KMFDM, I Ya Toyah, und Jesus on Extasy

Formed as Kein Mehrheit Für Die Mitleid (No Pity For The Majority) to serve as the opening act for a Parisian art exhibition (of course), few band stories are as gleefully surreal as the first months of KMFDM’s existence. Vacuum Cleaners were used as instruments, entrails were thrown into the audience, fire was eaten and breathed in equal measure, and at one show a quartet of Polish coal miners were employed to hammer on the foundations of the venue itself as percussion. Needless to say, the band quickly gained a reputation for themselves as one of the must-see live acts of their scene. So with barely any fanfare, the band self-released 200 cassette copies of their debut album “Opium” and circulated them around the underground clubs of their native Hamburg fuelling the hype for their live shows all the more.

The band wouldn’t release another album until 1986, when they signed to Z Records for the release of “What Do You Know, Deutschland?”. While not raved about in their home country, it was the first of their albums to receive widespread release over Europe, leading to a cult following in the U.K in particular. However, the band were to spread even further thanks to their 1988 album “Don’t Blow Your Top”, which thanks to its release on Wax Trax! Records, was licensed for U.S Distribution. By 1991 the band had relocated to Chicago and become the hottest name on Chicago’s thriving industrial scene, with a number of their singles becoming unlikely hits on the Billboard Dace/Club Play Songs.

The rest of the 90’s were very kind to KMFDM, beginning with their 1993 album “Angst” selling well over 100’000 copies by 1995, and peaking with their single “Juke Joint Jezebel”, a song which has sold three million copies on various formats. Ever since then the band have remained cult heroes, revered by far more than just die-hard industrial fans but by rock fans of all shapes and tastes. The band briefly split in 1999 before reforming in 2002, and to this very day, they remain vital artists in every sense of the word. After over 30 years of pushing every boundary they can find, KMFDM come highly recommended.