The KLF - Knowledge

47: 2235:" it is as the KLF that they will go down in pop history," wrote Alix Sharkey in 1994, "for a variety of reasons, the most important being the resolute purity of their self-abnegation, and their visionary understanding of pop." He added: "By early 1992 the KLF was easily the best-selling, probably the most innovative, and undoubtedly the most exhilarating pop phenomenon in Britain. In five years it had gone from pressing up 500 copies of its debut recording to being one of the world's top singles acts." The same piece also quoted Sheryl Garratt, editor of 1916: 1523:. As Drummond and Cauty explained, "The Cartel is, as the name implies, a group of independent distributors across the country who work in conjunction with each other providing a solid network of distribution without stepping on each other's toes. We are distributed by the Cartel." When Rough Trade Distribution collapsed in 1991 it was reported that they owed KLF Communications £500,000. Plugging (the promotion to TV and radio) was handled by longtime associate 1163:

gave their reactions in the magazine. Movie director Bill Butt said that "Like everything, they're dealing with it in a very realistic way, a fresh, unbitter way, which is very often not the case. A lot of bands disappear with such a terrible loss of dignity". Scott Piering said that "They've got a huge buzz off this, that's for sure, because it's something that's finally thrilling. It's scary to have thrown away a fortune which I

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guitar, and I can knock out a few things on the piano, I knew nothing, personally, about the technology. And, I thought, I knew , I knew he was a like spirit, we share similar tastes and backgrounds in music and things. So I phoned him up that day and said "Let's form a band called The Justified Ancients of Mu-Mu". And he knew exactly, to coin a phrase, "where I was coming from"... Within a week we had recorded our first single.

2054: 2307:, pondering the rumoured return of The KLF, noted that "in the 25 years since their disappearance, nobody else has come up with anything that matches the duo's extraordinary career"; another piece in the same newspaper in the same year, by a different author, called them "abstruse" and "pop's greatest provocateurs", and their career "anarchic, anti-commercial and mostly ludicrous". 827:

King Boy D also said that he and Rockman Rock were "pissed off at selves" for letting "people expect us to lead some sort of crusade for sampling." In 1990, he recalled that "We wanted to make something that was... pure dance music, without any reference points, without any nod to the history of rock and roll. It was the type of music that by early '87 was really exciting

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not what. For the foreseeable future there will be no further record releases from The Justified Ancients of Mu Mu, The Timelords, The KLF and any other past, present and future name attached to our activities. As of now all our past releases are deleted .... If we meet further along be prepared ... our disguise may be complete.

1463:, was released on April 4 2022. Atkins began creating the documentary against Drummond's and Cauty's wishes, but was incarcerated in 2016 for tax fraud for two years; he continued editing the film while in prison. According to Atkins, the duo eventually claimed they "love" the film, though they pointed out some minor inaccuracies. 872: 2241:: "the music hasn't dated. I still get an adrenaline rush listening to it." Garratt believes their influence on the British house and rap scene cannot be overestimated. "Their attitude was shaped by the rave scene, but they also love pop music. So many people who make pop actually despise it, and it shows." 6433:

That this House calls on the Secretary of State for Transport to remove the huge white painted graffiti on the bridge over the M1 on the northbound carriageway just north of the M25 junction which reads – Its Grim Up North, or alternatively arrange to add the words, Gruesome in the Midlands, and Nowt

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s David Stubbs, "Jimmy has lived for 12 years. There's little evidence of fame or fortune. The kitchen is heated by means of leaving the three functioning gas rings on at full blast until the fumes make us all feel stoned... And pinned just above a working top cluttered with chipped mugs is a letter

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they have. Just the idea of starting over is exciting. Starting over on what? Well, they have such great ideas, like buying submarines". Even Kenny Gates, who as a director of the KLF's distributors APT stood to lose financially from the move, called it "Conceptually and philosophically... absolutely

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absurdity, pushed the excitement in the music to hysteria, traded content for ever-huger gesture. The difference being that the KLF never lost track of what made the music special in the first place. Maybe because there's less inherent 'meaning' in the KLF's music, or maybe just because the 'meaning'

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as applying "the possibilities for mass lunacy" to "awe-inpsiring, colossal, unprecedented dancefloor bulldozers." He adds: "For novelty scam-mongers and pranksters, they knew the public well, particularly that strain in British pop listening which likes an occasional brush with the gigantic. The KLF

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The name change accompanied a change in Drummond and Cauty's musical direction. As 'King Boy D', Drummond said in January 1988, "We might put out a couple of 12" records under the name The K.L.F., these will be rap free just pure dance music, so don't expect to see them reviewed in the music papers".

