without form

Die Form

Die Form is a French post-industrial and electronic band formed in 1977-78. The name 'Die Form' means '(the) form' in German, like the Bauhaus diary and is a play on the English homonym 'deformed' and on the French homonym 'difforme' (without form).

Biography

Die Form is the primary project of the French electronic musician and multimedia artist Phillipe Fichot. He began by recording a number of experimental cassette releases in the late 1970s, with the first Die Form album proper ('Die Puppe') appearing in 1982. Whilst the project was still in its infancy, the underlying concepts were still evident - a combination of esoteric electronic experiments with an underlying theme of erotism, death and other 'taboo' subjects, apparent in both the music and the album artwork, which Phillpe also produces.

'Some Experience With Shock' followed in 1984, with the project taking a direction towards a more commercial sound on 1987's 'Poupée Mécanique'. The project then consolidated it's experimental and melodic sides on 'Photogrammes', before introducing vocalist (and cover model) Eliane P. on the 1991 album 'Corpus Delicti', who remains with the project to this day. The next release, 1992's 'Confessions' saw a club hit in 'Silent Order', with sister album 'Ad Infinitum' (which originated from the same recording sessions) released a year later.

The next 'Die Form' releases saw the poetic, emotional side of their sound richen via 'The Trilogy of Passions', starting with 'Suspiria De Profundis' in 1994, followed by 'L'âme électrique' the following year. 1997's 'Duality' does not complete the trilogy, Phillipe Fichot choosing to leave the project open-ended. The 'Histories' compilation discs appeared in 1998, with the next album 'Extremum/XX' appearing in 2000. Then followed the 'diptych' of 'InHuman' (2004) and 'ExHuman' (2006), continuing their release of interrelated concept albums.

"The Bach project was released in January 2008, an album obviously devoted to Bach. Die Form first presented this work live during the annual Bach Days in the German city of Leipzig, where they got invited. Die Form has created a new show for this project.

Die Form left the label Trisol to join Out of Line in late 2008. The new single "Her(t)z Frequenz" is to be released in October 2008, followed by the "best of XXX" compilation with reworked and remastered songs from the past 30 years. A new album is also expected.

Discography

Album

1982: Die Puppe (CD issued in 1986, remastered version issued in 2001 as 'Die Puppe II')
1983: Some Experiences with Shock (CD issued in 1986, reissued in 2001)
1987: Poupée Mécanique (reissued 2001)
1988: Archives & Doküments (reissued as 'Archives & Documents II' in 1991, and as a remastered 'Archives & Documents III' in 2001)
1988: Photogrammes (remastered CD version issued in 2001)
1990: Corpus Delicti (remastered CD issued in 2001 as 'Corpus Delicti 2')
1991: Ad Infinitum (remastered CD issued in 2002)
1992: Confessions (remastered CD issued in 2001)
1994: Suspiria de Profundis (remastered version issued in 2002)
1995: L'âme èlectrique (remastered CD issued in 2002)
1995: Museum of Ecstasy (2 CD box, expected around 1995, never released)
1996: Vicious Circles: The Best Of
1997: Duality
1998: Histories (Compilation - US edition released as double CD, European edition released as separated CDs 'Histories 1' and 'Histories 2')
2000: Extremum/XX
2001: AKT - Sideprojects & Experimental Collection
2004: InHuman
2006: ExHuman
2008: Bach Project
2008: Best of XXX (3 CD box)

Singles

Zoophilic Lolita / Tanz (split 7" single with Eva.Johanna Reichstag, Bain Total, 1978-1980)
Situation Base / Gestual Equivoque (split 7” with Metabolist, Bain Total, 1981)
Autolyse / Masochist (split EP with Portion Control and Rinf called Free 1984 Sect. One, Lacerba, 1984)
''Heart Of The Monster (7" single, Front de l'Est, 1984)
Slow Love (12”, Attitudes, 1986)
Face to Face, Vol. 1 (Split-LP with Asmus Tietchens)
Poupée Mécanique / Sadia (7" single, New Rose, 1988)
Présence (7" single, Normal, 1989)
Teufel Im Leibe (7" single, New Life, 1989)
Savage Logic (12" & MCD, Parade Amoureuse, 1990)
Imagine / Impudicus Rex (7" single, Scharlach, 1992)
Tears of Eros (MCD, Hyperium, 1993)
Silent Order / Re-Versions (MCD, Hyperium, 1994)
Rose au Coeur Violet (MCD, Hyperium, 1994)
Phenomena of Visitation (MCD, Hyperium, 1996)
The Hidden Cage / Spiral (12" & MCD, Trisol, 1998)
Automatic Love (split 7" with The Nuns, Musical Tragedies, 1998)
Rain of Blood (MCD, Trisol, 1999)
Deep Inside (12" & MCD, Trisol, 2000)
Zoopsia (12" & MCD + video track, Trisol, 2003)
Her(t)z Frequenz (MCD, Out of Line, 2008)

Videos

Videography Vol.1 (1998 Video Compilation)

 LIVE PARTS :

 MOLECULAR HEART AGITATION

 BITE OF DOG

 SLEEPING BODY UNDER WATER

 INVISIBLE WORLD

 SPIRAL

 THE MISSING BEAUTY

 MASOCHIST 2

 CLIPS & FILMS :

 MARTYRIUM 2

 DUALITY

 ANODE CURRENT

 PHENOMENA OF VISITATION 3

 MECHANO FRAKTUR

 THE HIDDEN CAGE

 THE VISIONARY GARDEN (BOOK DEMO)

 TRANSVISIONS (TITLES CREDIT)

Tapes (K-Cassettes)

First experimentations on tapes and one-copy metal albums (incl. "Bain Total Cleaning Solution" Music for Deaf and Dumb Persons + Mini albums 1 & 2)(Bain Total, 1977-1982)

1977: unreleased
1978: Product 002 "Die Form"
1978: K.01 "I" (2 different covers)
1978: K.02 KRYLON HERTZ "I" (C.20, and re-issue C.30)
1980: ENDLESS K7 1 : FINE AUTOMATIC "Caddy Musak"
1980: ENDLESS K7 2 : FINE AUTOMATIC "Freezer Musak"
1980: ENDLESS K7 3 : FINE AUTOMATIC "Flipper Musak"
1981: ENDLESS K7 4 : DIE FORM "Disabled Landscape"
1981: K.04 "Virgin Flavour"
1981: K.05 KRYLON HERTZ "Smuggle Death"
1981: K.06 "Eva-Johanna REICHSTAG & DIE FORM : Memorial 78-79"
1982: K.08 FINE AUTOMATIC (C.60) (re-issue from the endless cassettes)
1982: K.10 CAMERA OBSCURA "1"
1982: K.11 CAMERA OBSCURA "2"
1982: K.12 CAMERA OBSCURA "3" & DIE FORM "Final Edition"
1982: K.14 "Le Plomb des Cartes" / "La Loge Infernale"
1983: K.16 MENTAL CODE "Flexible Music Vol. 2/3"
1983: K.19 "Excisions" (3 different covers)
1983: K.20 "Archives & Doküments 1"
1985: K.22 "Du Coeur Humain"
1985: K.25 "Red Action" (co-production B.T./T.M., other side by KOSA)
1985: K.27 FINE AUTOMATIC / D.F. SADIST SCHOOL "OrgasMechanism"
1985: K.28 GRAPH 4 "Messe Basse" (one side cassette) (poems soundtrack)
1985: K.29 "HURT" D.F. SADIST SCHOOL (one side cassette)
1986: K.F. "Fetish 1" (C.50)
1986: K.04 "Virgin Flavour 2" C.60 (re-issue, total remix extra-track)
1986: K.14 "Le Plomb des Cartes" / "La Loge Infernale" (C.90) (re-issue, total remix extra-track)
1986: K.X. "X.ACTION" (SADIST SCHOOL 1.984)
1987: K.30 "Die Puppe" (C.50) (re-issue of the first LP / 1982)
1987: K.31 "Some Experiences With Shock" (re-issue of the 2nd LP / 1984)
1987: K.32 "Es lebe der Tod" (C.50)
1989: K.35 "Flexible Music vol.1" (guest : DZ LECTRIC)
1998: "Limited Documents Vol. 1" (incl. unreleased tracks of 1982-86, limited edition of 300 copies with 1 original photo)

Side Projects

D.sign - Project with Philippe Fichot, Éliane P. & Mark Verhaeghen (Klinik)

1988: D.sign (12" & MCD, Antler Subway)

D.F.sadist school

1990: Les 120 Journées de Sodome (LP & CD, Die Form Side-Project 1, Front de l'Est)
1991: Bacterium (Split 12" & CD with Etant Donnés, Danceteria)
1995: The Visionary Garden (CD, Die Form Side-Project 6, Hyperium)
2005: The Visionary Garden 2 (Re-Release with 1 Videotrack, Ultra Mail Prod)