For music lovers across the globe the German electronic duo DAF is one thing in particular: the result of a symbiotic and simultaneously disruptive connection between longtime band members Robert Görl and Gabriel Delgado. These exceptional artists’ big screen worthy squabbles couldn’t hold back the explosive combo over the long haul. Only Gabi Delgado’s death in March 2020 – just when Görl and Delgado had set out to record a new album – would put a painful end to this felicitous collaboration. For Robert Görl this album with the telling name Nur noch Einer (Down to One) is more than a tribute to his late bandmate.

Given that in the 40 year history of DAF the division of labor was strictly defined, with Delgado overseeing the lyrics and Görl the music, the current album is musically 110 percent DAF – uncompromising, edgy, driving and compelling. That is in part due to the fact that a large portion of the sequences included on the album are from the 80s. In his search for DAF’s musical and original soul, composer and producer Görl rummaged through old recordings and found tapes from the 80s that included as yet unreleased sequences. These sequences are the foundation of Nur noch Einer – and are so typically DAF. The path to making the new album was laid out clearly in front of the markedly different bandmates, except for the lyrics, which Gabi wanted to improvise in the studio as he had always done – or would have done.

The 15 tracks on Nur noch Einer are more than merely an artistic farewell to Gabi Delgado, they are also a journey through 40-years of the band’s history.