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had been issued but, as he recalled in 1990, "That only lasted three months, until I had an idea for a record and got dragged back into it all". Recalling that moment in a later interview, Drummond said that the plan came to him in an instant: he would form a hip-hop band with former colleague Cauty,

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We have been following a wild and wounded, glum and glorious, shit but shining path these past five years. The last two of which has led us up onto the commercial high ground – we are at a point where the path is about to take a sharp turn from these sunny uplands down into a netherworld of we know

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described the process: "When they did the remix of 'So Hard', they didn't do a remix at all, they re-wrote the record ... I had to go and sing the vocals again, they did it in a different way. I was impressed that Bill Drummond had written all the chords out and played it on an acoustic guitar, very

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It was New Year's Day... 1987. I was at home with my parents, I was going for a walk in the morning, it was, like, bright blue sky, and I thought "I'm going to make a hip-hop record. Who can I make a hip-hop record with?". I wasn't brave enough to go and do it myself, 'cause, although I can play the

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A myth like the KLF's is peculiarly omnivorous. Just as there can never be any evidence to disprove a conspiracy theory because the fabrication of such evidence – don't you see? – is itself part of the conspiracy, so the pop myth of the KLF can never be blown apart by anything they do, no

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film project was put on hold, and the KLF abandoned the musical direction of the soundtrack and single. Meanwhile, "What Time Is Love?" was generating acclaim within the underground clubs of continental Europe; according to KLF Communications, "The KLF were being feted by all the 'right' DJs". This

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referred to the KLF as "Britain's greatest pop group" and "the two most brilliant minds in pop today", and in 2002 listed the duo in their "Top 50 Icons" at number 48. The British music paper also listed the KLF's 1992 BRIT Awards appearance at number 4 in their "top 100 rock moments of all time".

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and public buildings" in which "the original meaning of the advert would be totally subverted". Much as the JAMs' early recordings carried messages on the back of existing musical works, their promotional graffiti often derived its potency from the context in which it was placed. For instance, The

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called it "the last grand gesture, the most heroic act of public self destruction in the history of pop. And it's also Bill Drummond and Jimmy Cauty's final extravagant howl of self disgust, defiance and contempt for a music world gone foul and corrupt." Many of the KLF's friends and collaborators

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followed in March 1991, reaching #3 in the UK. A substantial reworking of the aborted soundtrack, the album featured a segued series of "stadium house" songs followed by downtempo tracks.The KLF's chart success continued with the single "Last Train to Trancentral" hitting number two in the UK, and

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that "I really hate it when people go on about us being 'schemers' and 'scammers'. We do all this stuff from the very depths of our soul and people make out its some sort of game. It depresses me." Cauty has expressed similar feelings, saying of the KLF, "I think it worked because we really meant

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system that "The KLF have now left the music business". Later in the evening the band dumped the dead sheep, with the message "I died for you – bon appetit" tied around its waist, at the entrance to one of the post-ceremony parties. Piering's PA announcement was largely not taken seriously at the

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copies exist. The soundtrack album contained pop-house versions of some of the "pure trance" singles, as well as new songs, most of which would appear (in radically reworked form) on the version of the album which was eventually released to mainstream success. A single from the original album was

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soundtrack were re-recorded with rap and more vocals (by guests labelled "Additional Communicators"), a sample-heavy pop-rock production and crowd noise samples. The first "stadium house" single, "What Time Is Love? (Live from Trancentral)", released in October 1990, reached #5 on the UK Singles

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American police car, and "Lord Rock" (Cauty) and "Time Boy" (Drummond). The Timelords claimed that Ford Timelord was the "Talent" in the band and had given them instructions on how to make the record; Ford fronted the promotional campaign for the single and was "interviewed" on TV. The car would

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said of Drummond's KLF career that "the path he's trod is a more artistic one than mine. I know that deep down I like the idea of building up a very successful career, where Bill is more interested in weird stuff ... I think the very avoidance of cliché has become their particular cliché".

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When questioned on the importance that he attaches to this number, Drummond has been evasive, responding enigmatically "I know. But I'm not going to tell, because then other people would have to stop having to wonder and the thing about beauty is for other people to wonder at it. It's not very

1504:– were released under the label name "The Sound Of Mu(sic)". By the end of 1987 Drummond and Cauty had renamed their label to "KLF Communications" and, in October 1987, the first of many "information sheets" (self written missives from the KLF to fans and the media) was sent out by the label. 1366:

in 2018 that the People's Pyramid project, inspired by his brother's death, is serious: "It's easy to make it sound like a joke", he said, "but it isn't a joke, it's deadly serious and it's a long-term project." He also confirmed that The Justified Ancients of Mu Mu are a going concern: "It's

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reported the doubts of many when he said that "I had so many people who I know, heads of record companies, A&R men saying, 'Come on, It's a big scam.' But I firmly believe it's over". "For the very last spectacularly insane time", the magazine concluded, "The KLF have done what was least

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lawyers and vegetarians Extreme Noise Terror; Sheep were a symbol of the KLF, and Drummond conceded that the "sheep hacking" idea was akin to a suicide. Associates reasoned that the plan was to generate such revulsion towards the KLF that they would be ostracised from the music industry and a

