Written by: Mario R. Martin Buy On:
It’s the mid-1980s. The guilty parties here are Sascha Konietzko and En Esch (Klaus Schandelmaier). This duo let others into the circle, but overall, they were the foundation that made up KMFDM.
KMFDM is in fact an acronym. The acronym always sparked speculation, yet it stands for "Kein Mitleid Für Die Mehrheit” which means, “no pity for the majority.”
By virtue of the era (when Depeche Mode was gaining popularity and its members were becoming pop icons), the greatest speculation was that KMFDM was an acronym for KILL MOTHER FUCKING DEPECHE MODE. Of course that was not the case. KMFDM was filled with a much greater disdain for the mainstream, and felt no pity for its demise either.
The band took to the German underground where their pounding industrial rhythms gained popularity and notoriety among German audiences. The intense (and extremely dark) lyrical choices, as well as the fierce and gloomy industrial influence on the group, which relied on computers, synthesizers and machine sounds, made for musical anarchy that consumed audiences whole.
Enter Chicago. Wax Trax! Records, the industrial record label powerhouse, gave KMFDM a voice. Wax Trax! became the defacto home to industrial acts in the mid to late 1980s. While the style, sound and soul of industrial grew and embraced acts like Nine Inch Nails and Ministry, a bevy of groups like KMFDM, Front 242, Frontline Assembly, Psychic TV, etc. existed and enjoyed their own successes in the genre before it was raped and pillaged and later simply called “metal” or “hard rock” by retailers.
KMFDM suffered the same fate as the genre on a whole; it was hard to categorize. While independent record stores were flourishing with niche categories and releases, the conglomerate giants were scooping up distribution rights and placing bands like KMFDM in the “alternative” piles. It was all in place: a label open to the sound as well as label mates confirming the need for the niche, competent musicians, goals and then a tour.
KMFDM – A Drug Against War
Industrial would-be giants cleared the slate clean for KMFDM to open on Ministry’s lauded tour “In Case You Didn’t Feel Like Showing Up” to support their record “The Mind Is A Terrible Thing To Taste.” The In Case tour proved successful, while showcasing KMFDM to a wider audience familiar with Ministry’s music. The tour itself also saw various surprises (such as a fence between the crowd and the band, only to used to climb and jump off) as Ministry’s travelling circus gave way to a revolving door of guest appearances throughout the tour. KMFDM was becoming an industrial staple.
Wax Trax! unfortunately saw financial troubles and was later bought out be TVT Records. KMFDM enjoyed some of their greatest distribution during TVT’s reign, and turned out some of their best records as well. At about this time, the band also broke through to MTV on the coattails of Ministry, Nine Inch Nails, etc. While the song “A Drug Against War” was the chosen single for the band, it was probably one of the best and most destructive tracks on the record (Angst!). The band never tired. The band always kept everything fresh and released so much music that it would be hard to begin sifting through their catalog for a beginner’s guide to jump in.
By the end of the 1990s, music had become mainstream. Independent record stores were closing and the larger stores were offering better deals and a greater variety. KMFDM also closed their doors. The glory years of the mid 80s to the mid 90s saw the most diversity in music, when bands were touring hard despite the guarantees.Bands were making music for themselves and not for airplay. Videos were cutting-edge and dangerous. And there was no such thing as a television show that hands you a record contract after winning America’s votes. It was a grueling job to hit the road and play. And play they did!
KMFDM came back to the forefront a few times as Konietzko kept the torch burning. Regardless, Esch had departed and while the music was still intense, it had been done before. The magic was gone. The relevance was gone too, and that was the most refreshing thing about industrial music. Nowadays, you have cookie-cutter acts making cookie-cutter music.
In closing, today everything is safe. Safe, safe, safe! The greatest thing about music is the unknown. Now, there are so many standards that it has truly made the music suffer. In the 80s and 90s, you had N.W.A. – “the most dangerous group” rapping about the ills of urban society. You had the sadomasochistic lyrics of Ministry against the heaviest of guitar riffs. You had 2 Live Crew lending explicit sexuality, while Jane’s Addiction painted the artistic picture. Now? Now we have Taylor Hicks. Now we have Clay Aiken. Now we have suburbanite kids acting tough and playing their roles, only to butcher them beyond belief.
We now live in a world were Avril Lavigne gets heralded as an innovator; a world that actually gives a fuck about whether Miley Cyrus is dressed too slutty; and Daughtry is on the charts. I don’t want to live in your world, Mainstream America. I want to go back.
I want to go back to the days when I would save up my money from bagging groceries at the local grocery store to buy Melody Maker, NME and CMJ and then buy the record I just read about, and go see the band I read about and whose CD I just bought. Nowadays, it’s all so passé. Nowadays, kids are getting $50,000 parties for turning 16 and then people wonder why no one outside our border likes us. In fact they loathe us. And honestly, I loathe us too.
So, you can be a mindless idiot, or you can check out KMFDM. They’re just as important to check out as funk music. Take your bastard child out of little league, it’s making him a pussy. Oh, my bad, keep them in little league, it’s not making them soft, YOU ARE! Teach the children about KMFDM and maybe they’ll be able to hit 9 year-old Jericho Scott’s 40-mph fast ball.
** EDITOR'S NOTE: A great place to start to enjoy the KMFDM catalog, check out RETRO. RETRO is a compilation of some of KMFDM's best songs, without all the remixes. Enjoy. **
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