Splash Stories with Sascha Konietzko - KMFDM

Splash Stories caught up with Sacha on KMFDM's 40th anniversary of  the ultra heavy beat. KMFDM (originally Kein Mehrheit Für Die Mitleid, loosely translated by the band as “no pity for the majority”) .  

Sascha  founded the multinational industrial band Kein Mehrheit Für Die Mitleid in Hamburg, Germany in 1984 as a performance art project on  a leap year - Feb 29, 1984 - at the Grand Palais in Paris, France.

It was a collaboration between me and a group of painters/sculptors from Hamburg and Cologne that went by the name of Erste Hilfe (First Aid/Premier Secours). I was asked to do some audio accompaniment to the grand opening of an exhibition at the Palais. So I went and got what I could get my hands on from pawn shops along Rue St. Denis.

Among the stuff I was able to procure were some vacuum cleaners, a broken synthesizer (ARP 2600) a bass guitar and an (Ampef) bass amplifier. I did my very best to come up with some spontaneous sonic chaos. 

It didn’t go over too well once glass panes from the ceiling of that structure started to fall down, shattering on the floor amongst the (few) visitors. The sculptors had smeared concrete all over the glass entrances and some people fled in something of a panic. It was quite an uproar. Though I really enjoyed it…

Sascha  also cheekily spread the rumour that KMFDM also stood for Kill Motherfuckin' Depeche Mode —

He  shared with us that he ’d been into dub and reggae since the late ’60s and was a huge admirer of Adrian Sherwood's body of work something I was able to share as Adrian had produced My Ministry the debut EP of Big Life Casino one of my bands in the 90's.

—What do you know, Deutschland? (1986) was the first collaboration Sascha made with artist Aidan Hughes who has created almost all the covers of the band Over time it became the visual brand and a highly recognisable image of the bands visual appearance. 

Check out KMFDM on Splash Stories now....

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/splash-stories-the-90s-music-scene-legendary-london/id1613247196

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