582:. A later piece in the same magazine called the JAMs "the hottest, most exhilarating band this year .... It's hard to understand what it feels like to come across something you believe to be totally new; I have never been so wholeheartedly convinced that a band are so good and exciting." 2200:. Their anonymity, along with details such as their use of a Ford Timelord which was very similar to the original in their videos and promotional material, led some to believe that the FLK actually were the KLF. However, it emerged in 2018 that they were two ex-members of the Leeds-based 1355:". Ending their self-imposed moratorium, the festival included a debate asking "Why Did The K Foundation Burn A Million Quid?" The JAMs also announced new plans for a People's Pyramid to be built from bricks each containing 23 grams of human ashes. New bricks will be laid at the annual " 1929:), at which they were often costumed. They granted few interviews, communicating instead via semi-regular newsletters, or cryptically phrased full-page adverts in UK national newspapers and the music press. Such adverts were typically stark, comprising large white lettering on black. 1326:

since 1995; Cauty and Drummond are directors. The Directors' Report for the period ending 31 March 1996 listed the company's activities as "a music company," and the accompanying accounts noted a transaction with "KLF Communications Residual Royalties", a Cauty-Drummond partnership.

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had been the year of Bill's 'breakdown', when the KLF, perched on the peak of greater-than-ever success, quit the music business, (toy) machine gunned the tuxedo'd twats in the front row of that year's BRIT Awards ceremony and dumped a sheep's carcass on the steps at the after-show

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journalist and photographer with them, along with most of the remaining copies of the LP. They failed to meet ABBA, who they didn't realize already lived in Britain at the time, so they disposed of the copies by burning most of them in a field and throwing the rest overboard on the

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just a dawn away'." There have been numerous suggestions that in 1992 Drummond was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Drummond himself said that he was on the edge of the "abyss". The KLF's BRITs statuette for "Best British Group" of 1992 was later found buried in a field near

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s detailed piece on the events at the BRIT Awards and the after-party, which included an interview with Drummond the day after, assured readers that the "tensions and contradictions" would continue to "push and spark" the KLF and that more "musical treasure" would be the result.

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journalist that "we never felt we went out and did things to get reactions. Everything we've done has just been on a gut level instinct", whilst acknowledging that people would likely not believe him. On the morning after the BRITs performance, an impassioned Drummond told the

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wrote in 1993 that one of the KLF's "maxims" was "making the unthinkable happen". In 1999, Ewing wrote: "Even before they put their money where their matches were, the KLF, also known as the Justified Ancients Of Mu Mu, furthermore known as the JAMMS, were the most brilliant

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The film project was fraught with difficulties and setbacks, including dwindling funds. "Kylie Said to Jason", which Drummond and Cauty were hoping could "rescue them from the jaws of bankruptcy", flopped commercially, failing even to make the UK top 100. In consequence,

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Early in 1987, Drummond and Cauty's collaborations began. They assumed alter egos – King Boy D and Rockman Rock respectively – and adopted the name the Justified Ancients of Mu Mu (the JAMs), after the fictional conspiratorial group "The Justified Ancients of Mummu" from

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In significant dates during their work: for instance, a rare public appearance by the KLF, at the Liverpool Festival of Comedy, was on 23 June 1991; they announced the winner of the K Foundation award on 23 November 1993; and they burned one million pounds on 23 August

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After successive name changes and dance records, Drummond and Cauty ultimately became, as the KLF, the biggest-selling singles act in the world for 1991, still incorporating the work of other artists but in less gratuitous ways and predominantly without legal problems.

2232:"What's unique about Drummond and Cauty", the paper said in 1993, "is the way that, under all the slogans and the sampling and the smart hits and the dead sheep and the costumes, they appear not only to care, but to have some idea of how to achieve what they want." 1615:

beauty of their art, their most successful creation is the myth they have built around themselves." This deep and perplexing mythology, he suggested, results in all their subsequent activities (as a partnership or otherwise) being absorbed into their mystique:

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In numbering schemes: for instance, the debut single "All You Need Is Love" took the catalogue number JAMS 23, while the final KLF Communications Information Sheet was numbered 23; and Cauty's Ford Galaxie police car had on its roof the identification mark

1318:") – was also released as a single. These activities were accompanied by the usual full page press adverts, this time asking readers "***k The Millennium: Yes/No?" with a telephone number provided for voting. At the same time, Drummond and Cauty were also 1188:, or does their influence live on in unseen ways, permeating future cultures? A passing general of a private army has the answer. 'No', he whispers 'but the dust they gather is of the rarest quality. Each speck a universe awaiting creation, 784:. Sensing the opportunity to make a commercial pop record they went instead for the lowest common denominator. According to the British music press, the result was "rancid", "pure, unadulterated agony" and "excruciating" and from 6122:

that sheep – far from being the mindless, lazy animals of easy virtue that is their stereotype – are spiritually highly-evolved creatures who are totally at one with their universe. If you doubt this, just gaze at the cover of

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were recurring ceremonial themes: Drummond and Cauty made fires to dispose of their illegal debut album and to sacrifice the KLF's profits; their dead sheep gesture of 1992 carried a sacrificial message. The KLF's short film

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named the KLF's departure from the music business (and the BRITs performance in which the newspaper says "their legend was sealed") the fifth greatest "publicity stunt" in the history of popular music. A 2000 piece in

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was an arts foundation established by Drummond and Cauty in 1993 following their 'retirement' from the music industry. From 1993 to 1995 they engaged in art projects and media campaigns, including the high-profile

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was officially released as the fourth part of the series. The album's edition includes tracks from the unreleased 1989 album, as well as an extended version of "Last Train to Trancentral" from the 1991 album.

