The group's earliest incarnation included German drummer En Esch and British vocalist Raymond Watts, the latter of whom left and rejoined the group several times over its history. The trio recorded the band's earliest albums in Germany before Konietzko and Esch moved to the United States, where they found much greater success with seminal industrial record label Wax Trax!. German guitarist Günter Schulz joined in 1990; both he and Esch continued with the band until KMFDM broke up in 1999. Konietzko resurrected KMFDM in 2002 (Esch and Schulz declined to rejoin) on Metropolis Records, and by 2005 he had assembled a consistent line-up that included American singer Lucia Cifarelli, British guitarists Jules Hodgson and Steve White, and British drummer Andy Selway. Konietzko and Cifarelli moved back to Germany in 2007, while the rest of band stayed in the U.S. In addition to these core members, dozens of other musicians have worked with the group across its nineteen studio albums and two dozen singles, with sales totaling in excess of two million records worldwide.
Critics consider KMFDM to be one of the first bands to bring industrial music to mainstream audiences, though Konietzko refers to the band's music as "The Ultra-Heavy Beat". The band incorporates heavy metal guitar riffs, electronic music, samples, and both male and female vocals in its music, which encompasses a variety of styles including industrial rock and electronic body music (EBM). The band is fiercely political, with many of its lyrics taking stands against violence, war, and oppression. KMFDM normally tours at least once after every major release, and band members are known for their accessibility to and interaction with fans, both online and at concerts. Members, singly or working together and with other musicians, have recorded under many other names, primarily Watts' PIG, Konietzko's Excessive Force, and Esch and Schulz's Slick Idiot.
KMFDM (Discogs): https://www.discogs.com/artist/11606-KMFDM
KMFDM (Facebook): https://www.facebook.com/officialkmfdm
KMFDM (MySpace): https://myspace.com/officialkmfdm
KMFDM (Official Site): http://www.kmfdm.net
KMFDM (Reddit): https://www.reddit.com/r/kmfdm
KMFDM (SoundCloud): https://soundcloud.com/kmfdm_official
KMFDM (Store): http://kmfdm.fulfillmentmerch.com
KMFDM (Tumblr): https://www.tumblr.com/tagged/kmfdm
KMFDM (Twitter): https://twitter.com/kmfdmofficial
KMFDM (YouTube): https://www.youtube.com/user/officialkmfdm
---Current Members---
Sascha Konietzko – vocals, guitar, bass, programming, keyboards, synthesizer, percussion
Lucia Cifarelli – vocals, keyboards
Jules Hodgson – guitar, bass, keyboards
Andy Selway – drums
Steve White – guitar
---Former Members---
En Esch – vocals, drums, guitar, programming
Raymond Watts – vocals, programming
Günter Schulz – guitar, programming
Mark Durante – guitar, steel guitar
Tim Skold – vocals, guitar, bass, drums, programming
Classic KMFDM Discography (1984-1999)
---Studio Albums---
1984 - Opium
1986 - What Do You Know, Deutschland?
1988 - Don't Blow Your Top
1989 - UAIOE
1990 - Naïve
1992 - Money
1993 - Angst
1995 - Nihil
1996 - Xtort
1997 - Symbols
1999 - Adios
---Compilations---
1986 - 84-86 (compilation)
1994 - Naïve/Hell to Go (remix)
1996 - Retro (compilation)
1998 - Agogo (compilation)
---Singles---
1987 - Kickin' Ass
1988 - Don't Blow Your Top
1988 - More & Faster
1989 - Virus
1990 - Godlike
1991 - Naïve + The Days of Swine and Roses (split with My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult)
1991 - Split
1992 - Vogue
1992 - Money
1992 - Help Us/Save Us/Take Us Away
1992 - Sucks
1993 - A Drug Against War
1994 - Light
1994 - Glory
1995 - Juke Joint Jezebel
1995 - Juke Joint Jezebel (The Moroder Mixes)
1995 - Brute
1995 - Trust
1995 - Year of the Pig
1996 - Power
1996 - Rules
1997 - Anarchy
1998 - MDFMK
---Side Projects/Collaborations---
1991 - Excessive Force - Conquer Your House
1992 - Excessive Force - Conquer Your World
1992 - En Esch - Cheesy
1993 - Excessive Force - Blizkrieg
1994 - Excessive Force - Gentle Death
1994 - KMFDM vs. PIG - Sin Sex & Salvation
---Modern KMFDM Discography (2002-present)
---Studio Albums---
2002 - Attak
2003 - WWIII
2005 - Hau Ruck
2007 - Tohuvabohu
2009 - Blitz
2011 - WTF?!
2013 - Kunst
2014 - Our Time Will Come
2017 - Hell Yeah
2019 - Paradise
2022 - HYËNA
2024 - LET GO
---Compilations---
2002 - Strum & Drang Tour Live (live)
2004 - WWIII Live 2003 (live)
2006 - Ruck Zuck (remix)
2008 - Brimborium (remix)
2008 - Extra Vol. 1 (compilation)
2008 - Extra Vol. 2 (compilation)
2008 - Extra Vol. 3 (compilation)
2009 - Krieg (remix)
2010 - Würst (compilation)
2010 - Greatest Shit (compilation)
2014 - We Are KMFDM (live)
---Singles---
2002 - Boots
2010 - Day of Light
2010 - Godlike 2010
2010 - Light 2010
2011 - Krank
2011 - Amnesia
2014 - Salvation
---Side Projects/Collaborations---
2000 - MDFMK - MDFMK
2001 - Schweinstein - Schweinstein
2001 - Slick Idiot - DickNity
2002 - Schweinstein - Son of Schweinstein
2003 - Slick Idiot - ReDickUlous
2004 - Slick Idiot - Screwtinized
2004 - Lucia - From the Land of Volcanoes
2006 - Slick Idiot - xSCREWciating
2006 - KGC - Dirty Bomb
2009 - Slick Idiot - Sucksess
2009 - Skold vs. KMFDM - Skold vs. KMFDM
2011 - OK●ZTEIN●OK - PROLET●KULT
2014 - En Esch - SPÄNK
D.I.Y.
KMFDM Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The ultimate war
KMFDM is back for more
Twice the mayhem
Triple the force
Ten times the action
Total hardcore
The world rotates to the Ultra-Heavy Beat
From the gutter to the top
KMFDM will never stop
Violence anger and anarchy
A megaton load of toxic debris
Money power all you can eat
The manifestation of ultimate greed
Tokyo-Moscow-Chicago-Madrid
The world rotates to the Ultra-Heavy Beat
From the gutter to the top
KMFDM will never stop
RIP THE SYSTEM throw it away
No legislation will stand in our way
Anti anti in the USA
Ends with an M
Begins with a K
D.I.Y. destroy what destroys you
D.I.Y. do or die
D.I.Y. destroy what destroys you
D.I.Y. do or die
D.I.Y. destroy what destroys you
D.I.Y. do or die
D.I.Y. destroy what destroys you
D.I.Y. do or die
D.I.Y. destroy what destroys you
D.I.Y. do or die
Anti anti in the USA
D.I.Y. destroy what destroys you
D.I.Y. do or die
Ends with an M
Begins with a K
Destroy
The lyrics of KMFDM's song D.I.Y. are a call to arms for a new revolution, a war against the system that is toxic, greedy and corrupt. The band declares that they are back for more, ready to unleash twice the mayhem, triple the force and ten times the action. As the world rotates to their ultra-heavy beat, KMFDM promises to never stop, rising from the gutter to the top.
The song advocates violence, anger and anarchy to bring down the manifestation of ultimate greed, where money and power rule and all can be eaten. The chorus chants "D.I.Y. destroy what destroys you, D.I.Y. do or die", a directive to the listener to take matters into their own hands and fight against the system that oppresses them. KMFDM declares that no legislation will stand in their way, and they end the song with a reference to their band name, hinting at their mission to Destroy It Yourself.
Overall, the lyrics of D.I.Y. are a straightforward condemnation of the current political and social system, calling for radical action to bring about change. The band urges the listeners to embrace their ethos of destruction and self-reliance, rejecting the idea that change can be brought about peacefully or through the ballot box.
Line by Line Meaning
A new revolution
KMFDM is instigating a fresh uprising
The ultimate war
KMFDM is ready to fight an unprecedented battle
KMFDM is back for more
KMFDM has returned for another round
Twice the mayhem
More chaos than before
Triple the force
More power than ever
Ten times the action
More activity and intensity than previously seen
Total hardcore
Uncompromisingly extreme
Shanghai-Stockholm-Berlin-Tel Aviv
These cities are part of the global reach of KMFDM's ideology
The world rotates to the Ultra-Heavy Beat
The world is influenced by KMFDM's heavy music
From the gutter to the top
KMFDM can come from anywhere and rise to the highest levels
KMFDM will never stop
KMFDM will always exist and continue their mission
Violence anger and anarchy
KMFDM embraces these concepts
A megaton load of toxic debris
KMFDM puts out a lot of harmful and intense content
Money power all you can eat
The corrupting influence of financial and political power is insatiable
The manifestation of ultimate greed
This is the result of unchecked and unbridled avarice
Tokyo-Moscow-Chicago-Madrid
These cities are also within KMFDM's global influence
RIP THE SYSTEM throw it away
KMFDM wants to destroy the corrupt system
No legislation will stand in our way
Laws will not prevent KMFDM's mission
Anti anti in the USA
KMFDM is against American establishment and culture
Ends with an M
Referring to 'KMFDM'
Begins with a K
Referring to 'KMFDM'
D.I.Y. destroy what destroys you
Create your own path and eliminate what hinders you
D.I.Y. do or die
All-in or nothing attitude
Destroy
Command to attack and destroy
Lyrics © THE ROYALTY NETWORK INC., CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: SASCHA KONIETZKO, TIM SKOLD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind