This is acomprehensive listing of the current and former members ofKMFDM, anindustrial band formed bySascha Konietzko in 1984.[1] KMFDM existed from 1984 until they broke up in 1999; however, they continued under the nameMDFMK until the KMFDM name was revived in 2002.[2][3] Konietzko has been the only permanent member throughout the band's history.[2] Individuals that simultaneously played live and contributed in the studio were regarded as official members, as also indicated by promotional material or liner notes. In addition, numerous individuals had only performed live while others had only appeared on studio material; thus, both instances were not treated in an official capacity.
^Sascha Konietzko formed KMFDM in 1984 as an art project for performances at live exhibitions. He eventually transformed the project into a full-time band. Konietzko has been the only consistent member of the band, and he is the only member to appear on every album. Due to this, he has handled a variety of duties in the studio, although lead vocals, guitars, bass, and percussion remained his focus for live shows.
^Lucia Cifarelli was previously the vocalist for the industrial rock bandDrill in the 1990s. After the band dissolved, Konietzko invited Cifarelli to join his side-project MDFMK (which was essentially a continuation of the KMFDM band). Cifarelli handled vocals for MDFMK's singular album. When Konietzko revived the KMFDM name in 2002, Cifarelli was brought in as vocalist and keyboardist, making her first KMFDM appearance on the "Boots" single. Cifarelli and Konietzko eventually married in 2005. Overall, with the exception of Konietzko, Cifarelli is the longest-serving member of KMFDM.
^Andy Selway initially toured as the drummer forPIG in the late 1990s. PIG's frontman, Raymond Watts, then invited Selway to join KMFDM when Watts returned to KMFDM in 2002. Selway was the touring drummer for about a year, but in 2003, he officially joined the band as the full-time drummer. Selway has the third-longest timespan in KMFDM, behind only Cifarelli and Konietzko.
^KMFDM's tour to support 2017'sHell Yeah album initially had Chris Harms as the touring guitarist (as he had played on the majority of the album). Due to customs issues, Harms was unable to enter the United States for the tour; thus, Konietzko chose Andee Blacksugar as a quick replacement for the tour. Blacksugar ended up staying in the band, making his debut on 2019'sParadise album.
^Although Raymond Watts did not create KMFDM alongside Konietzko, he did however join shortly after their formation as vocalist and programmer. The duo of Konietzko and Watts worked closely together on a string of albums in the 1980s; however, shortly before the release ofDon't Blow Your Top in 1988, Watts departed from KMFDM to focus on his solo career (primarily his PIG project). Watts later collaborated with Konietzko on the PIG vs. KMFDM EPSin Sex & Salvation in 1994. The project led to Watts rejoining KMFDM, as he appeared onNihil in 1995. He then returned in 1997 for theSymbols album, but departed from the band shortly after. When Konietzko revived the KMFDM name in 2002, he invited Watts back into the band. Watts' touring band for PIG (which included Selway on drums, Steve White on guitar, and Jules Hodgson on guitar) also joined the KMFDM lineup around the same time. Watts recorded onAttak (2002) andWWIII (2003), and KMFDM's tours for the albums had sometimes included PIG songs in their setlist. Watts departed from KMFDM once again after theWWIII touring cycle. He later made a guest appearance onParadise (2019) for a singular song, which marked his first collaboration with Konietzko in over 15 years.
^After the release ofOpium in 1984, KMFDM expanded their lineup to include En Esch as drummer, guitarist, and vocalist. He worked closely alongside Konietzko and Watts onWhat Do You Know, Deutschland? (1986) andDon't Blow Your Top (1988); however, Watts departed from the band by 1988, and thus Esch took his place as the main collaborator alongside Konietzko. Esch and Konietzko had a falling out in 1991, and the duo planned to disband KMFDM with an album titledApart. Both Konietzko and Esch were given one side of the album to themselves, but the band's record label rejected Esch's side, and they instead encouraged Konietzko to finish the entire album himself. Konietzko ultimately changed the album's direction, and repaired his friendship with Esch, followed by renamingApart toMoney. KMFDM eventually disbanded in 1999. Esch and KMFDM's guitarist Günter Schulz then formed the bandSlick Idiot, and Esch also focused on his solo career as well. When Konietzko revived the KMFDM name in 2002, it was stated that both Esch and Schulz had no interest in rejoining the band. Esch later reunited with Watts as a touring member of Watts' PIG project on various occasions.