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album mixed by J. Gordon-Hastings using an analogue desk. The SSL is referenced in the subtitle of the KLF single "3 a.m. Eternal (Live at the S.S.L.)", and the title of their 2021 digital compilation albums

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of a "People's Pyramid" (in 1997, a pyramid built with as many bricks as there were births in the 20th century in the UK, and in 2017 a pyramid built from bricks containing the ashes of dead people).

1236:– a million pounds sterling in cash (equivalent to £2.35m as of 2022) – and filmed the performance. Cauty and Drummond announced a 23-year moratorium on all K Foundation activities in November 1995. 1992:: the coverage, the analysis, the facts" by painting a 'K' over the 'GU'. Drummond and Cauty were, on this occasion, caught at the scene by police and arrested, later to be released without charge. 1104:'s annual awards show. Drummond and Cauty had planned to throw buckets of blood over the audience, or to disembowel a dead sheep on stage, but were prevented from doing so due to opposition from 46: 2015:

on 21 October 1991. In September 1997, on the day after Drummond and Cauty's brief remergence as 2K, the graffiti "1997: What The Fuck's Going On?" appeared on the outside wall of London's

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revolves), and that it was "time for a revolution in my life. There is a mountain to climb the hard way, and I want to see the world from the top". In the same year he released a solo LP,

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Chart and hit the top-ten internationally. The follow-up, "3 a.m. Eternal (Live at the S.S.L.)", was an international top-five hit in January 1991, reaching #1 in the UK and #5 on the US

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The 12" records subsequently released in 1988 and 1989 by the KLF were indeed rap free and house-oriented; remixes of some of the JAMs tracks, and new singles, the largely instrumental

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expressed their respect for the KLF. Vocalist and percussionist Alice Nutter referred to the KLF as "real situationists" categorising them as political musicians alongside the

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into the audience and dumped a dead sheep at the aftershow party. This performance pre-announced the KLF's departure from the music business and, in May of that year, they

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The duo "The FLK" released two albums and several singles in the 2010s, appropriating the KLF's aesthetic and musical style and mixing it with samples and references from

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The JAMs re-edited and re-released "All You Need Is Love" in May 1987, removing or doctoring the most antagonistic samples; lyrics from the song appeared as promotional

1310:. These old reprobates, bearing a grandfatherly resemblance to messrs Cauty and Drummond, claimed to have just been asked along." The song performed at the Barbican – " 3372: 1345:

On 23 August 2017, in Liverpool, 23 years after they burnt a million pounds, Drummond and Cauty returned as the Justified Ancients of Mu Mu. The duo launched a novel,

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for "Kopyright Liberation Front", or "Kings of the Low Frequencies". Sleevenotes from 1991 said that Cauty and Drummond have "yet to find out what K.L.F. stands for".

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lauded the K Foundation, concluding "I think the things the KLF do are fantastic. I'm a vegetarian but I wish they'd sawn an elephant's legs off at the BRIT Awards."

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genre. The KLF released a series of international hits on their own KLF Communications record label and became the biggest selling singles act in the world in 1991.

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The final KLF Info sheet discussed the retirement in a typically offbeat fashion, and asked "What happens to 'Footnotes in rock legend'? Do they gather dust with

659:". Drummond has claimed that the KLF were later offered the job of producing or remixing a new Whitney Houston album as an inducement from her record label boss ( 815:

By the time the JAMs' single "Whitney Joins the JAMs" was released in September 1987, their record label had been renamed "KLF Communications" (from the earlier

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Jimmy and Bill aren't an art foundation any more. 'We're K2 Plant Hire,' announces Jimmy. 'We have been for two to three years. We're a limited company.'

4178: 3945: 2918: 2880: 2266:; they appeared to not give even the merest hint of a fuck; and they made records which were the best shotgun wedding of concept to rhythm this side of 1572:; combined, these themes, threads and their activities over the years have been said to form a "mythology." Drummond and Cauty made heavy references to 6021: 1681:

They announced they had signed a contract preventing either of them from publicly discussing the burning of a million pounds for a period of 23 years;

846:", the first incarnations of later international chart successes. The KLF described the new tracks as "Pure Trance". In 1989, the KLF appeared at the 639:" saw them leaving behind their strategy of "collision course" to "move straight onto the art of super selective theft". The song uses samples of the 4164: 418:, and rebooting an earlier campaign to build a "People's Pyramid". In January 2021, the band began uploading their previously deleted catalogue onto 3644: 1109:

comeback would be impossible. The dead sheep purchased but the plan thwarted, Drummond considered chopping his hand off with an axe live on stage.

