Nihil
Encyclopedia
Nihil is the eighth album
by the German
industrial rock
band KMFDM
, released in 1995. It was recorded in Seattle
, Washington. It sold over 120,000 copies.
Nihil is one of only two KMFDM studio albums (Opium
being the other) that does not feature cover artwork by pop-artist Brute!
. Instead, the cover was designed by Francesca Sundsten
, wife of drummer Bill Rieflin. The band would return to using Brute!'s work on the next album, Xtort
.
A digitally remastered re-release of Nihil was released on March 6, 2007, along with Xtort.
and Günter Schulz worked with former KMFDM member Raymond "Pig" Watts on an EP entitled Sin Sex & Salvation
, and Watts stayed with the group to begin work on Nihil.
, along with some input from Mark Durante
and Bill Rieflin. A handful of other studio musicians were brought in to help in a very limited capacity. Konietzko stated that the band overused guitars on their previous album, Angst, and that for Nihil, the guitars were mixed in last. He also described the album as being entirely foreplay, without any resolution.
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
by the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
industrial rock
Industrial rock
Industrial rock is a musical genre that fuses industrial music and specific rock subgenres. Industrial rock spawned industrial metal, with which it is often confused...
band KMFDM
KMFDM
KMFDM is an industrial band led by German multi-instrumentalist Sascha Konietzko, who founded the group in 1984 as a performance art project...
, released in 1995. It was recorded in Seattle
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
, Washington. It sold over 120,000 copies.
Nihil is one of only two KMFDM studio albums (Opium
Opium (album)
-Personnel:All information from KMFDM.net.*Sascha Konietzko*Raymond Watts*Ton Geist...
being the other) that does not feature cover artwork by pop-artist Brute!
Aidan Hughes
Aidan Hughes is a commercial artist. He was born in 1956 in Merseyside, England, and was trained as an artist by his father, himself a landscape painter.In the 1980s, Hughes published a pulp-style magazine called BRUTE! which earned him notoriety...
. Instead, the cover was designed by Francesca Sundsten
Francesca Sundsten
Francesca Sundsten is an American artist. Born in Hemet, California, but moved to the Seattle area at the age of three. She has also lived in England, Malaysia, Boston, and San Francisco. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from San Francisco Art Institute in 1987 and her Master of Fine Arts...
, wife of drummer Bill Rieflin. The band would return to using Brute!'s work on the next album, Xtort
Xtort
Xtort, sometimes written XTOЯT, is the ninth studio album by industrial rock group KMFDM. It was released June 25, 1996 on Wax Trax!/TVT...
.
A digitally remastered re-release of Nihil was released on March 6, 2007, along with Xtort.
History
KMFDM had finished their "Angstfest" tour in support of Angst in 1994. Sascha KonietzkoSascha Konietzko
Sascha Konietzko , also known as Sascha K and Käpt'n K, is a German musician and producer. He is the founder, frontman, and "anchor" of industrial rock band KMFDM. Konietzko jokingly purports himself to be the father of industrial rock...
and Günter Schulz worked with former KMFDM member Raymond "Pig" Watts on an EP entitled Sin Sex & Salvation
Sin Sex & Salvation
Sin Sex & Salvation , is an EP released by KMFDM and Raymond Watts . The artist for it is usually listed as KMFDM vs. PIG.- Track listing :All tracks written by Raymond Watts, Sascha Konietzko and Svet Am.-Personnel:*PIG:...
, and Watts stayed with the group to begin work on Nihil.
Production
Nihil featured a core group of Sascha Konietzko, Günter Schulz, Raymond Watts, and En EschEn Esch
En Esch, a.k.a. Klaus Schandelmaier, is a contemporary musician and has been a member of the bands KMFDM, Pigface, and Slick Idiot.-History:...
, along with some input from Mark Durante
Mark Durante
Mark Durante is a pedal steel guitarist who is currently based in Chicago.Durante began playing guitar in 1968 after being inspired by the fretwork of Jimi Hendrix, Frank Zappa and Merle Travis. Ten years later, Durante founded a rock combo he named "Public Enemy"...
and Bill Rieflin. A handful of other studio musicians were brought in to help in a very limited capacity. Konietzko stated that the band overused guitars on their previous album, Angst, and that for Nihil, the guitars were mixed in last. He also described the album as being entirely foreplay, without any resolution.
