KMFDM

MFDM is an electronic music band in the industrial music genre. KMFDM was founded in Paris in 1984 by Sascha Konietzko and German painter/multi-media performer Udo Sturm. The band relocated to Chicago in 1991 and then to Seattle in 1993. KMFDM began their relationship with Wax Trax! Records in 1988 when their album Don't Blow Your Top was licensed to the label. By 1990 they were signed to Wax Trax! Records and a part of the industrial music scene in Chicago that included Ministry, Front 242 and My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult. Sascha later temporarily returned to Chicago in 1995 to be near friend and president of Wax Trax! Records James Nash, who was dying of AIDS.

KMFDM has toured and recorded with a number of additional musicians, including Bill Rieflin of Ministry, Nivek Ogre from Skinny Puppy, Raymond Watts of P.I.G., John DeSalvo of Chemlab, and spoken word artist Nicole Blackman.

KMFDM stands for "Kein Mehrheit für die Mitleid" (Reference: KMFDM FAQ), which roughly means "no pity for the majority" in English. Sascha Konietzko has acknowledged that "Kein Mitleid für die Mehrheit" is the correct German construction of the phrase but it is not what KMFDM stands for. "Kein Mehrheit für die Mitleid" was shortened to KMFDM when Raymond Watts was unable to correctly pronounce the name.

When the band first toured the US in 1991, the members began using alternate English meanings for their name to tease journalists who could not understand German. The most prominent and most widely repeated was "Kill Mother Fucking Depeche Mode", which is attributed to Shawn Joyce. After the release of Angst, their label created a promotion, without the support of the band, where they encouraged fans to come up with 1001 meanings for KMFDM. College radio DJs Kinslow and Smith of WKGC Florida won the contest with an entry of more than 1,200.

Their lyrics typically discuss the rejection of and resistance against incompetent rule in capitalist society. KMFDM also gained notoriety when they were noted as a favourite band of Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris, of Columbine High School massacre infamy.

Due to differences between Sascha Konietzko and other band members, KMFDM split up on January 22, 1999, with ex-members Günter Schulz and En Esch forming the band Slick Idiot, and Konietzko and Tim Skold temporarily regrouping as MDFMK. KMFDM reformed in 2002 with Konietzko as the sole original member, but with the return of Raymond Watts, an early member of the group and occasional contributor over the years.

Currently KMFDM comprises Sascha Konietzko, Lucia Cifarelli, Jules Hodgson, Andy Selway, and Steve White with contributions from Raymond Watts.

KMFDM has a long-standing relationship with commerical artist Brute!, who creates the iconic artwork adorning almost all of the band's albums and singles (a notable exception being Nihil).

from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KMFDM