823:" (KLF 002). Although the Justified Ancients of Mu Mu name was not retired, most future Drummond and Cauty releases went under the name "The KLF". 1995:

In November 1991, the JAMs placed a photograph of graffiti with the slogan "It's Grim Up North" – which had appeared on the junction of London's

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album was forcibly withdrawn from sale. Drummond and Cauty travelled to Sweden in hope of meeting ABBA and coming to some agreement, taking an

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avant-garde of the fifties and sixties." Drummond and Cauty "represent a vital and innovative strand within contemporary culture", he added.

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Bill Drummond explained the licensing situation – and inducements made by Arista – in an interview by Ernie Longmire, X Magazine, July 1991.

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channel, marking the first activity of Cauty and Drummond as the KLF since 1992. On 23 March 2021, the collection was followed by its part

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and music papers since the KLF's retirement, most often in connection with the K Foundation and their burning of one million pounds. The

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called the BRITs performance "violently antagonistic" and reported that the "music-business audience" was "stunned"; on the other hand,

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Drummond and Cauty's work often involved notions of ceremony and journey. Journeys are the subject of the KLF Communications recordings

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theme. After Cauty had laid down a basic track, Drummond observed that their house idea wasn't working and what they actually had was a

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of the decade. They were witty with the left hand and baffling with the right; they had a sense of timing and event like nobody since

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A K2 Plant Hire advertisement, exhibiting the stark quality of Drummond and Cauty's press adverts, and the characteristic typeface

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Several threads and themes unify the many incarnations of Drummond and Cauty's creative partnership, many of these influenced by

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reporter was in attendance to see Cauty reverse his car Ford Timelord alongside a billboard and stand on its roof to graffiti a

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the history of popular music, cutting chunks from existing works and pasting them into new contexts, underpinned by rudimentary

7923: 7358: 5668: 5378: 2536: 2473: 667:) to sign with them. The second single in this sequence – Drummond and Cauty's third and final single of 1987 – was " 624:

ferry trip home. In a December 1987 interview, Cauty maintained that they "felt that what 'd done was artistically justified."

6798: 2065:, they've voyaged to the bottom of time. They've been to the place where the Mu-Mu mate, and the children still cry 'Mine's a 1655:. In the first KLF Communications Info Sheet, Drummond explained that The Justified Ancients of Mu Mu name was "pinched" from 7943: 7072: 7049: 6153: 6118:

So what, you might ask, does this have to do with sheep? The KLF have discovered in working with the guest vocalist sheep on

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nicked the F from KLF. They're from a different tradition to us in that they're pranksters and we've never been pranksters."

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from the original release removed, and added "What Time Is Love? (Virtual Reality Mix)," originally from the 1990 remix EP

847: 641: 545: 7384: 1143:, but it was never finished. On 14 May 1992, the KLF announced their immediate retirement from the music industry and the 683:, with lyrics that commented on poverty and homelessness. These early works were later collected on the compilation album 568:". Although it was declined by distributors fearful of prosecution, and threatened with lawsuits, copies of the one-sided 7968: 7948: 7918: 5350: 5291: 792:

of the song was released: "Gary Joins the JAMs" featured original vocal contributions from Glitter, who also appeared on

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They later portrayed the song as the result of a deliberate effort to write a number one hit single. In interviews with

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had recurring roles in the duo's output until their 1992 retirement. Drummond has claimed that the use of sheep on the

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Two new singles followed on the JAMs' "KLF Communications" independent record label. Both reflected a shift towards

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This article is a first-hand account by freelance journalist Jim Reid, the only independent witness to the burning.

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from an automatic weapon over the heads of the crowd. As the band left the stage, the KLF's promoter and narrator

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the fifth best "dance" album of all time, describing Cauty's DJ sets with the Orb's Alex Paterson as "seminal".

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The 2017 reunion happened at 00:23 on 23 August 23 years after the burning, with the release of a book entitled

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reviewer Ira Robbins referred to the KLF's body of work as "a series of colorful sonic marketing experiments".

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In the weeks following the BRITs performance, the KLF continued working with Extreme Noise Terror on the album

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Drummond and Cauty were renowned for their distinctive and humorous public appearances (including several on

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On 17 September 1997, Drummond and Cauty re-emerged briefly as 2K. 2K made a one-off performance at London's

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but Homeless Folk in Cardboard Boxes in London, to restore a fair regional balance during the next election.

3706: 1030:", a hard, guitar-laden reworking of "What Time Is Love?". In 1990 and 1991, the KLF also remixed tracks by 7618: 4429: 4172: 3939: 2912: 2874: 1027: 676: 526: 7973: 7595: 6824: 4331: 565: 5599: 986:

Throughout 1990, the KLF launched a series of singles with an upbeat pop-house sound which they dubbed "

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Outside the UK, KLF releases were issued under licence by local labels. In the US, the licensees were

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Rimmer, L. (8 July 2001). "T in the Park: Greatest festival stories ever...". EG Magazine Edition.

