X Mal Deutschland – Qual

The remix of Qual is something of a goth dance monster. It's the kind of record you imagine being played in a goth club even today. What makes this single even more impressive is that tucked away on its B side is Sehnsucht with swirling guitars worthy of McGeogh era Banshees. It remains my favourite X-Mal track and is just another reason why this is an absolutely essential addition to any goth or 4AD collection.

The 12 inch version of "Qual" seems to be less known than it well should be. I bought this 12 inch single on a lark while at a used record store one day, I recognized the group's name and knew they were German new wave, which I was getting into at the time, so I bought it. I was pleasantly surprised. The two b-side tracks can easily be compared to Siouxise & The Banshees' type gothy/punky/new wavey droney-pop sound, but "Qual" is an unrelenting death-disco dance machine. I don't know if many other people find this song as impressive as I do but the fast, crashing 4/4 beat and monotone vocals and guitars make me wanna dance around so hard that I snap my neck every time I put it on. This 12 inch version is far better than the LP version too, which although great is not as much of a monster as this.