The KLF
Background information
Also known as	The Justified Ancients of Mu Mu, The JAMs, The Timelords
Origin	London, England
Genre(s)	Techno House Acid house Trance Ambient house Alternative rock
Years active	1987–1992, 1995, 1997
Label(s)	KLF Communications, Arista, and other international licensees
Former members
Bill Drummond Jimmy Cauty

The KLF (also known as The Justified Ancients of Mu Mu (The JAMs), The Timelords and other names) were one of the seminal bands of the British acid house movement during the late 1980s and early 1990s. KLF has many meanings, including: KLF Designs, a web design company based in Delaware, USA. Keith Fowles KLF Insurance Brokers of Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK. The KLF, Kirke & Mediers company of Denmark. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (928x1371, 176 KB)This image is owned by KLF Communications and was used as a promotional shot of The KLF and inside the CD booklet of their album The White Room. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Techno is a form of electronic dance music that became prominent in Detroit, Michigan during the mid-1980s with influences from electro, New Wave, Funk and futuristic fiction themes that were prevalent and relative to modern culture during the end of the Cold War in industrial America at that time. ... House music is a style of electronic dance music that was developed by dance club DJs in Chicago in the early to mid-1980s. ... For the 1994 novel by Irvine Welsh, see The Acid House. ... Trance is a style of electronic music that developed in the 1990s. ... Ambient music refers to a kind of music that envelops the listener without drawing attention to itself [1] // The term ambient music was first coined by Brian Eno in the mid-1970s to refer to music that can be either actively listened to with attention or as easily ignored, depending... Alternative music redirects here. ... In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. ... In the UK, The KLF and their incarnations released an array of 12 singles and albums on their own independent record label KLF Communications. ... Arista redirects here. ... William Ernest Drummond[1] (Bill Drummond) (born April 29, 1953, Butterworth, South Africa)[2][3] is a Scottish musician, music industry figure, writer and artist. ... James Cauty, Jimmy or Jimi, also known as Rockman Rock, was born in Devon, England in 1956 and not much is known about him until, as a 17-year old artist, he painted a popular Lord of the Rings poster (and later, a counterpart based on The Hobbit) for Athena. ... For the 1994 novel by Irvine Welsh, see The Acid House. ...

Beginning in 1987, Bill Drummond (alias King Boy D) and Jimmy Cauty (alias Rockman Rock) released hip hop-inspired and sample-heavy records as The Justified Ancients of Mu Mu, and on one occasion (the British number one hit single "Doctorin' the Tardis") as The Timelords. As The KLF, Drummond and Cauty pioneered the genres "stadium house" (rave music with a pop-rock production and sampled crowd noise) and "ambient house". The KLF released a series of international top-ten hits on their own KLF Communications record label, and became the biggest-selling singles act in the world for 1991. The duo also published a book, The Manual, and worked on a road movie called The White Room. William Ernest Drummond[1] (Bill Drummond) (born April 29, 1953, Butterworth, South Africa)[2][3] is a Scottish musician, music industry figure, writer and artist. ... James Cauty, Jimmy or Jimi, also known as Rockman Rock, was born in Devon, England in 1956 and not much is known about him until, as a 17-year old artist, he painted a popular Lord of the Rings poster (and later, a counterpart based on The Hobbit) for Athena. ... Hip hop music is a style of music which came into existence in the United States during the mid-1970s, and became a large part of modern pop culture during the 1980s. ... This article is about reusing existing sound recordings in creating new works. ... A collection of various CD singles In music, a single is a short recording of one or more separate tracks. ... “The Timelords” redirects here. ... Rave music consists of forms of electronic music for dancing that are associated with the rave scene. ... Ambient house, a mix between house music and ambient music is a music style that describes itself as dreamy, chill out and quiet music. ... In the UK, The KLF and their incarnations released an array of 12 singles and albums on their own independent record label KLF Communications. ... The Manual (How to Have a Number One the Easy Way) is a 1988 book by The Timelords (Bill Drummond and Jimmy Cauty), better known as The KLF. It is a tongue-in-cheek step by step guide to achieving a No. ... The KLF released three long form videos during their career - Waiting, The Rites of Mu, and The Stadium House Trilogy. ...

From the outset, they adopted the philosophy espoused by esoteric novels The Illuminatus! Trilogy, gaining notoriety for various anarchic situationist manifestations, including the defacement of billboard adverts, the posting of prominent cryptic advertisements in NME magazine and the mainstream press, and highly distinctive and unusual performances on Top of the Pops. Their most notorious performance was at the February 1992 BRIT Awards, where they fired machine gun blanks into the audience and dumped a dead sheep at the aftershow party. This performance announced The KLF's departure from the music business, and in May 1992 the duo deleted their entire back catalogue. “Illuminatus” redirects here. ... Anarchist redirects here. ... The Situationist International (SI) was a small group of international political and artistic agitators with roots in Marxism, Lettrism and the early 20th century European artistic and political avant-gardes. ... Vandalism is the conspicuous defacement or destruction of a structure, a symbol or anything else that goes against the will of the owner/governing body. ... For other uses, see NME (disambiguation). ... Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, was a long-running British music chart television programme, made and broadcast by the BBC. It was originally shown each week, mostly on BBC One, from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006. ... The Brit Awards are the annual United Kingdom pop music awards founded by the British Phonographic Industry. ... A machine gun is a fully-automatic firearm that is capable of firing bullets in rapid succession. ... Blank cartridges, as used in nail guns Yugoslavian 7. ... Species See text. ...