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of Pet Shop Boys said that he considered the only other worthwhile group in the UK to be the KLF.

1970:

Music press journalists were occasionally invited to witness the defacements. In December 1987, a

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was burnt at a ceremony in which journalists were asked to wear yellow and grey robes and join a

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On 31 December 2020, the release of series of remastered compilations under the collective title

1319: 1257:("featuring The Massed Pipes and Drums of the Children's Free Revolutionary Volunteer Guards"). " 1254: 719: 405: 299: 76: 1727:

The pyramid was also a theme of the duo's 1997 and 2017 reunions, with the proposed building by

1314:" (a remix of "What Time Is Love?" featuring Acid Brass and incorporating elements of the hymn " 593: 's "single of the week") and the funds necessary to record their debut album. The album, 412:. Drummond and Cauty reappeared in 2017 as the Justified Ancients of Mu Mu, releasing the novel 7777: 7741: 7729: 7464: 7280: 7259: 7196: 2173: 2058: 2016: 1670:, placed overtly and surreptitiously, both in the book and later throughout the band's career: 1560:

and singles). The KLF Communications physical catalogue remains deleted in the United Kingdom.

1435: 1258: 1221: 1015: 788:"a record so noxious that a top ten place can be its only destiny". A single of the Timelords' 727: 636: 486: 459: 394: 6925: 4232: 4222: 2663: 1367:

interesting to be in a band that doesn't make records but only makes pyramids of dead people.

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to promote the song with the Timelords. "Doctorin' the Tardis" sold over one million copies.

694: 599:, was released in June 1987. Included was a song called "The Queen and I", which sampled the 463: 314: 7683: 7418: 7089: 6611: 4408: 3961:

Fried & Justified: Hits, Myths, Break-Ups and Breakdowns in the Record Business 1978-98

3825: 3616: 2603: 1951: 1915: 1455: 1283: 1093: 1022:. It was another international hit – peaking at number two in the UK, and number 11 on the 557: 363: 298:-heavy records as the JAMs. As the Timelords, they recorded the British number-one single " 20: 1129:

time; even he and other close associates of the band thought the announcement was a joke.

8: 7771: 7490: 7435: 7273: 7238: 7224: 7162: 7158: 6981: 6746: 6626: 5863: 5413: 5383: 5321: 5229: 4561: 4466: 3054: 3005: 2429: 2367: 2361: 2237: 2146: 1581: 1516: 1311: 1210: 899: 839: 807:, a step-by-step guide to achieving a number one hit single with little money or talent. 455: 409: 348: 215: 168: 86: 3242:"Return of the KLF: 'They were agents of chaos. Now the world they anticipated is here'" 1739:

Trancentral (a.k.a. the Benio) was the band's studios. Despite the grandiose lyrics of "

589:, defacing selected billboards. The re-release rewarded the JAMs with praise (including 312:(rave music with a pop-rock production and sampled crowd noise) and, with their 1990 LP 7837: 6986: 6963: 6887: 6518: 6236: 5770: 5442:"Why a pyramid of bricks containing the ashes of dead people is being built in Toxteth" 4962: 4607: 4201: 4116: 4094: 3931: 3645:"Prison, lawsuits and a glovebox of fake cash: the film the KLF didn't want you to see" 3560: 2904: 2690:"KLF co-founder Bill Drummond to rock Volume in Library of Birmingham Discovery Season" 2395: 2028: 1956: 1593: 1508: 1394: 1229: 1224:(for the "worst artist of the year"), and in 1993 released a limited edition single – " 856: 482: 219: 5086: 4850: 2899:(Sleeve notes: "History Rewritten: The KLF Biography – Autumn 1991"). The KLF. Japan: 2331:

drum machine. On later releases, the Greengate DS3 and Apple II were replaced with an

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At the time of the KLF's retirement announcement, Drummond's old friend and colleague

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The Ambient Century: From Mahler to Moby-The Evolution of Sound in the Electronic Age

4058: 3968: 3871: 3602: 3519: 3500: 3421: 3307: 3095: 2814: 2789: 2527: 2509: 2351: 2201: 2169: 2007:. The graffiti, for which the JAMs denied responsibility, had been the subject of an 1833: 1723:

icon, often depicted as an eye within a triangle or pyramid, a significant symbol of

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on "Justified & Ancient (Stand by The JAMs)" and "America: What Time Is Love?".

