Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft (DAF) – Die Kleinen Und Die Bösen

A high-contrast document of industrial-punk friction and the birth of EBM.

Originally released in 1980 on Mute Records and now expertly reissued by Grönland Records, Die Kleinen Und Die Bösen (The Small Ones and the Evil Ones) is the pivotal bridge between the experimental chaos of the late '70s and the rhythmic, electronic future. As the first album to feature the core duo of Gabi Delgado-López and Robert Görl alongside their early ensemble, it captures Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft (D.A.F.) in a state of high-speed transition. This is a "hand-crafted" collision of jagged post-punk energy and the first hints of the minimalist, "promethean" electronic pulse that would soon define the Electronic Body Music (EBM) genre.

The album is a relentless display of creative thrust, split between studio recordings and visceral live tracks recorded at the legendary Electric Ballroom in London. From the frantic, skeletal drive of "Osten Währt Ewig" to the dark, rhythmic grit of "Der Räuber und der Prinz," the record explores the "boundaries of the sonic universe" with a uniquely German sense of urgency. It is a "pure" and uncompromising acquisition that balances industrial noise with a highly sophisticated, almost confrontational poetics.