With The KLF's profits, Drummond and Cauty established the K Foundation and sought to subvert the art world, staging an alternative art award for the worst artist of the year and burning a million pounds sterling in The K Foundation burn a million quid. Although Drummond and Cauty remained true to their word of May 1992—the KLF Communications catalogue remains deleted—they have released a small number of new tracks since then, as the K Foundation, The One World Orchestra and most recently, in 1997, as 2K. The K Foundation was an arts foundation set up by Bill Drummond and Jimmy Cauty in 1993 following their retirement from the music industry. ... The art world is all artists and non-artists involved in the production, commission, preservation, promotion, and sale of art. ... The 1994 K Foundation award was an award given by the K Foundation to the worst artist of the year. ... GBP redirects here. ... On 23 August 1994, the K Foundation (Bill Drummond and Jimmy Cauty) burnt one million pounds sterling in cash on the Scottish island of Jura. ... The Help Album is a 1995 charity album, bringing together many contemporary British and Irish artists, with all proceeds going to the War Child charitys aid efforts in war-torn Bosnia and Herzegovina. ... 2K has several uses including: As a number 2K can mean 2,000 or, in binary, 2,048. ...

History

In 1986, Bill Drummond was an established figure within the British music industry, having co-founded Zoo Records,^[1] played guitar in the Liverpool band Big in Japan,^[2] and worked as manager of Echo & the Bunnymen and The Teardrop Explodes.^[3] On 21 July of that year, he resigned from his position as an A&R man at record label WEA, citing that he was nearly 33⅓ years old (33⅓ revolutions per minute being significant to Drummond as the speed at which a vinyl LP 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".^[4] He released a well-received solo LP, The Man, judged by reviewers as "tastefully understated,"^[5] a "touching if idiosyncratic biographical statement"^[6] encapsulating "his bizarrely sage ruminations",^[7] and "a work of humble genius: the best kind".^[6] William Ernest Drummond[1] (Bill Drummond) (born April 29, 1953, Butterworth, South Africa)[2][3] is a Scottish musician, music industry figure, writer and artist. ... The music industry is the industry that creates, performs, promotes, and preserves music. ... Zoo Label:Uncaged, a 1995 compilation of Zoo releases. ... For other uses, see Liverpool (disambiguation). ... Image:Bij. ... Echo & the Bunnymen are an English post-punk group, formed in Liverpool in 1978. ... The Teardrop Explodes (L to R) Alan Gill, Julian Cope, Gary Dwyer and David Balfe The Teardrop Explodes was a British New Wave/Neo-Psychedelic band formed in Liverpool in 1978. ... is the 202nd day of the year (203rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... In the music industry, Artists and Repertoire (A&R) is the division of a record label company that is responsible for scouting and artist development. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... For other uses, see Revolutions per minute (disambiguation). ... A 12-inch record (left), a 7-inch record (right), and a CD (above) Two 7 singles (left), two colored 7 singles (middle), and two 7 singles with large spindle holes (right). ... The Man is an album recorded and released by Scottish musician and music industry figure Bill Drummond in 1986. ...

Artist and musician Jimmy Cauty was, in 1986, the guitarist in the commercially unsuccessful three-piece band Brilliant^[5] — an act that Drummond had signed to WEA Records and managed.^[8] Cauty and Drummond shared an interest in the esoteric conspiracy novels The Illuminatus! Trilogy, and, in particular, their theme of Discordianism, a form of post-modern anarchism. As an art student in Liverpool, Drummond had been involved with the set design for the first stage production of The Illuminatus! Trilogy, a 12-hour performance which opened in Liverpool on 23 November 1976.^[9][10] James Cauty, Jimmy or Jimi, also known as Rockman Rock, was born in Devon, England in 1956 and not much is known about him until, as a 17-year old artist, he painted a popular Lord of the Rings poster (and later, a counterpart based on The Hobbit) for Athena. ... For other uses, see Guitar (disambiguation). ... Brilliant were a British pop/rock group active in the 1980s. ... Look up Esotericism in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... For other uses, see Conspiracy theory (disambiguation). ... “Illuminatus” redirects here. ... Discordianism is a modern, chaos-centered religion founded circa 1958–1959 by Malaclypse the Younger with the publication of its principal text, the Principia Discordia. ... is the 327th day of the year (328th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1976 Pick up sticks(MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

1987 (What the Fuck Is Going On?), Drummond & Cauty's debut album

Re-reading Illuminatus! in late 1986, and influenced by hip-hop, Drummond felt inspired to react against what he perceived to be the stagnant soundscape of popular music. Recalling that moment in a later radio interview, Drummond said that the plan came to him in an instant: he would form a hip-hop band with former colleague Jimmy Cauty, and they would be called The Justified Ancients of Mu Mu. Image File history File links The_JAMS-_1987_(What_The_Fuck_Is_Going_On?).jpg Summary Cover of JAMS LP1 Fair use claimed - record cover to illustrate article about the Recording and the KLF discography Licensing This image is of a music album or single cover, and the copyright for it is most likely owned by... Image File history File links The_JAMS-_1987_(What_The_Fuck_Is_Going_On?).jpg Summary Cover of JAMS LP1 Fair use claimed - record cover to illustrate article about the Recording and the KLF discography Licensing This image is of a music album or single cover, and the copyright for it is most likely owned by... 1987 (What The Fuck Is Going On?) was the debut album by the Justified Ancients of Mu Mu (The JAMs) and a landmark release in the early history of sampling. ...