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The duo have released a small number of new tracks since 1992, as the K Foundation,

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on "3 a.m. Eternal" and "Make It Rain". The KLF track "America No More" features a

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2K's 23-minute performance at the Barbican Arts Centre, London, on 2 September 1997

6412: 5665: 5087:"K2 PLANT HIRE LIMITED – Overview (free company information from Companies House)" 2122:

added that "They have an incredibly recognisable sound. I liked it when they said

1699:. The numerals of the date – 23 August 2017 – also sum to 23 (2+3+0+8+2+0+1+7=23). 7411: 5893: 5885:, "Doctorin' Our Culture", published on the website of The Stewart Home Society ( 5870: 5672: 5414:"KLF's Jimmy Cauty: 'We don't make records, we make pyramids out of dead people'" 5108: 5017: 4160: 4074: 3840: 3187: 3059: 2387: 2343: 2263: 2032: 1925: 1862: 1486:

From their very earliest releases as The Justified Ancients of Mu Mu until their

1467: 1347: 1340: 1323: 1035: 794: 652: 414: 358: 6503: 5526:"The KLF add compilation including unreleased Jarvis Cocker collab to streaming" 4855:

For Cauty's actual words – a breakdown of The KLF's earnings and spending – see

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Cauty and Drummond's tactics have often been labelled by media commentators as "

7831: 7795: 7789: 7711: 7587: 7571: 7377: 7231: 6930: 6767: 6606: 6546: 5474: 5446: 5261:"The return of the KLF: pop's greatest provocateurs take on a post-truth world" 5155: 5122: 4727: 4633: 4550: 4457: 3081: 2866:(Media notes). The Moody Boys introduce Screamer. Love Records. 1991. EVOLR 3. 2518: 2254: 2162: 1960: 1896: 1608: 1551: 1430: 1386: 1249: 1125: 1062: 1039: 843: 723: 664: 443: 209: 5754: 5737: 4388: 4311: 7907: 7891: 7783: 7759: 7747: 7677: 7671: 7576: 7556: 7525: 7440: 7168: 7005: 6701: 6169: 6139: 5948: 5632: 4672: 4658: 4086: 3862: 3582: 3447: 3398: 3368: 3338: 3298: 3176: 2417: 2413: 2383: 2379: 2328: 2245: 2062: 1964: 1883: 1770: 1756: 1621:

matter how dumb or embarrassing. The myth will suck it up, like a black hole.

1573: 1524: 1262: 1121: 1043: 1019: 987: 975: 964: 954: 925: 889: 871: 758: 734: 604: 439: 382: 319: 309: 291: 283: 244: 145: 130: 26:"The JAMs" redirects here. For the waterfall in Lake County, California, see 6727: 5886: 5640: 3402: 1612: 325:

From the outset, the KLF adopted the philosophy espoused by esoteric novels

7867: 7801: 7723: 7659: 7647: 7641: 7546: 7452: 6829: 6576: 6523: 6289: 6259: 6209: 6088: 5944: 5915: 5906: 5882: 5853: 5799: 5790: 5691: 5623: 5577:"Watch the trailer for controversial new documentary 'Who Killed The KLF?'" 5502: 5296: 5265: 5131: 5036: 5013: 4988: 4902: 4880: 4810: 4754: 4701: 4662: 4340: 4262: 4034: 4000: 3901: 3671: 3477: 3246: 2296:

saw the KLF/K Foundation placed second in a list of "rock excesses", after

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called them "masters of manipulating media and perceptions of themselves".

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From the outset of their collaborations, Drummond and Cauty practised the

1243:

The KLF come out of retirement for 23 minutes to make an appearance as 2K.

1156:

In a comprehensive examination of the KLF's announcement and its context,

924:. In reference to that song, Drummond and Cauty noted that they had worn " 819:). The duo's first release as the KLF was in March 1988, with the single " 7717: 7629: 7266: 7173: 6921: 6017: 5831: 5661: 3802:(News item about the KLF turning down Whitney Houston). 16 November 1991. 3410: 3380: 2900: 2293: 2150: 2142: 2138: 2130: 2000: 1708: 1577: 1541: 1225: 1185: 1097: 1072: 911: 851: 773: 660: 628: 569: 553: 467: 447: 371: 367: 287: 249: 150: 135: 125: 7094: 3745: 2386:

semi-acoustic guitar on "America: What Time Is Love?", and Cauty played

1711:

frequently and prominently depicted within the duo's collective work: a

776:, Drummond said that they had intended to make a house record using the 7879: 7873: 7705: 7699: 7635: 7551: 7515: 7404: 7351: 7033: 6250: 6022:"Is the dollar bill's eye-on-a-pyramid the symbol of a secret society?" 4667: 4054: 3123: 2580: 2455: 2347: 2217: 2197: 2185: 2123: 2115: 1900: 1828: 1390: 1307: 1291: 1194: 1181: 1169: 907: 903: 880: 835: 831:... we weren't able to get our first KLF records out until late '88." 803: 685: 534: 530: 304: 4750:"Terror strikes at the Turner Prize / Art at its very best (or worst)" 2289: 1279:: "Humans against killing... that sounds like a junkie against dope". 1060:

The "stadium house" singles trilogy was characterised by Tom Ewing of

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writing shortly after the performance called the KLF "pop's biggest

576:; it received positive reviews and was made "single of the week" in 7861: 7855: 7849: 7843: 7819: 7807: 7765: 7753: 7689: 6315: 5418: 5379:"The KLF Announce Plans to Build Pyramid Out of 34,592 Dead People" 5326: 5164: 4524: 3769:

Drummond, Bill (September 1991). "Bomlagadafshipoing" (Interview).