Critical reception
Nihil received very favorable reviews. Heidi MacDonald of CMJ New Music Monthly calls Nihil "a superb album that takes no prisoners from beginning to end," saying that the first three tracks are "nearly flawless" and calling "Disobedience" a "real standout." Andy Hinds of Allmusic also praised the album, calling "Juke-Joint Jezebel" "an enduring and indispensable dancefloor favorite at goth/industrial clubs around the world." He further said that the production on Nihil was "state of the art" and that KMFDM's sound was "quite polished and tight." Mark Jenkins of The Washington Post said the album "manages to stay fresh through the use of assorted sonic spices," adding that the album has "some canny accents."Track listing
Musicians
- Sascha KonietzkoSascha KonietzkoSascha Konietzko , also known as Sascha K and Käpt'n K, is a German musician and producer. He is the founder, frontman, and "anchor" of industrial rock band KMFDM. Konietzko jokingly purports himself to be the father of industrial rock...
– electronicsProgramming (music)Programming is a form of music production and performance using electronic devices, often sequencers or computer programs, to generate music. Programming is used in nearly all forms of electronic music and in most hip hop music since the 1990s. It is also frequently used in modern pop and rock...
, vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
(1-7, 9, 10), bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
(6), drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
(10) - Günter Schulz – guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
s, vocals (2, 6), bass (5) - En EschEn EschEn Esch, a.k.a. Klaus Schandelmaier, is a contemporary musician and has been a member of the bands KMFDM, Pigface, and Slick Idiot.-History:...
– vocals (1-3, 5-8), guitar (1, 3, 6), drums (6, 9), hi hat (2), cymbalCymbalCymbals are a common percussion instrument. Cymbals consist of thin, normally round plates of various alloys; see cymbal making for a discussion of their manufacture. The greater majority of cymbals are of indefinite pitch, although small disc-shaped cymbals based on ancient designs sound a...
s (3), backing vocals (3, 5), harmonicaHarmonicaThe harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes...
(5) - Raymond Watts – vocals (1-3, 5, 7, 9), bass (5), drum programmingDrum machineA drum machine is an electronic musical instrument designed to imitate the sound of drums or other percussion instruments. They are used in a variety of musical genres, not just purely electronic music...
(5) - Mark DuranteMark DuranteMark Durante is a pedal steel guitarist who is currently based in Chicago.Durante began playing guitar in 1968 after being inspired by the fretwork of Jimi Hendrix, Frank Zappa and Merle Travis. Ten years later, Durante founded a rock combo he named "Public Enemy"...
– steel guitarSteel guitarSteel guitar is a type of guitar or the method of playing the instrument. Developed in Hawaii in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a steel guitar is usually positioned horizontally; strings are plucked with one hand, while the other hand changes the pitch of one or more strings with the use...
(1, 7), guitars (5, 7, 9)
Additional personnel
- Dorona AlbertiDorona AlbertiDorona Alberti is a singer and actress whose projects include: KMFDM, Hobson, Fairocious, Old Shoes, Pick up the Pieces, and Briskey. She first began singing for KMFDM in 1992...
– vocals (4, 8, 10) - Jim Christiansen – tromboneTromboneThe trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
(7) - Jennifer Ginsberg – vocals (2)
- Jeff Olson – trumpetTrumpetThe trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
(7) - Bill Rieflin – drums (1, 3, 7)
- Fritz Whitney – bari saxBaritone saxophoneThe baritone saxophone, often called "bari sax" , is one of the largest and lowest pitched members of the saxophone family. It was invented by Adolphe Sax. The baritone is distinguished from smaller sizes of saxophone by the extra loop near its mouthpiece...
(7)
Production
- ProducersRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
– Sascha Konietzko, Chris ShepardChris ShepardChris Shepard is an American recording engineer and general manager at the Chicago Recording Company. He is best known for his work with KMFDM, having engineered some of their most popular albums. He also worked on some of Sascha Konietzko's side projects... - Engineer – Chris Shepard
In pop culture
- "Ultra" was featured in the U.S. release of Street Fighter II: The Animated MovieStreet Fighter II: The Animated MovieStreet Fighter II: The Animated Movie, known as in Japan and Australia, is a 1994 Japanese animated film adaptation of the Street Fighter II fighting games written by Kenichi Imai, directed by Gisaburō Sugii and animated by Group TAC. The film, originally released in Japan on August 8, 1994, has...
, and was the theme song for Manga EntertainmentManga EntertainmentManga Entertainment is a producer, licensor and distributor of Japanese animation in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, France, Australia and New Zealand...
's anime catalog trailer. - "Juke Joint Jezebel" was featured in the film Bad BoysBad BoysBad Boys may refer to:In film:*Bad Boys , a 1961 film by Susumu Hani*Bad Boys , a 1983 film starring Sean Penn*Bad Boys , a 1995 film starring Will Smith and Martin Lawrence...
, and "Juke Joint Jezebel (Metropolis Mix)" was featured in the film Mortal KombatMortal Kombat (film)Mortal Kombat is a 1995 American action and adventure film directed by Paul Anderson. Based on the Mortal Kombat series of fighting games, the film was the first part of the Mortal Kombat film series...
.