Among the artists to have graced 4AD’s revered roster, few have burned with the same enigmatic intensity as Germany’s Xmal Deutschland. Formed in Hamburg in 1981 by a group of self-taught upstarts, they forged a sound that was both stark and spellbinding, a spectral force that slithered through the veins of Germany’s burgeoning underground. Early singles hinted at a raw potency, but it was their relocation to London and their subsequent embrace by 4AD that truly set them ablaze. Their first two albums—1983’s Fetisch and 1984’s Tocsin—arrived like twin shooting stars, reshaping the contours of the international post-punk scene with a chilling moonlit intensity that still shines bright today.
Despite emerging from the Neue Deutsche Welle scene, where they shared a lineage with Einstürzende Neubauten and DAF, Xmal Deutschland resisted easy classification. Their aesthetic—a fusion of spectral menace and angular ferocity—was often lumped into the gothic, a term they sidestepped in favor of “post-punk.” This was no contrived image; it was an evolution shaped by Hamburg’s damp industrial sprawl and the fevered energy of London’s shifting underground scene. Even their name, borrowed from a 1960s socio-political treatise by communist writer Rudolf Leonhard, spoke to a band unmoored by convention, always looking beyond, always on the brink of something unknowable.
“When we started, the punks said it was not punk and the avant-garde people said it’s not avant-garde. So nobody could really say what it was,” Huwe told me back then. “It was…Xmal Deutschland, you know? This really strange band from Hamburg. It comes from our bodies, our souls, and yes, our hearts. Of course we take ourselves very seriously.”
“You’re influenced by your environment, of course,” said Fiona Sangster, “but then again, we’re not typically German at all.” “It’s wrong to falsify,” added Manuela Rickers. “You must do what you feel.”
The band’s formative line-up, featuring Huwe (then on bass), Manuela Rickers (guitar), Scottish-born Fiona Sangster (keyboards), Caro May (drums), and Rita Simonsen (vocals), soon underwent a vital tweak when Huwe was pushed up to the microphone by the others for learning-curve shows and singles.
“At first, being these ‘girls,’ nobody took us seriously,” remembers Huwe. “But it’s surprising now how many claim we inspired them, either to form a band, or just to be creative. I like that. The power we had, as friends, and the communication: we were strong. And intellectually, we had certain ideas we wanted to bring across…it worked, for a long time.”
Wolfgang Ellerbrock later came in on bass, laughing at being described as “the token male,” and Manuela Zwingmann arrived on drums. It was this quintet which recorded Fetisch, and the singles Qual and Incubus Succubus 2.
Co-produced by Ivo Watts-Russell, Fetisch was released in April 1983. Its sheer single-minded focus, the chants and commands of Huwe, and the razor-cut riffs of Rickers, gave it a blinding clarity, an impossible-to-ignore charisma. After parting ways with 4AD, Xmal Deutschland made two more albums, Viva and Devils. Then, after a 35-year hiatus, Huwe recently returned with the triumphant solo record Codes.
Commemorating their ‘4AD years’ (1983-1984) forty years on, Xmal Deutschland returns with a brand new release entitled Gift: The 4AD Years, a limited-edition 3xLP / 2xCD containing 2025 Abbey Road remasters of Fetisch and Tocsin, as well as tracks off other related releases and EPs including Incubus Succubus II and Qual.
In German, the word “Gift” evolved from a euphemism into the word for poison — a sly reminder that this music was never meant to be easy or safe. This collection, packed with the raw energy of Xmal Deutschland’s formative years, including essential EP tracks, captures the moment they stepped beyond their homeland. Gift feeds the faithful while pulling new listeners into its orbit.
Gift’s striking cover artwork, featuring photography by Peter Schulte, was designed by Timothy O’Donnell, based on original art by 23 Envelope. It accompanies original sleeve photography by Nigel Grierson. Rounding out the package is an additional photo booklet containing images by Kevin Cummins, Paul Slattery, Sheila Rock, and more, as well as text by Chris Roberts.
Xmal Deutschland’s Gift: The 4AD Years will be available May 9 in the following physical formats:
- 3xLP Transparent Red Vinyl (Standard Edition)
- 3xLP Crystal Clear Vinyl (German Exclusive)
- 2xCD
Pre-order here. Pre-save here.
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