The Justified Ancients of Mu Mu

The sleeve of "All You Need Is Love", depicting a billboard with "Shag Shag Shag" graffiti

Early in 1987, Drummond and Cauty's collaborations began. They assumed alter egos - King Boy D and Rockman Rock respectively - and they adopted the name The Justified Ancients of Mu Mu (The JAMs), after the fictional conspiratorial group "The Justified Ancients of Mummu" from The Illuminatus! Trilogy. In those novels, the JAMs are what the Illuminati (a political organisation which seeks to impose order and control upon society) call a group of Discordians who have infiltrated the Illuminati in order to feed them false information. As The Justified Ancients of Mu Mu, Drummond and Cauty chose to interpret the principles of the fictional JAMs in the context of music production in the corporate music world. Shrouded in the mystique provided by their disguised identities and the cultish Illuminatus!, they mirrored the Discordians' gleeful political tactics of causing chaos and confusion by bringing a direct, humorous but nevertheless revolutionary approach to making records, often attracting attention in unconventional ways. The JAMs' primary instrument was the digital sampler with which they would plagiarise the history of popular music, cutting chunks from existing works and pasting them into new contexts, underpinned by rudimentary beatbox rhythms and overlayed with Drummond's raps, of social commentary, esoteric metaphors and mockery. Image File history File links The_Justified_Ancients_of_Mu_Mu-_All_You_Need_Is_Love. ... Image File history File links The_Justified_Ancients_of_Mu_Mu-_All_You_Need_Is_Love. ... All You Need Is Love is a song by The Justified Ancients of Mu Mu, independently released as their debut single on 9 March 1987. ... For other uses, see Illuminati (disambiguation). ... An AKAI MPC2000 sampler Playing a Yamaha SU10 Sampler A sampler is an electronic music instrument closely related to a synthesizer. ... For other uses, see Plagiarism (disambiguation). ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Rap redirects here. ...

The JAMs' debut single "All You Need Is Love" (sample (help· info)) dealt with the media coverage given to AIDS, sampling heavily from The Beatles' "All You Need Is Love" and Samantha Fox's "Touch Me (I Want Your Body)". Although it was declined by distributors fearful of prosecution, and threatened with lawsuits, copies of the one-sided white label 12" were sent to the music press, receiving positive reviews and being made "single of the week" in Sounds.^[12] 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."^[13] All You Need Is Love is a song by The Justified Ancients of Mu Mu, independently released as their debut single on 9 March 1987. ... Image File history File links The_JAMs_-_All_You_Need_Is_Love_(excerpt). ... For other uses, see AIDS (disambiguation). ... The White Album, see The Beatles (album). ... Music sample All You Need Is Love ( file info) Problems? See media help. ... This article is about the English model and singer; for the American erotic actress, see Samantha Fox (porn star). ... Samantha Fox The first hit for Samantha Fox. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Promotional recording. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Music critic. ... Sounds was a British music magazine, published weekly from October 10, 1970 – April 6, 1991. ...

The back cover of Who Killed The JAMs? : a photograph of the bonfire of illegal 1987 discs

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 graffiti, defacing selected billboards. The re-release rewarded The JAMs not just with further praise (including NME´s "single of the week",^[14]) but also with the funds necessary to record their debut album. The album, 1987 (What the Fuck Is Going On?), was released in June 1987. Included was a song called "The Queen and I" (sample (help· info)), which sampled large portions of the ABBA single "Dancing Queen".^[15] The recording came to the attention of ABBA's management and, after a legal showdown with ABBA^[16] and the Mechanical-Copyright Protection Society,^[17] the 1987 album was forcibly withdrawn from sale. Drummond and Cauty travelled to Sweden in hope of meeting ABBA and coming to some agreement, taking an NME journalist and photographer with them, along with most of the remaining copies of the LP.^[18] They failed to meet ABBA, so disposed of the copies by burning most of them in a field and throwing the rest overboard on the North Sea ferry trip home. In a December 1987 interview, Cauty maintained that they "felt that what [they]'d done was artistically justified."^[19] Image File history File links The_JAMS-_Who_Killed_The_JAMS?_(rear). ... Image File history File links The_JAMS-_Who_Killed_The_JAMS?_(rear). ... Who Killed The JAMS? was the second album by the Justified Ancients of Mu Mu (The JAMs). ... For other uses, see Graffiti (disambiguation). ... 1987 (What The Fuck Is Going On?) was the debut album by the Justified Ancients of Mu Mu (The JAMs) and a landmark release in the early history of sampling. ... Image File history File links The_JAMs_-_The_Queen_and_I_(excerpt). ... Abba redirects here. ... Dancing Queen is the biggest hit single recorded by Swedish pop group ABBA, and as such is considered to be their signature song. ... The Mechanical-Copyright Protection Society (MCPS) is the United Kingdom body responsible for collecting and distributing royalties to composers, songwriters and publishers for recording of copyrighted music onto many different formats. ... The North Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean, located between the coasts of Norway and Denmark in the east, the coast of the British Isles in the west, and the German, Dutch, Belgian and French coasts in the south. ...

