinyl edition is limited to 10 tracks.

1. Im Schatten
2. Kunststoff
3. Wir sind wild
4. Das pur pur rot
5. Loslassen
6. Neue Welt
7. Kein Ausweg
8. Es muss ans Licht
9. Das Geschenk
10. Nur noch einer

There has been mentions of a first audio sample or single, Erste DAF Probe, being released this week. In the meantime, head over to the Grönland shop to get your pre-orders in. 

Robert Görl & DAF – Ich denk an dich

DAF's Gabi Delgado sadly passed away on the 22nd of March. Between that and the passing of Kraftwerk founder Florian Schneider 30 days later, the world lost two of its most progressive minds. Two pioneering artists, both with a revolutionary impact on music as we know it. Without them, the world, and Düsseldorf, is an emptier place.

At the time of Gabi's passing, DAF was still playing live. A few gigs were postponed recently due to the ongoing pandemic. But as it turns out, DAF had bigger plans than that. They were planning a new album, to be completed this summer. It was to be a mix of new compositions, recorded on the fly, and rediscovered hidden gems from their past – unreleased tracks composed in the 1980s but never released.

Today, 47 days after the untimely death of Gabi Delgado, the first of these "left-overs" was made public. Dedicated to the memory of Gabi, it's called "Ich denk an dich" and it's beautiful.



Written in 1981/1982, when the DAF members shared a flat on Holland Road in London, "Ich denk an dich" could just be a remarkable preview of what is to come.Robert Görl has committed to produce the rest of the previously unheard compositions from the 80s. We're looking forward to hearing more of this.

"Ich denk an dich" was produced by Robert Görl with Frankfurt DJ/producer Sylvie Marks. Marks produced some rather epic trance techno with Pete Namlook as Synsyl in the early 1992. Notably, Robert Görl and Namlook were to collaborate just a few years later, releasing two alums under the name Elektro on Namlook's Fax +49-69/450464 label. Marks remixed Marusha in 1995, and started collaborating with HAL 9000 in 1998. Sylvie Marks and HAL 9000's most recent collaborative release, a tape entitled "The Analogue Circles Vol.1", was released in 2018.

Whether Marks is involved in producing further unreleased DAF tracks with Robert Görl, remains to be seen.