For fall 2006, Metropolis will be proudly releasing KMFDM?s classic back catalog. These long out of print masterpieces from the band?s Wax Trax! Records era will be made available in the order in which they were originally released. Each album has been digitally remastered, presenting these timeless songs in a quality previously unavailable. To document the rich history of KMFDM the accompanying CD booklets will include the original album art (most by famed KMFDM cohort Brute!), extensive liner notes, lyrics for each song and never before seen photos of the band. All work on the releases, from the remastering to the packaging, has been done with the highest level of participation from Sascha K., KMFDM?s leader and founder. The first three releases will be 1986?s What Do You Know Deutschland?, 1988?s Don?t Blow Your Top and 1989?s UAIOE. Fans and collectors take note: this version of their debut, What Do You Know Deutschland?, is the first time every track from the previous German, English and American incarnations of the album has been made available in one place. Look for the rest of the KMFDM Classics to return to the shelves in the coming months. The next phase of the legacy begins, KMFDM are back to kick your brain?s ass all over again.
NORTH AMERICAN TOUR
US Dates
KMFDM
With Combichrist
September 27 – The Avalon Theater – Salt Lake City, UT – ALL AGES
September 29 – Ogden Theatre – Denver, CO – 16+
September 30 – Beaumont Club – Kansas City, MO – ALL AGES
October 1 – The Blue Note – Columbia, MO
October 2 – First Avenue – Minneapolis, MN – 18+
October 3 – House Of Blues – Chicago, IL – 18+
October 4 – The Rave – Milwaukee, WI – ALL AGES
October 6 – Harpo’s – Detroit, MI – ALL AGES
October 7 – Bogart’s – Cincinnati, OH – ALL AGES
October 8 – House Of Blues – Cleveland, OH – ALL AGES
October 9 – Icon – Buffalo, NY – ALL AGES
October 10 – Crobar – New York, NY
October 11 – Trocadero – Philadelphia, PA – ALL AGES
October 12 – Sonar – Baltimore, MD – ALL AGES
October 13 – Tremont Music Hall – Charlotte, NC – ALL AGES
October 14 – The Masquerade – Atlanta, GA – ALL AGES
October 15 – State Theater – St. Petersburg, FL – ALL AGES
October 16 – House Of Blues – Orlando, FL – ALL AGES
October 18 – The Meridian – Houston, TX – 18+
October 19 – Emo’s – Austin, TX – ALL AGES
October 20 – Ridglea Theater – Ft. Worth, TX – ALL AGES
October 21 – White Rabbit – San Antonio, TX – ALL AGES
October 23 – Marquee Theater – Tempe, AZ – ALL AGES
October 24 – House Of Blues – Anaheim, CA – ALL AGES
October 26 – House Of Blues – San Diego, CA – 21+
October 27 – The Henry Fonda Theater – Los Angeles, CA
October 28 – Mezzanine – San Francisco, CA – 21+
October 30 – Wonder Ballroom – Portland, OR – 21+
October 31 – Neumos – Seattle, WA – ALL AGES
More countries to come . . .
KMFDM
KMFDM – Kein Mehrheit Fur Die Mitleid
Roughly Translated: No Pity for the Majority
What began in Hamburg, Germany in 1984 as an underground phase called Kein Mehrheit F?r Die Mitleid is now a worldwide marvel known as KMFDM. It was inevitable, once Sascha Konietzko, Raymond “Pig” Watts and En Esch joined forces; they took the music world by storm.
In the underground clubs and bars of Germany a cassette-album titled Opium spread its way through the masses, gaining momentum every time it was played. Opium was the first release by KMFDM in 1985, though it was never officially an album.
In 1986, they released their first true album, What Do You Know, Deutschland?, which included songs completed prior to En Esch joining the band. A year later their first single, Kickin’ Ass, off of What Do You Know, Deutschland? was released and licensed to Liverpool-based Skysaw Records. Skysaw then introduced the band to Brute!, an artist who was to redesign the cover of What Do You Know, Deutschland? for their re-release in the United Kingdom. Brute!’s artwork has become synonymous with the KMFDM album covers ever since. During this time period, Sascha also secured an association with producer and engineer Adrian Sherwood.
Sherwood had a heavy influence on their following album in 1988, Don’t Blow Your Top, which was licensed by Skysaw Records to Chicago-based Wax Trax! Records. KMFDM joined Ministry, Front 242 and My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult as a part of the American “Industrial” music scene throughout the late ’80’s. Releasing another album in 1989, titled UAIOE on Wax Trax! Records, KMFDM continued with their European tours. Later in December of the same year, KMFDM finally set foot on United States soil, and spent several months touring with Ministry.
After officially signing on to the Wax Trax! Label with the release of Na?ve in 1990, KMFDM returned to Europe to tour with My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult. The short-lived tour convinced Sascha the band needed change, so in 1991 he picked up and moved headquarters to Chicago. The band began touring as a headline band in the United States for the first time later that year, and released their fifth album, Money in 1992.