Two new singles followed 1987, on The JAMs' "KLF Communications" independent record label. Both reflected a shift towards house rhythms. According to NME, The JAMs' choice of samples for the first of these, "Whitney Joins The JAMs" saw them leaving behind their strategy of "collision course" to "move straight onto the art of super selective theft".^[20] The song uses samples of the Mission: Impossible theme alongside Whitney Houston's "I Wanna Dance With Somebody". Ironically, 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 (Clive Davis of Arista Records) to sign with them.^[21][22][23] Drummond turned the job down, but nonetheless The KLF signed with Arista as their American distributors. The second single in this sequence—Drummond and Cauty's third and final single of 1987—was "Down Town", a dance record built around a gospel choir and "Downtown" by 1960s star Petula Clark.^[24] These early works were later collected on the compilation album Shag Times. House music is a style of electronic dance music that was developed by dance club DJs in Chicago in the early to mid-1980s. ... Whitney Joins The JAMs is a song and 1987 single by The Justified Ancients of Mu Mu (The JAMs). ... Mission: Impossible is the name of an American television series which aired on the CBS network from September 1966 to September 1973. ... Whitney Elizabeth Houston (born August 9, 1963) is a six-time Grammy award winning, American R&B singer, soprano, pianist, actress, film producer, and former model. ... I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me) is the first single from Whitney Houstons second studio album Whitney, released in May 1987. ... Clive Jay Davis (born April 4, 1932) is a Grammy Award winning record producer and a leading music industry executive. ... Arista redirects here. ... Down Town was the final release of 1987 by The Justified Ancients of Mu Mu (The JAMs). ... Gospel music refers to the religious music that first came out of African-American churches in the first quarter of the twentieth century or, more loosely, to both black gospel music and to the religious music composed and sung by predominately white Southern Gospel artists. ... Downtown is a pop song composed by Tony Hatch following a first-time visit to New York City. ... Petula Clark, CBE (born 15 November 1932), is an English singer, actress and composer best known for her upbeat popular international hits of the 1960s. ... Shag Times, sometimes called Shag Times (Circa 1987), is a UK compilation and remix double album released in 1989 by The Justified Ancients of Mu Mu (The JAMs). ...

A second album, Who Killed The JAMs? (sample (help· info)), was released in early 1988. Who Killed The JAMs? was a rather less haphazard affair than 1987, earning the duo at least one five-star review (from Sounds Magazine, who called it "a masterpiece of pathos".^[25]) Who Killed The JAMS? was the second album by the Justified Ancients of Mu Mu (The JAMs). ... Image File history File links The_JAMs_-_Burn_the_Bastards_(excerpt). ... See also: Musical groups established in 1988 Record labels established in 1988 // Peter Ruzicka becomes director of the Hamburg State Opera and State Philharmonic Orchestra. ...

The Timelords

In 1988, Drummond and Cauty became "Time Boy" and "Lord Rock", and released a 'novelty' pop single, "Doctorin' the Tardis" (sample (help· info)) as The Timelords. The song is predominantly a mash-up of the Doctor Who theme music and Gary Glitter's "Rock and Roll (Part Two)", with sparse vocals inspired by The Daleks and Harry Enfield's "Loadsamoney" character. "Doctorin' the Tardis" reached number one in the UK Singles Chart on 12 June, and charted highly in Australia and New Zealand. A novelty song is a usually intentionally humorous song, usually in published or recorded form. ... “The Timelords” redirects here. ... Image File history File links The_Timelords_-_Doctorin'_the_Tardis_(excerpt). ... The tone or style of this article or section may not be appropriate for Wikipedia. ... The Doctor Who theme music was created in 1963, composed by Ron Grainer and realised with electronics by Delia Derbyshire of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop. ... Paul Francis Gadd aka Gary Glitter (born May 8, 1944) is a platinum selling English rock and pop singer and songwriter who had a string of chart successes with a collection of 1970s glam rock hits including Rock and Roll parts 1 & 2, I Love You Love Me Love, I... Rock and Roll, also known as The Hey Song, is a song performed by British glam rocker Gary Glitter that was released in 1972 as a single and on the album Glitter. ... For other uses, see Dalek (disambiguation). ... Harry Enfield (born 30 May 1961 in Sussex, England) is an English comedian. ... “British Hit Singles” redirects here. ... is the 163rd day of the year (164th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

"Doctorin' the Tardis" (KLFCD 003)

Also credited on the record was "Ford Timelord", Cauty's 1968 Ford Galaxie American police car (claimed to have been used in the film Superman IV filmed in the UK). Drummond and Cauty declared that the car had spoken to them, giving its name as Ford Timelord, and advising the duo to become "The Timelords". Image File history File links The_Timelords-_Doctorin'_The_Tardis_(UK_CDV). ... Image File history File links The_Timelords-_Doctorin'_The_Tardis_(UK_CDV). ... “The Timelords” redirects here. ... In the UK, The KLF and their incarnations released an array of 12 singles and albums on their own independent record label KLF Communications. ... 1966 Ford Galaxie 7 Litre Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Ford Galaxie For other uses, see Galaxie (disambiguation). ... Superman IV: The Quest For Peace is a 1987 film, the last of the Superman theatrical movies. ...