3703:"Discography: The KLF (including The JAMS, The Timelords, 2K etc.)" 2608: 2560: 2420:

drum machine feature on "What Time Is Love (Live at Trancentral)".

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JAMs' "SHAG SHAG SHAG" graffiti, coinciding with their release of "

1937: 1892: 1531: 1494:

in their home country (the UK). Their debut releases – the single "

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prompted Drummond and Cauty to pursue the acid house tone of their

586: 27: 5351:"The KLF unveil plans to build a pyramid from dead people's ashes" 5192:"The Ice Kream Van Kometh: The Justified Ancients Of Mu Mu Return" 4066: 2979:"Turn Up The Strobe: The KLF, The Jams, The Timelords – A History" 2611:

website. A fuller set of references are available in the article "

2378:

and the KLF involved much original instrumentation, for which the

1803:

from a five-year-old fan featuring a crayon drawing of the band."

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Turn Up The Strobe: The KLF, The JAMMs, The Timelords – A History

4018: 3702: 3587: 2638:"The KLF Confirm 2017 Reunion as the Justified Ancients of Mu Mu" 2297: 2259: 2061:", with a quote from the lyrics: "They travel the world in their 1815:(the press release for which credited sheep as guest vocalists), 1716: 1712: 1412: 1356: 1200: 950: 769: 538: 274:

and other names) are a British electronic band who originated in

5619:"KLF donate copy of reconstructed 1987 album to British Library" 5160:"The KLF return 23 years after bowing out of the music industry" 2165:, being sampled on virtually every album Scooter have released. 2161:

The KLF have been imitated to some degree by German techno band

6478: 4336:"The KLF are back (sort of) – and it's exactly what 2017 needs" 3770: 2106:

listed it as the 89th best British album of all time, in 2000.

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The KLF's 'Trancentral' logo: speakers arranged in a 'T' shape.

478: 356:) and the mainstream press, as well as unusual performances on 302:", and documented the process of making a hit record in a book 279: 106: 7038:

The KLF: Chaos, Magic and the Band who Burned a Million Pounds

4133:"Beam Me Up, Scotty – How to have a number one (The JAMs way)" 474:– an act that Drummond had signed to WEA Records and managed. 7653: 7109: – including a list of their references to the number 23 5827:"Embrace The Contradictions: The Strange World Of... The KLF" 2382:

analogue synthesiser was prominently used. Drummond played a

1904: 1816: 1272: 801:

The Timelords released one other product, a 1989 book called

789: 6799:"75. The Justified Ancients of Mu Mu – "It's Grim Up North"" 1936:

tactic that they described as "illegal but effective use of

1302:; a performance at which "Two elderly gentlemen, reeking of 5292:"KLF Welcome to the Dark Ages review – what time is chaos?" 5185: 5183: 3580:

Didcock, Barry (21 October 2001). "Bitter Swede symphony".

1869:, Drummond expressed his admiration for the work of artist 1824: 1519:) in the South East of England, and across the wider UK by 1113: 860:

some years later, "by pelting them with... £1,000 worth of

600: 549: 7112: 6655:. Norwich, UK: Pam Communications Limited. pp. 16–17. 5223: 5221: 5219: 3182:"Shelf life: Bill Drummond reviews his own back catalogue" 1982:

journalist watched the KLF deface a billboard advertising

1592:, and tactics often interpreted by media commentators as " 504:

and they would be called the Justified Ancients of Mu Mu:

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For a general overview see: "The 1980s AIDS campaign" by

1482:

The Pyramid Blaster – the logo of KLF Communications

1411:

were published for the first time on the band's official

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Credited on the record was "Ford Timelord", Cauty's 1968

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in 1992, the music of Bill Drummond and Jimmy Cauty was

541:, of social commentary, esoteric metaphors and mockery. 477:

In July 1986, Drummond resigned from his position as an

6474:"50 greatest dance albums – No. 5, Chill Out – The KLF" 5216: 3804:

Archived (via the Library of Mu) on September 16, 2016.

3557:"The KLF Biography as of 20th July 1990 (KLF BIOG 012)" 3277: 2462:

The Justified Ancients of Mu Mu/The KLF/The Timelords:

2453:

The Justified Ancients of Mu Mu/The KLF/The Timelords:

2216:

Drummond and Cauty have appeared frequently in British

2022: 1603:, and an appraisal of the duo's career to date, writer 1397:. The 30-minute collection of eight remastered singles 1247:

Also in 1995, Drummond and Cauty contributed a song to

1071:

did to rock – they turned it into a thing of tottering

635:, the JAMs' choice of samples for the first of these, " 6752: