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The last words have not been spoken yet
KMFDM, current with the release of their new album "Attak", are back from the grave.
KMFDM who turned MDFMK a couple of years ago, and then got off their record deal with Universal, decided to turn back to their old path.
What else is there to say than to let Sascha K. speak his truth?
A couple of years ago many thought that KMFDM was history. What made you start up with the band again?
- The reason was really public demand.
After MDFMK announced its separation from Universal in the fall of 2000, the pressure and the request from the general public came so overwhelming so I had hardly any choice than to give in and say "okay, okay."
And all this resulted in the new album "Attak". Sascha tells us that they have been working full time on it since March to November 2001.
A lot of the initial work was done prior to that though.
Prior work, meaning the general assembly of sounds, basically, sound design.
How do you feel that the new material has changed KMFDM's sound, compared to your releases 5 - 10 years ago? New influences?
- I think there are changes, but I still think I am too close to the process of making this new album to actually see what has changed.
I know it has changed and why it has changed, but I don't really now how it has changed.
On this particular album I feel I tried to not let myself be influenced at all. I tried to block out any influences and be a hermit. Be totally isolated. So you really feel like you are starting from scratch.
But with the style and "sound" of the new album; you must feel it comes from somewhere?
- Well, now that I think about it, one of the influences I really tried to be influenced by was the old KMFDM. The feeling we had making the first couple of KMFDM albums. Also the way we used to go about it - the sort of carelessness.
If it sounds good, if it feels right it must be right. And I was trying not to be too precious about every little bit, but basically try to see it in a bigger scope of what is possible.
- I think I am pretty pleased with the way "Attak" turned out. But I don't have the luxury to just sit down and hear it, without pre-conceived emotions. I know what it is, I know what is coming up, waiting to hear this and that passage, see how it goes by and if it bugs me or not. I get a much better reading from other people, who have heard the songs.
- People's reactions so far are that they think it is a good comeback album from KMFDM. It does not seem to invoke the idea of KMFDM trying to capitalise on the past. People seem to get the feeling that there is a fresh breath of air in KMFDM.
What does the new album mean to you emotionally?
- Well, emotionally it does mean a hell of a lot. It's a year and a half of everything packed into one piece of work. But it's not just me. When Tim writes lyrics, or Lucia does so, there are different influences. I think my general impression is that the chemistry on this record really worked to the maximum advantage. It doesn't feel like there are any songs that are foul compromises, which I often felt in the past. There were times when I wished some songs would not have been on an album.
People often think that KMFDM’s lyrics were quite political in the past. Sascha explains to us that the style and the content of the lyrics really hasn’t changed. The songs are as political or not, as they ever have been. Still he thinks that they might be a bit more intelligent on “Attak”, but he isn’t sure of that yet. People grow, learn and get better on what they are doing, and so has he, according to himself.
This leads us to the production of the new album; Sascha lets us know that the first KMFDM album was never produced, just recorded.
- Before I actually started making “Attak” I made a chart. I wrote down all the names of the old albums, made a few notes on how every album was recorded, and found out that the way we made "Nihil" was a really good way to do it, because it yielded maximum results. There was not much hassle for everyone but for me, and I didn't mind it that way. If I can provide the backbone for something that everyone else just can get loose on, that's great. So that is the way we did it this time, and that seems to be the best way to do it.
The variation of style on the songs of "Attak" is great, and also makes it quite hard to label the type of music you make. Any comments on that?
- My motivation is that I want to make albums that you can listen to from a to z, from top to bottom. Often when I get an album from a band the first track is really good, and so is two. Three and four are kind of okay, and the rest of the album is just pillar. It gets boring to me to listen to just one vocalist, or one style through a whole record. In that case I just prefer to check in a couple of songs and that's it. With KMFDM, since everyone does not play on every song, there is always this dynamic. A lot of the impressions come in the sequencing process of the album, deciding which song is the first one, which is the last one, and see how it flows.
So I think you can make good and bad choices in that department.
What kind of music do you listen to?
- Except for all the demos people send me, I really enjoy classical music and ethnic music.
I can listen to anything.
- I have a huge collection of old reggae stuff and shelves and shelves of all digital hardcore releases.
How do you feel the people that listen to your music, the fans, have changed since you started over 15 years ago?
- When we started we didn't have any fans, we were pretty much labelled as the worst band in the world. A guy who is pretty known in the German music industry, he pointed out that phrase back in 1985, after seeing KMFDM live at a small club in Hamburg. He wrote in a magazine that "KMFDM ought to be the worst band the world has ever seen". And I got it framed over my bed.
- I think KMFDM are one of those few phenomenons where the only real backbone there is, is through our fans. We do not in general have the support of the press, the media or the DJs, but we do have the support of many individuals who go through great lengths to promote KMFDM, to spin KMFDM on their collage radio stations, or feature us in fanzines. And that is somewhere where there is an exchange going on between us and our fans. And it goes from very simple things; some kids go "Hey, what kind of stuff are you working on? I am really dying to get my hands on a MPC2000".
- I am having an MPC2000 in my basement right now that I am not using, so I am sending it to that kid.
- Then they work with it for a couple of months, and then we put it up on the website. And that goes around like a wild fire, "Wow, these guys are sending us their gear so we can work on it" and it is probably quite unique.
Sascha is currently working on the restoration of very old material - the re-release of "Opium" from 1994.
He has just been in the process of finalizing the CD and it will probably come out late April-May.
And as Sascha says, it is going to be, quite an intensive KMFDM year.
What countries do you want to visit on your forthcoming tour?
- There are two things. One is my wish list, places I want to take KMFDM to and the other is what is realistic.
- I really want to tour Russia, but I am not sure it can be done. I would also like to tour some of the Eastern European countries, like Poland, Czechia, etc., but knowing that the infrastructure there is still a bit unstable and a big tour needs to be lucrative in a way, you need to make a certain amount of money to keep the baby on the road, I don't know if that will be a reality or not.
So how long are you planning on going on with KMFDM? You've been going on since '84, do you feel there is a lot ahead of you?
- Yeah, I think so; there is quite a lot of life in me and in the project. As long as I have fun doing it, and I don't get super famous, I can do it.
- I've always tried my best to avoid that kind of plastic stardom. I think too many bands come and go.
One of your best memories ever with the band?
- One of the best memories was probably playing with MDFMK at the Fuji Rocks Festival in Japan August 2000. It was absolutely awesome. It was on a mountain in the summer of Japan, with these huge arena sized stages with tens of thousands of people wandering from event to event.
Any last words, anything you want to tell the world?
- The last words have not been spoken yet.
Visit: www.kmfdm.net
/Sami Sinervä
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Sascha K.
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