Drummond and Cauty would later portray the song as the result of a deliberate effort to write a number one hit single. However, in interviews with Snub TV and BBC Radio 1,^[26] Drummond said that the truth was that they had intended to make a house record using the Dr Who 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 Glitter beat. Sensing the opportunity to make a commercial pop record they abandoned all notions of underground credibility and went instead for the lowest common denominator. According to the British music press, the result was "rancid",^[27] "pure, unadulterated agony" and "excruciating"^[28] and—in something of a backhanded compliment from the normally supportive Sounds Magazine—"a record so noxious that a top ten place can be its only destiny".^[27] They were right: the record went on to sell over one million copies.^[29] A single of The Timelords' remixes of the song was released: "Gary Joins The JAMs" featured original vocal contributions from Glitter himself, who also appeared on Top of the Pops to promote the song with The Timelords. Snub TV or simply Snub was a British alternative culture television programme of the late 1980s. ... BBC Radio 1 (commonly referred to as just Radio 1) is a British national radio station operated by the BBC, specialising in popular music and speech and is aimed primarily at the 14-29[1] age group. ... Paul Francis Gadd aka Gary Glitter (born May 8, 1944) is a platinum selling English rock and pop singer and songwriter who had a string of chart successes with a collection of 1970s glam rock hits including Rock and Roll parts 1 & 2, I Love You Love Me Love, I... Underground music is music which has developed a cult following, independent of commercial success. ... A remix is an alternative version of a song, different from the original version. ... Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, was a long-running British music chart television programme, made and broadcast by the BBC. It was originally shown each week, mostly on BBC One, from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006. ...

The Timelords released one other product, a 1989 book called The Manual (How to Have a Number One the Easy Way), a tongue-in-cheek but nonetheless insightful step-by-step guide to achieving a number one hit single with little money or talent. The Manual (How to Have a Number One the Easy Way) is a 1988 book by The Timelords (Bill Drummond and Jimmy Cauty), better known as The KLF. It is a tongue-in-cheek step by step guide to achieving a No. ...

The KLF

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 "The Sound of Mu(sic)"). However, the duo's first release as The KLF was not until March 1988, with the single "Burn the Bastards"/"Burn the Beat" (KLF 002). Although the Justified Ancients of Mu Mu name was not yet retired, most future Drummond and Cauty releases would go under the name "The KLF". Burn the Bastards is a 1988 song by Bill Drummond and Jimmy Cauty as The Justified Ancients of Mu Mu (The JAMs), from their second and final album Who Killed The JAMs?. The bastards of the title are copies of The JAMs first album, 1987 (What the Fuck Is Going...

The name change accompanied a change in Drummond and Cauty's musical direction. Said Drummond (as 'King Boy D') 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". King Boy D also claimed that he and Rockman Rock were "pissed off at [them]selves" for letting "people expect us to lead some sort of crusade for sampling".^[30] In 1990 he recalled that "We wanted to make [as The KLF] 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 me ... [although] we weren't able to get our first KLF records out until late '88".^[26]

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 acid house anthems "What Time Is Love?" (sample (help· info)) and "3 a.m. Eternal", the first incarnations of later international chart successes. The KLF described the sound of these new tracks as "Pure Trance". In 1989, The KLF appeared at the Helter Skelter rave in Oxfordshire. "They wooed the crowd", wrote Scotland on Sunday some years later, "by pelting them with... £1,000 worth of Scottish pound notes which each bore the message "Children we love you"".^[31] For the 1994 novel by Irvine Welsh, see The Acid House. ... What Time Is Love? is a song and - in different mixes - a series of singles by acid house pioneers The KLF. What Time Is Love? is one of the landmark songs of The KLFs career and, in its original form, an acid house anthem. ... Image File history File links The_KLF_-_What_Time_Is_Love_(Pure_Trance_version)_(excerpt). ... 3 a. ... // Helter Skelter are one of the longest running dance music promoters in the UK, who specialise in promoting superparties for thousands of people (as opposed to running a regular night at a club). ... Oxfordshire (abbreviated Oxon, from the Latinised form Oxonia) is a county in the South East of England, bordering on Northamptonshire, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Wiltshire, Gloucestershire, and Warwickshire. ... The Scotsman is a Scottish newspaper published in Edinburgh. ... Sterling banknotes are the banknotes of the United Kingdom and British Islands, denominated in pounds sterling (GBP). ...

