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Ultra Heavy beliefs
By Billy Schear
wschear@mscd.edu

Courtesy of kmfdm.com KMFDM, Germany’s hottest music export since Nina. Clockwise from top; Steve White, Jules Hodgson, Lucia Cifarelli, Andy Selway and Sascha Konietzko

“The future belongs to those still willing to get their hands dirty,” has been the anthem blasted at fans for 22 years by a band with “no pity for the majority.”

Sascha Konietzko has been the “Kapt ‘n’” at the helm of juggernaut industrial band KMFDM since its inception in 1984. KMFDM has collaborated with many of the best the industrial genre has to offer, including Raymond Watts of Pig, Ogre of Skinny Puppy and William Rieflin of Ministry.

On their latest album, Hau Ruck, KMFDM abandoned their signature revolving door of artists. Instead, Konietzko opted to form a solid five-piece unit including Andy Selway, Lucia Cifarelli, Steve White and Jules Hodgson. Konietzko said the decision has not changed the spirit of the group one bit, which has always been “no conventions or traditions, with a complete disregard for hurt feelings.”

In keeping with their unconventional attitudes is their approach to making music. “I will come up with a bass line then pass it to Andy, and he passes it to Jules, Steve or Lucia and everyone decides what they can contribute. We convene regularly and discuss what each member feels they should be working on,” Konietzko said.

Because the band originated in Europe, language is always something that plays a part in their songwriting. “The lyrical content often dictates itself and decides on its own whether it is to be sung in English, German or even French.” Konietzko said. “Sometime the decision is made for practical reasons. For example, ‘A Drug Against War’ couldn’t be said as directly in German. The translation would take up the whole page.”

KMFDM is known for synthesized drumbeats, heavy guitars and keyboards, but also for politically-charged messages in their music. One example is the numerous references to the Baader-Meinhof gang, a reactionary group primarily active during the ‘70s in West Germany. Konietzko explained the use of this group’s imagery in the band’s logos, songs and interviews is not meant as an expression of support, but as a nod to the days of his youth.

Growing up in postwar Germany and witnessing the group’s activities, Konietzko saw “a wake-up call not only for Germany, but for the world. I had a feeling that their actions were only the beginning, that the terrorism would only intensify, and behold, here we are. One cannot turn on a television or read a newspaper without being suffocated by the word ‘terror.’”

He offered this quote by Peter Ustinov: “Terrorism is the poor man’s war and war is the rich man’s terrorism.” An interesting note is that Konietzko actually grew up down the street from Ulrike Meinhof, a founder of the Baader-Meinhof group.

KMFDM has also faced association with the Columbine High School massacre, due to the lyrics to their songs “Waste” and “Son of a Gun” having been posted on the gunmen’s web site. Konietzko sees no connection between the songs and the violence. “Nothing I have said can possibly serve as motivation to kill people. I am probably the most nonviolent person you will ever meet,” he said. “I firmly believe in diplomacy settling all disputes, both personal and political.”

While he opposes violence, Konietzko has no qualms about his own mortality, as exemplified by one chorus on Hau Ruck: “Every day is a good day to die.”

“I think that if we’re prepared, there isn’t much we’ll miss,” Konietzko said. “When I board a plane, I’m powerless. I sit in a hurling piece of metal, having given up control of my life to someone else, and as long as I make sure to have made love to my wife the night before, and that I have no debts over my head, bring it on.”