Biography
Die Form originated in 1977 as French industrial innovators and have since assembled an enormous catalog that extends from goth club tracks to neo-classical explorations. Their music, videos, performances, and art books have consistently adopted a lyrically and visually confrontational stance, centering on contentious subjects such as eroticism, necrophilia, sadomasochism, and bestiality. Audio-visual artist Phillipe Fichot founded the group, and model/vocalist Éliane P. joined in the late 1980s. Although Fichot’s Bain Total imprint has issued the bulk of Die Form’s output, among them dozens of obscure cassettes, appearances on Metropolis and Trisol broadened the band’s reach.
Early cassette releases, along with recordings issued under pseudonyms including Eva-Johanna Reichstag and Krylon Hertz, consisted of noisy experiments rooted in musique concrète. The vinyl debut, 1982’s Die Puppe, introduced inventive drum-machine rhythms paired with unsettling lyrical themes. 1983’s Some Experiences with Shock steered the sound toward greater harshness, shaping electro-industrial acts such as Skinny Puppy. 1987’s Poupée Mécanique, featuring vocalists Cécile Ke, Véronique Perrault, and Brigitte Mercier, marked Die Form’s most accessible work to that point, yet the synth-pop remained too dark and disturbing for mainstream acceptance. Face to Face, Vol. 1, an experimental split LP with Asmus Tietchens, surfaced in 1988; the same year German label Normal issued the retrospective Archives & Doküments. Normal followed with 1989’s Photogrammes. Featuring vocalist Katia B., the album shifted between melodic, ethereal pieces and some of the group’s most experimental material to date.
Corpus Delicti, released in 1991 on Parade Amoureuse, carried Die Form’s perverse lyrics to new extremes that echoed their controversial live shows. The album also embraced dancefloor-oriented EBM and electro, and single “Savage Logic” became a European club hit. Operatic vocals by Éliane P. appeared on the track, after which she became a permanent member. 1992’s Confessions, issued by French label Danceteria, sustained the club-focused trajectory of its predecessor, whereas Ad Infinitum, recorded concurrently but released by Hyperium Records in 1993, adopted a darker, more experimental tone. After mini-album Tears of Eros came 1994’s Suspiria De Profundis, which blended trance-like club tracks with slower, introspective selections and highlighted Éliane P.’s bombastic vocals. Following another mini-album, Rose Au Cœur Violet, L’âme Électrique appeared in 1995 as the intended second installment of The Trilogy of Passions begun with Suspiria De Profundis, though a third part never followed. After 1996’s Vicious Circles, a Cleopatra compilation, Duality surfaced on Trinity in 1997. Metropolis released the album in the United States and later reissued much of the back catalog. The double-CD compilation Histories appeared in 1998.
Trinity adopted the name Trisol in 2000, prompting Die Form to issue material on both that label and its Matrix Cube imprint. Extremum arrived in 2000, followed by 2001’s Akt, a double-CD compilation of tracks from various Die Form side projects. Studio full-length InHuman appeared in 2004, succeeded by companion album ExHuman in 2006. 2008’s Bach Project presented electro-industrial interpretations of Bach compositions. By year’s end Die Form departed Trisol and signed with Out of Line, which released triple-CD anthology Best of XXX and then 2009’s Noir Magnétique, a return to club-oriented material.
Vinyl-On-Demand issued Chronology: The Bain Total Years 1.977-1.985 in 2010, an expansive box set of early cassette recordings. Ambient & Film Music 1 + 2, a reissue of a 1991 Sombre Printemps side-project release together with a disc of newer material, appeared on Out of Line in 2011. The label released double-CD Rayon X in 2014. In 2015 Rotorelief issued a double-LP of Die Form’s 1980s side project Fine Automatic, with each disc also available separately. Fichot launched experimental solo project Musique Concrète with 2015 album Cinema Obscura. Die Form ÷ Hurt, a reissue of a 1985 cassette, surfaced in 2016. Later that year Dark Entries released Zoo, a compilation of tracks recorded around the same period as Die Puppe, which the label had reissued the previous year. In 2017 Die Form issued a Fluxus-inspired split LP with German avant-garde artist Mama Bär. Returning to Trisol that year, the group released single “Psychic Poison,” which preceded studio full-length Baroque Equinox.