Also in 1989, The KLF embarked upon the creation of a road movie and soundtrack album, both titled The White Room, funded by the profits of "Doctorin' The Tardis".^[32] Neither the film nor its soundtrack were formally released, although bootleg copies of both 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 (albeit in radically reworked form) on the version of the album which was eventually released to mainstream success. A single from the original album was released, however: "Kylie Said To Jason" (sample (help· info)), an electropop record featuring references to Todd Terry, Rolf Harris, Skippy the Bush Kangaroo and BBC comedy programme The Good Life. In reference to that song, Drummond and Cauty noted that they had worn "Pet Shop Boys infatuations brazenly on [their] sleeves".^[33] For other uses, see Road Movie (disambiguation). ... A soundtrack album is any album that incorporates music from a particular feature film. ... The KLF released three long form videos during their career - Waiting, The Rites of Mu, and The Stadium House Trilogy. ... For other uses, see Bootleg. ... The KLF (also known as The Justified Ancients of Mu Mu (The JAMs), The Timelords and other names) were one of the seminal bands of the British acid house movement during the late 1980s and early 1990s. ... Image File history File links The_KLF_-_Kylie_Said_to_Jason_(excerpt). ... Electropop (also called Technopop) is a form of synth pop music that is made with synthesizers, and which first flourished from 1978 to 1981. ... Todd Terry (born 12 November 1966 in Brooklyn, New York) is an American DJ and music producer and remixer, one of the producers who helped to define New Yorks house music during the 1980s. ... Rolf Harris, MBE (1968), OBE (1977), CBE (2006), AM (1989) (born 30 March 1930), is an Australian musician, composer, painter, and television host. ... (DVD cover) Skippy the Bush Kangaroo was a popular Australian television series for children produced from 1966 to 1968. ... The good life is an ambiguous term for the life that one would like to live. ... Pet Shop Boys are a Grammy Award nominated British synthpop/pop music/electronic music duo, consisting of Neil Tennant who provides main vocals, keyboards and very occasionally guitar, and Chris Lowe on keyboards and occasionally on vocals. ...

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, The White Room film project was put on hold, and The KLF abandoned the musical direction of the soundtrack and single.^[34]

The White Room, The KLF's Stadium House tour-de-force (KLF Communications JAMS LP6)

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".^[34] This prompted Drummond and Cauty to pursue the acid house tone of their Pure Trance series. A further Pure Trance release, "Last Train to Trancentral", followed. At this time, Cauty had co-founded The Orb as an ambient side-project with Alex Paterson. Cauty and Paterson DJ-ed at the monthly "Land Of Oz" house night in London, and The KLF's seminal 1990 "ambient house" LP Chill Out (sample (help· info)) was born partly from these sessions. The ambient album Space and The KLF's ambient video Waiting were also released in 1990, as was a heavier, more industrial sounding dance track, "It's Grim Up North", under The JAMs' moniker. Image File history File links The_KLF-The_White_Room_(album_cover). ... Image File history File links The_KLF-The_White_Room_(album_cover). ... The White Room is the name of a 1991 worldwide No. ... In the UK, The KLF and their incarnations released an array of 12 singles and albums on their own independent record label KLF Communications. ... Last Train To Trancentral is a song and - in different mixes - a series of singles by acid house pioneers The KLF. It is distinctive for an uplifting string-orchestrated break and a rhythm that mimicks the sound of a train in motion along its tracks. ... The Orb are an English electronic music group known for popularising chill out music in the 1990s and spawning the genre of ambient house. ... Alex Paterson (Duncan Robert Alex Paterson also known and abbreviated as Dr Alex Paterson, born October 15, 1959 in London) near Battersea is an English musician and co-founder of the ambient group The Orb, in which he has worked since its inception. ... Chill Out is a seminal 1990 ambient house album by The KLF. The album is part ambient music for post-rave chill outs, part concept album - a mythical road trip (or perhaps train journey) up the U.S. Gulf Coast from Texas into Louisiana. ... Image File history File links The_KLF_-_Chill_Out_(excerpt_of_Dream_Time_in_Lake_Jackson). ... This album began as a collaboration between Dr. Alex Paterson and Jimmy Cauty, the original line-up of The Orb. ... The KLF released three long form videos during their career - Waiting, The Rites of Mu, and The Stadium House Trilogy. ... Its Grim Up North was a 1991 single by The Justified Ancients of Mu Mu (The JAMs), the main lyrics of which consist of a list of towns and cities in Northern England, set to a pounding industrial techno accompaniment reminiscent of steam train whistles, all of which segues...

In October 1990 The KLF launched a series of singles with an upbeat pop-house sound which they dubbed "Stadium House". Songs from The White Room 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 results brought The KLF international recognition and acclaim. The first "Stadium House" single, "What Time Is Love?", released in October 1990, reached #5 in the UK Singles Chart and hit the top-ten internationally. The follow-up, "3 a.m. Eternal" (sample (help· info)), was an international top-five hit in January 1991, reaching #1 in the UK and #5 in the US Billboard Hot 100. The album The White Room 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. Image File history File links The_KLF_-_3_a. ... “Hot 100” redirects here. ... The White Room is the name of a 1991 worldwide No. ... In music, segue is a direction to the performer. ... Downtempo (or Downbeat) is a laid-back electronic music style similar to Ambient music, but usually with a beat or groove unlike the beatless forms of Ambient music. ...

The KLF's chart success continued with the single "Last Train to Trancentral" (sample (help· info)) (UK #2, #3 in the Eurochart Hot 100).^[35] In December 1991, a re-working of a song from 1987, "Justified and Ancient" (sample (help· info)) was released, featuring the vocals of American country star Tammy Wynette. It was another international hit (UK #2, US #11), as was "America: What Time Is Love?" (UK #4), a hard, guitar-laden reworking of "What Time Is Love?". Image File history File links The_KLF_-_Last_Train_to_Trancentral_(Live_from_the_Lost_Continent)_(excerpt). ... The Eurochart Hot 100 is the main European singles popularity chart compiled by Music & Media magazine from March 1984. ... Justified and Ancient is a song by British band The KLF (Bill Drummond and Jimmy Cauty) which featured on their 1991 album The White Room but with origins dating back to the duos debut album, 1987 (What the Fuck Is Going On?). The song was remade and rereleased in... Image File history File links The_KLF_-_Justified_and_Ancient_(Stand_by_The_JAMs)_(excerpt). ... Tammy Wynette (May 5, 1942 – April 6, 1998) was an American country singer and songwriter. ...