In 1993, after the acquisition of Wax Trax! by New York-based TVT Records, KMFDM released Angst, and followed it with a remixed album of Na?ve titled Na?ve/Hell To Go in 1994. The same year, the band did the “Angstfest” tour with Sister Machine Gun and Chemlab. They accompanied their 1995 release Nihil by two tours: “BeatByBeat” and “In Your Face.” At this point, KMFDM consisting of Sascha, G?nter Schultz, and guests recorded the band’s eighth and ninth albums, Xtort, which was released in 1996 and !@#$% which was released in 1997. The !@#$% album also saw the addition of Tim Skold to the ranks.
KMFDM toured throughout 1997, and released what seemed to be their final album, Adios, in 1999. Citing a break-up due to members having different visions of what the future held, they went their separate ways. Sascha and Tim Skold, who together produced Peter Murphy’s Recall album, formed MDFMK and released their album MDFMK in 2000 on Republic/Universal Records.
In 2002, agro-electronic music fans will finally get what they’ve been waiting three years for: KMFDM is back. With the current line-up of Sascha Konietzko, Tim Skold, Raymond “Pig” Watts, Lucia Cifarelli (Universal Music Group recording artist), Bill Rieflin (Ministry, REVCO) and signature vocal diva KMFDM style mainstay, Dorona Alberti. KMFDM are signed with Metropolis Records and are set to release their comeback titled, ATTAK.
A continuation and clear progression of past KMFDM projects, ATTAK, along with the new single BOOTS (a cover of the Nancy Sinatra classic), exhibits KMFDM at its glorious best while breaking into new dimensions in the process. Cohesive catchy hooks, and contagious beats will captivate minds and make bodies move. Sascha Konietzko has described the new works as “More, faster, better than never ever before!” “The final solution – KMFDM.”
The agro-electro messiahs had returned, and what better way to celebrate it than with their grueling Sturm&Drang US 2002 Tour. Thirty-one shows in thirty-four days, KMFDM’s attak rained down on North America further fueled by countless sold out shows…and all of it was ‘caught on tape.’ To commemorate the successful return of KMFDM, Metropolis Records is pleased to announce the release of the first KMFDM live album and DVD ever! Sturm&Drang 2002 was recorded live at four stops on the US Tour, the tracks and compiled by Sascha K. himself. A year later, KMFDM left Metropolis Records and signed with Sanctuary Records to release WWIII. However, this would prove to be a short lived relocation.
For 2005, the band returned to Metropolis Records to release their newest album Hau Ruck. Loosely translated from German as ‘Heave-Ho,’ Hau Ruck exhibits that title in all its glory, musically rolling up its sleeves and getting to work with heavy guitars, dance inducing synths and aggressive beats. As for the singing on Hau Ruck, Lucia unleashes a spectrum of vocal styles and Sascha K spews his own trademark “bad-ass” attitude. Lyrically thought provoking, yet humorously ironic, KMFDM skewer the world and themselves with each stab. Throwing out all misconceptions of the band and the genres they are associated with Hau Ruck is the most powerful and innovative album that KMFDM has ever created. KMFDM produced and mixed Hau Ruck themselves and were even involved in the mastering process guaranteeing a sonic redefining of their signature sound. From the spoken introduction of the album to the closing track “Auf Wiederseh’n” (sung in German), KMFDM show exactly what some hard work can accomplish.
The 2006 companion to Hau Ruck, Ruck Zuck (meaning ?Right Now?), was a nine track EP containing over 40 minutes of music including remixes and unreleased material. Favorite tracks from Hau Ruck appeared in totally reworked versions by members of KMFDM as well as by Nude and by infamous Dwarves frontman, Blag. KMFDM continued to create ultra heavy beats with a sly dose of political irony on their cover of DAF’s dancefloor classic ?Der Mussolini.? ?Ansage? closed out the disc with a German spoken word soundscape that mirrors the tone of our times.
For fall 2006, Metropolis will be proudly releasing KMFDM?s classic back catalog. These long out of print masterpieces from the band?s Wax Trax! Records era will be made available in the order in which they were originally released. Each album has been digitally remastered, presenting these timeless songs in a quality previously unavailable. To document the rich history of KMFDM the accompanying CD booklets will include the original album art (most by famed KMFDM cohort Brute!), extensive liner notes, lyrics for each song and never before seen photos of the band. All work on the releases, from the remastering to the packaging, has been done with the highest level of participation from Sascha K., KMFDM?s leader and founder. The first three releases will be 1986?s What Do You Know Deutschland?, 1988?s Don?t Blow Your Top and 1989?s UAIOE. Fans and collectors take note: this version of their debut, What Do You Know Deutschland?, is the first time every track from the previous German, English and American incarnations of the album has been made available in one place. Look for the rest of the KMFDM Classics to return to the shelves in the coming months. The next phase of the legacy begins, KMFDM are back to kick your brain?s ass all over again.
