I’ve never had any D.A.F. albums, but I do have various cuts on various samplers, and the thought has long been there to finally grab several of their Virgin Records era albums, which presaged the EBM of Nitzer Ebb like a template. Let’s come right out and say it; NE would not exist if not for D.A.F., though they mutated admirably from that model throughout their career. I have also been conversant with the origins of D.A.F. as a four piece band having only Robert Görl from the group’s imperial synth duo phase. Kurt Dahlke was a mover and shaker in the early lineup before he left the band to begin his time as Pyrolator. I was definitely interested in hearing the band’s origins, so upon seeing the Bureau B remaster of their debut album, purchase was a given.

Bureau B | GER | CD | 2012 | BB101Freundschaft

#18 • Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft: Produkt Der Deutsch-Amerikanischen Freundschaft GER CD RM [2012]

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What I received when I slid it into the slot was 22 mercifully brief snippets of rock [!] noise that recalled Gang of Four or Bauhaus at their most abrasive. No vocals. And ultra minimal arrangements given that most of these cuts are less than a minute. The tracks really brought late period noise rock Bauhaus to mind; “Swing The Heartache” seems to hit close to home here. But the tracks’ brevity ultimately make them unsatisfying as compositions. The lack of a vocal element strips emotion further down to a non-event. One is only left with a harsh, non-committal impression that is never fleshed out.

That these cuts also sound as if they were recorded live in a garage, gives them a sketchbook quality that, after their other shortcomings, add an amateurish quality to the effort that further conspires to repel my attentions. While not quite as maddening as the Schneider TM album of two days ago, I can submit that life’s too short to keep this one in the Record Cell as well.

CONCLUSION: recycle

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