In 1990 and 1991, The KLF also remixed tracks by Depeche Mode ("Policy of Truth"), The Moody Boys ("What Is Dub?"), and the Pet Shop Boys ("So Hard" from the Behaviour album, and "It Must Be Obvious"). Pet Shop Boy Neil Tennant 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 thorough."^[36] Depeche Mode (pronounced ) are an electronic music group formed in 1980, in Basildon, Essex, England. ... Policy of Truth is Depeche Modes twenty-fifth UK single, released on May 7, 1990, and the third single for the album Violator. ... The Moody Boys (and later, Moody Boyz) was a UK house music production and remix outfit active from 1988 to 1994, consisting of Tony Thorpe and, until 1992, Jimmy Cauty[citation needed]. // History Beginning in 1988 with the single Acid Rappin, Tony Thorpe and The KLF co-founder Jimmy Cauty... Pet Shop Boys are a Grammy Award nominated British synthpop/pop music/electronic music duo, consisting of Neil Tennant who provides main vocals, keyboards and very occasionally guitar, and Chris Lowe on keyboards and occasionally on vocals. ... Behaviour is the fifth album, the fourth of entirely new music, by the UK electronic music group Pet Shop Boys. ... Neil Tennant (right) with collaborator Chris Lowe (left) Neil Francis Tennant (born July 10, 1954 in North Shields, Tyne and Wear, England) is an English musician, who, with his colleague Chris Lowe, makes up the successful pop duo, Pet Shop Boys. ...

After successive name changes and a plethora of highly influential dance records, Drummond and Cauty ultimately became, as The KLF, the biggest-selling singles act in the world for 1991,^[37][38] still incorporating the work of other artists but in less gratuitous ways and predominantly without legal problems.

Retirement

On 12 February 1992, The KLF and hardcore heavy metal group Extreme Noise Terror performed a live version of "3 a.m. Eternal" at the BRIT Awards, the British Phonographic Industry's annual awards show; a "violently antagonistic performance" in front of "a stunned music-business audience".^[39] Drummond and Cauty had planned to throw buckets of sheep's blood over the audience, but were prevented from doing so due to opposition from BBC lawyers^[40][41] and "hardcore vegans" Extreme Noise Terror.^[42][29] The performance (sample (help· info)) was instead garnished by a limping, kilted, cigar-chomping Drummond firing blanks from an automatic weapon over the heads of the crowd. As the band left the stage, The KLF's promoter and narrator Scott Piering announced over the PA system that "The KLF have now left the music business". Later in the evening the band dumped a dead sheep with the message "I died for ewe—bon appetit" tied around its waist at the entrance to one of the post-ceremony parties.^[42] is the 43rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar). ... Extreme Noise Terror (often abbreviated to ENT) is a crust, grindcore, and deathgrind band originally from Ipswich, England. ... The Brit Awards are the annual United Kingdom pop music awards founded by the British Phonographic Industry. ... The British Phonographic Industry was founded in 1973 to represent the interests of British music companies and to fight the growing problem of music piracy. ... For other uses, see BBC (disambiguation). ... Vegan redirects here. ... Image File history File links The_KLF_-_3_a. ... A kilt in the Black Watch tartan A kilt is a traditional garment of modern Scottish and Celtic culture typically worn by men. ... Blank cartridges, as used in nail guns Yugoslavian 7. ... Scott Piering (born 1946, died 24 January 2000) was a successful and influential American-born music publicist for many British music acts, including Pulp, The KLF, The Smiths, Stereophonics, The Orb, Placebo, Underworld and The Prodigy. ... School public address system A public address or PA system is an electronic amplification system with a mixer, amplifier and loudspeakers, used to reinforce a given sound (e. ...

Bill Drummond on vocals during The KLF and Extreme Noise Terror's infamous appearance at the 1992 BRIT Awards

Reactions were mixed. Piers Morgan, writing in The Sun, under the headline "KLF's Sick Gun Stunt Fails To Hit The Target", called The KLF "pop's biggest wallies"^[43] and producer Trevor Horn is reported to have called their antics "disgusting".^[42] NME, on the other hand, said that The KLF "stormed" the show and that after their performance the BRITs show went "downhill all the way".^[41] Image File history File links Bill_Drummond_at_the_1992_Brits_Awards. ... Image File history File links Bill_Drummond_at_the_1992_Brits_Awards. ... Extreme Noise Terror (often abbreviated to ENT) is a crust, grindcore, and deathgrind band originally from Ipswich, England. ... The Brit Awards are the annual United Kingdom pop music awards founded by the British Phonographic Industry. ... Piers Stefan Pughe-Morgan (born 30 March 1965 in Newick, East Sussex) is a former editor of British tabloid newspapers the News of the World (1994–1995) and the Daily Mirror (1995–2004). ... This article is about a British tabloid. ... Trevor Charles Horn, born July 15, 1949 in Durham, England, is a British pop music record producer, songwriter and musician. ...