^Rudolph Naomi was the drummer for KMFDM from 1985 to 1986, and he also appeared on a few studio demos as well (which later appeared on the84–86 compilation). He rejoined the band by 1988, and made his official debut onUAIOE the following year. He appeared on and co-wrote the majority of theNaïve album in 1990, but after the band relocated to the United States, Naomi departed from the band and returned to Germany.
^Günter Schulz joined KMFDM as their guitarist in 1989 to support theUAIOE album. He debuted in the studio withNaïve (1990). In 1992, Schulz had worked closely alongside Konietzko for theMoney album. He was also a prominent member of theExcessive Force spin-off group, mainly on their second albumGentle Death. After KMFDM disbanded in 1999, Schulz and Esch formed the band Slick Idiot. When Konietzko revived the KMFDM name in 2002, it was stated that both Esch and Schulz had no interest in rejoining the band. Schulz later became the guitarist for former KMFDM member Watts' project PIG.
^Throughout the 1980s, guitarist Mark Durante played in a variety of metal bands, including the bandSlammin' Watusis. He also briefly toured as KMFDM's guitarist in 1989. Durante and his Slammin' Watusis bandmate Lee Popa then appeared as guests on KMFDM'sNaïve album in 1990. A few years later, Durante officially joined KMFDM as a guitarist. He debuted onAngst in 1993. He was also heavily featured on Excessive Force's albumGentle Death and the re-working of theNaïve album (under the title ofNaïve/Hell to Go). Durante departed from the band in 1997 after the release of theXtort album the prior year. Durante was initially in the lineup as KMFDM's full-time guitarist upon the band's revival in 2002, but he ultimately did not rejoin nor record in the studio (although he made a few guest appearances at live shows shortly after).
^Initially in 1994, Jennifer Ginsberg was the receptionist at the Seattle studio where KMFDM and PIG recorded theSin Sex & Salvation EP. PIG's frontman Watts asked Ginsberg to contribute vocals to the project. She subsequently joined KMFDM as their primary female vocalist on tour. After contributing to two additional albums, Ginsberg departed from the music industry entirely.
^Bill Rieflin joined as the drummer for the industrial metal bandMinistry in 1986. A few years later, Rieflin appeared as a guest on KMFDM's albumNaïve, and both KMFDM and Ministry ended up touring together in the United States. After Rieflin left Ministry in 1994, he joined KMFDM the following year in time for theNihil album. Konietzko disbanded KMFDM in 1999, but when he revived the name in 2002, he invited Rieflin back into the band. Rieflin departed after recording on 2003'sWWIII album, but he later made a guest appearance onWTF?! in 2011. Rieflin died in 2020 due to colon cancer at the age of 59.
^After the breakup of the glam metal bandShotgun Messiah in 1993, vocalist and bassist Tim Skold embarked on a solo career, during which he met Konietzko for the first time. In 1996, he released the albumSkold in which he performed the vast majority of the instruments and handled the vast majority of the production himself. He re-connected with Konietzko a short time later, and joined KMFDM in time for their albumSymbols in 1997 (although he only appeared on one song). The tour forSymbols had also sometimes featured songs in the setlist from Skold's self-titled album. Afterwards, Konietzko and Skold worked closely together for theAdios album in 1999; however, KMFDM disbanded shortly after. Konietzko and Skold remained together however, and they formed the band MDFMK. After releasing one album under the MDFMK name, Konietzko decided to revive the KMFDM name in 2002. Skold was initially a part of the lineup, but he was unable to tour behind theAttak album in 2002, although he appeared at a few live shows as a guest. He officially left the band that same year. In 2009, Skold and Konietzko worked together again, for both KMFDM's albumBlitz and for the side-project releaseSkold vs. KMFDM.
^When KMFDM was revived in 2002, the band's lineup featured Durante as the guitarist, but he ultimately decided not to rejoin, and as a result Jules Hodgson was selected as guitarist instead (Hodgson was previously a member of Watts' PIG project). Hodgson remained in the band until 2016, although in 2022 he made a guest appearance on the albumHyëna.
^Steve White was brought on as KMFDM's touring guitarist in 2002. He had previously played in Watts' PIG project. The following year, he became an official member of the band, although he didn't make his debut in the studio untilHau Ruck in 2005. White eventually departed from the band in 2015, after appearing on the albumOur Time Will Come the prior year.
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