On Stage: Industrial rock pioneers KMFDM return to Philly
by Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times
KMFDM-Paradis YouTube-Snapshot
When the dawn of industrial rock arrived more than three decades ago, KMFDM was there.
The industrial scene has gone through many changes over the years. Many bands in the genre have risen, fallen and ceased to exist. Fortunately, KMFDM is not one of them.
KMFDM is still here and is making music more powerful than ever.
Sascha Konietzko and the members of his band KMFDM are the forefathers of industrial rock - the progenitors of a whole breed of rockers who view noise as a valid foundation for songs.
KMFDM has been around longer than a lot of musicians in today's bands have been alive. But Konietzko and his crew never grow old.
They don't rest on their laurels - content to tour playing songs from 20 or 30 years ago. KMFDM is still making music that is vital, vibrant and vicious. This year, KMFDM celebrated its 38th anniversary.
On September 9, KMFDM released its latest album "Hyena" on Metropolis Records. Now, the multi-national band (Germany/England/United States) is touring the states in support of its new LP.
On October 14, KMFDM returned to Philadelphia for a show at Brooklyn Bowl (1009 Canal Street, Philadelphia, www.brooklynbowl.com/philadelphia).
"We started the tour on September 27 in Fort Lauderdale," said Konietzko, during a phone interview Wednesday afternoon from a tour stop in Boston. "We had two shows in Florida cancelled because of Hurricane Ian.
"We did shows in the South and Midwest. We're in Boston now and we'll be in Philly on Friday. We finish in Atlanta on October 19. We'll be back later for a West Coast tour and then have a European tour in fall 2023."
KMFDM's signature sound - a crossover between techno/dance, heavy rock and industrial a.k.a "Ultra Heavy Beat" - is combined with sometimes political, sometimes ironic lyrics and an underlying humorous edge.
KMFDM actually began in Hamburg, Germany as "Kein Mehrheit Fur Die Mitleid" ("No compassion for the majority") which eventually was shortened to the acronym KMFDM.
The band still features the nucleus of Konietzko (vocals, guitar, bass, programming, keyboards, synthesizer, percussion), his wife Lucia Cifarelli (vocals, keyboards), Andee Blacksugar (guitar) and Andy Selway (drums).
"We recorded the new album all over the place," said Konietzko,
"We started in late fall-early summer 2020 and worked on it until this spring. We did take a long time because we also worked on other side projects - the 'In Dub' album and Lucia's solo album. We had 'Paradise' in 2019, 'In Dub' in 2020 and Lucia's album in 2021."
On July 2, 2021, Cifarelli released her sophomore solo album, "I Am Eye."
"With 'Hyena,' the drums were done in Florida, the guitars in New York and the rest in Hamburg," said Konietzko. "We also did part in London and one song in Jamaica."
While recording parts of songs separately in different locations was a model used by bands who were isolated during the pandemic, it was a way of recording that was old hat for KMFDM.
"The last time we made an album together in a studio was in 1994," said Konietzko. "We did it for our 'Nihil' album."
The band's most recent previous release was "Paradise,' which was released in September 2019 on Metropolis Records.
KMFDM has released more than 20 studio albums, 15 of which feature the band's trademark one-word titles - "Opium," "UAIOE," "Naive," Money," "Angst," "Nihil," "Xtort," "Symbols," "Adios," "Attak," "WWIII," "Tohuvabohu," "Blitz", "WTF," "Kunst," "Paradise" and now "Hyena."
"We never had a chance to tour in support of 'Paradise,'" said Konietzko, who also goes by the musical alias, Käpt'n K.
"Our last tour was the 'Hell Yeah Tour' in 2017. We had two 2020 tours with Ministry that got pushed back to 2021 and then eventually cancelled. Now here we are five years later.
"The pandemic postponed everything. It took its toll. We had no income from not touring for five years.
"The 'Hyena' songs were all written during COVID. So, the pandemic did influence us in a positive way. The whole idea was to make a very varied album."
The album spans many genres - the industrial rock of "Liquor Fish & Cigarettes," hip-hop influenced "Rock'n'Roll Monster," the blackgrass vibe of "Deluded Desperate Dangerous & Dumb," the hardcore punch of All Wrong - But Alright," the thrash metal slam of "Blindface," the bad boy rock swagger of "Black Hole," the techno-dance feel of "Hyena" and the island vibe of "In Dub We Trust."
"There's a trend for records that aren't super-long, and we went with that," said Konietzko. "The songs swirl around. It's like a sonic acid trip.
"On this tour,we're playing songs from all throughout our history, including some from 'Paradise.' We're also playing five or six songs from 'Hyena' and several of our must-play songs like 'Hau Rock,' 'Son of a Gun' and 'Drug Against War.'
"The band has the same line-up as always - Lucia, Andy, Andee and me along with MC Ocelot (rapper Andrew "Ocelot" Lindsley)."
Chant, the opening act on the tour is equally intense.
"Chant is very tribal...very dark," said Konietzko. "This is the third tour they've opened for us. They also were on our North American tours in 2013 and 2015."
