KMFDM is a German industrial metal band. The five members of the band are leader, singer, and bassist Sascha Konietzko, singer Lucia Cifarelli, guitarist Jules Hodgson, guitarist Steve White, and drummer Andy Selway. The band has sold more than 2 million albums.
KMFDM formed on February 29, 1984, in Paris, France. They made eleven albums between then and 1999, when the band broke up. The band got back together in 2002, and has made eight albums between then and 2015.
After the formation, the Englishman Raymond "Pig" Watts and En Esch (Klaus Schandelmaier) on drums completed the lineup. KMFDM recorded some songs with different guest musicians like Bill Rieflin and Nivek Ogre from Skinny Puppy or Nina Hagen and partly went on tour with these artists.
KMFDM left the musical "Hamburg underground" after the first, unreleased album Opium. With the growing success of US industrial metal/industrial rock bands in the late 1980s, most notably Ministry, KMFDM also gained increasing notoriety. First, the band signed with the Wax Trax label in Chicago. This was followed by appearances as Ministry's opening act. Sascha Konietzko decided to move KMFDM to the USA, to Chicago, at the beginning of 1991. The first tour as headliner in the United States followed with the album Money.
When the band first toured the U.S., journalists who didn't know German were given various English word meanings for KMFDM, such as Kill Mother Fucking Depeche Mode, Kidnap Madonna For Drug Money and Kylie Minogue Fans Don't Masturbate. After the bankruptcy of Wax Trax, Sascha Konietzko moved to Seattle, En Esch moved to New Orleans. Seattle was the birthplace of the album Xtort and the album titled with five symbols from the comic form language (explosion radiation, skull, bomb, cringe, fist), cited either as "EMOJI" or as "Symbols". On both, a number of guest musicians brought their contributions.
On January 22, 1999 KMFDM disbanded and released Adios, their last album to date. En Esch founded a new project together with Guenter Schulz under the name Slick Idiot, while Sascha Konietzko founded MDFMK in 2000 together with Tim Skold (ex-Shotgun Messiah) and ex-Drill singer Lucia Cifarelli and released an album with this line-up on Republic Records.
In 2002 Sascha Konietzko reformed KMFDM with the following line-up:
Live lineup since 2002:
| Year | Title | Format |
| 1996 | A Drug Against War | VHS |
| 1996 | Juke-Joint Jezebel | VHS |
| 1996 | Son of a Gun | VHS |
| 1997 | Megalomaniac | VHS |
| 1997 | Beat by Beat by Beat | VHS |
| 2001 | Beat by Beat by Beat | DVD |
| 2003 | Sturm & Drang Tour 2002 | DVD |
| 2004 | WWIII Live 2003 | DVD |
| 2005 | 20th Anniversary World Tour 2004 | DVD |
A: KMFDM is a German industrial metal band.
A: The five members of KMFDM are Sascha Konietzko, Lucia Cifarelli, Jules Hodgson, Steve White and Andy Selway.
A: Sascha Konietzko is the leader, singer, and bassist of KMFDM.
A: KMFDM was founded on February 29, 1984, in Paris, France.
A: KMFDM has sold more than 2 million albums.
A: KMFDM has made 19 albums in total – eleven between 1984 and 1999, and eight between 2002 and 2015.
A: KMFDM broke up in 1999, and got back together in 2002.