Early cassette releases, along with recordings issued under pseudonyms including Eva-Johanna Reichstag and Krylon Hertz, consisted of noisy experiments rooted in musique concrète. The vinyl debut, 1982’s Die Puppe, introduced inventive drum-machine rhythms paired with unsettling lyrical themes. 1983’s Some Experiences with Shock steered the sound toward greater harshness, shaping electro-industrial acts such as Skinny Puppy. 1987’s Poupée Mécanique, featuring vocalists Cécile Ke, Véronique Perrault, and Brigitte Mercier, marked Die Form’s most accessible work to that point, yet the synth-pop remained too dark and disturbing for mainstream acceptance. Face to Face, Vol. 1, an experimental split LP with Asmus Tietchens, surfaced in 1988; the same year German label Normal issued the retrospective Archives & Doküments. Normal followed with 1989’s Photogrammes. Featuring vocalist Katia B., the album shifted between melodic, ethereal pieces and some of the group’s most experimental material to date.
Corpus Delicti, released in 1991 on Parade Amoureuse, carried Die Form’s perverse lyrics to new extremes that echoed their controversial live shows. The album also embraced dancefloor-oriented EBM and electro, and single “Savage Logic” became a European club hit. Operatic vocals by Éliane P. appeared on the track, after which she became a permanent member. 1992’s Confessions, issued by French label Danceteria, sustained the club-focused trajectory of its predecessor, whereas Ad Infinitum, recorded concurrently but released by Hyperium Records in 1993, adopted a darker, more experimental tone. After mini-album Tears of Eros came 1994’s Suspiria De Profundis, which blended trance-like club tracks with slower, introspective selections and highlighted Éliane P.’s bombastic vocals. Following another mini-album, Rose Au Cœur Violet, L’âme Électrique appeared in 1995 as the intended second installment of The Trilogy of Passions begun with Suspiria De Profundis, though a third part never followed. After 1996’s Vicious Circles, a Cleopatra compilation, Duality surfaced on Trinity in 1997. Metropolis released the album in the United States and later reissued much of the back catalog. The double-CD compilation Histories appeared in 1998.
Trinity adopted the name Trisol in 2000, prompting Die Form to issue material on both that label and its Matrix Cube imprint. Extremum arrived in 2000, followed by 2001’s Akt, a double-CD compilation of tracks from various Die Form side projects. Studio full-length InHuman appeared in 2004, succeeded by companion album ExHuman in 2006. 2008’s Bach Project presented electro-industrial interpretations of Bach compositions. By year’s end Die Form departed Trisol and signed with Out of Line, which released triple-CD anthology Best of XXX and then 2009’s Noir Magnétique, a return to club-oriented material.
Vinyl-On-Demand issued Chronology: The Bain Total Years 1.977-1.985 in 2010, an expansive box set of early cassette recordings. Ambient & Film Music 1 + 2, a reissue of a 1991 Sombre Printemps side-project release together with a disc of newer material, appeared on Out of Line in 2011. The label released double-CD Rayon X in 2014. In 2015 Rotorelief issued a double-LP of Die Form’s 1980s side project Fine Automatic, with each disc also available separately. Fichot launched experimental solo project Musique Concrète with 2015 album Cinema Obscura. Die Form ÷ Hurt, a reissue of a 1985 cassette, surfaced in 2016. Later that year Dark Entries released Zoo, a compilation of tracks recorded around the same period as Die Puppe, which the label had reissued the previous year. In 2017 Die Form issued a Fluxus-inspired split LP with German avant-garde artist Mama Bär. Returning to Trisol that year, the group released single “Psychic Poison,” which preceded studio full-length Baroque Equinox.