Scott Piering's PA announcement of The KLF's retirement was largely ignored at the time. NME, for example, assured their readers that the tensions and contradictions would continue to "push and spark" The KLF and that more "musical treasure" would be the result, but they noted: "[Drummond has] himself nicely skewered on the horns of an almighty dilemma. He has taken over pop music and it has been a piece of piss to do so. And he hates that. He wants to be separate from a music industry that clasps him ever closer to its bosom. He loves being in the very belly of the beast, yet he wishes he was something that'd cause it to throw up too. He wants not only to bite the hand that feeds but to shove it into an industrial mincer and stomp the resultant pulp into the dirt, yet pop, as long as you continue to make it money, would let you sexually abuse its grandmother. There is, Bill old boy, no sensible way out."^[42] Scott Piering (born 1946, died 24 January 2000) was a successful and influential American-born music publicist for many British music acts, including Pulp, The KLF, The Smiths, Stereophonics, The Orb, Placebo, Underworld and The Prodigy. ...

In the weeks following the BRITs performance, The KLF continued working with Extreme Noise Terror on the album The Black Room,^[29] but it was never finished. On 14 May 1992, The KLF announced their immediate retirement from the music industry and the deletion of their entire back catalogue: For other uses, see Black Room. ... May 14 is the 134th day of the year (135th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar). ... Deletion is a music industry term referring to the removal of a record from a labels official catalog. ...

In a comprehensive examination of The KLF's announcement and its context, Select 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."^[29] Many of The KLF's friends and collaborators 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 know 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 brilliant". Mark Stent reported the doubts of many when he said that "I [have] 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 expected of them". Select was a UK music magazine of the 90s, particularly famous for its involvement in Britpop. ... Mark Spike Stent is a record producer, and audio engineer who has worked with The KLF,[1] Björk, Keane, Depeche Mode, Erasure, Massive Attack, Madonna, Marilyn Manson, Dave Matthews, No Doubt, Oasis, Gwen Stefani, the Spice Girls, Take That Linkin Park, Craig David, S Club 7, Wheatus, U2, Britney...

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 Ashton Gardner and Dyke, The Vapors, and the Utah Saints, 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, Big Bang just a dawn away'."^[45] This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... This article is about a band. ... Utah Saints are a dance band from Leeds, England. ... For other uses, see Big Bang (disambiguation). ...

There have been numerous suggestions that in 1992 Drummond was on the verge of a nervous breakdown.^[29][46][47] Drummond himself said that he was on the edge of the "abyss".^[48] BRIT Awards organiser Jonathan King had publicly endorsed The KLF's live performance, a response which Scott Piering cited as "the real low point".^[29] The KLF's BRITs statuette for "Best British Group" of 1992 was later "found" buried in a field near Stonehenge.^[49] Jonathan King (born Kenneth George King, 6 December 1944, London, England) is a British singer, songwriter, TV personality, and pop music producer. ... For other uses, see Stonehenge (disambiguation). ...

K Foundation and post-retirement projects

Main articles: K Foundation and Fuck the Millennium

The K Foundation 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 a number of art projects and media campaigns, including the high-profile K Foundation art award (for the "worst artist of the year").^[50][51] Most notoriously, they burnt what was left of their KLF earnings—a million pounds in cash—and filmed the "performance".^[52][53][54] The K Foundation was an arts foundation set up by Bill Drummond and Jimmy Cauty in 1993 following their retirement from the music industry. ... The KLF - also known by various other names including The Justified Ancients of Mu Mu, The Timelords, The K Foundation, and 2K - were one of the seminal bands of the British acid house movement during the late 1980s and early 1990s. ... The K Foundation was an arts foundation set up by Bill Drummond and Jimmy Cauty in 1993 following their retirement from the music industry. ... The 1994 K Foundation award was an award given by the K Foundation to the worst artist of the year. ... On 23 August 1994, the K Foundation (Bill Drummond and Jimmy Cauty) burnt one million pounds sterling in cash on the Scottish island of Jura. ...

Two "old reprobates": The KLF come out of retirement for 23 minutes to make an appearance as 2K.

In 1995, Drummond and Cauty contributed a song to The Help Album as The One World Orchestra ("featuring The Massed Pipes and Drums of the Children's Free Revolutionary Volunteer Guards").^[55] "The Magnificent" (sample (help· info)) is a drum'n'bass version of the theme tune from The Magnificent Seven, with vocal samples from DJ Fleka of Serbian radio station B92: "Humans against killing... that sounds like a junkie against dope". Image File history File links 2K_-_Wheelchair. ... Image File history File links 2K_-_Wheelchair. ... This article is about the 1995 charity album. ... The Help Album is a 1995 charity album, bringing together many contemporary British and Irish artists, with all proceeds going to the War Child charitys aid efforts in war-torn Bosnia and Herzegovina. ... The Help Album is a 1995 charity album, bringing together many contemporary British and Irish artists, with all proceeds going to the War Child charitys aid efforts in war-torn Bosnia and Herzegovina. ... Image File history File links One_World_Orchestra_-_The_Magnificent_(excerpt). ... Drum and bass (commonly abbreviated to d&b, DnB, dnb, dnb, drum n bass and drum & bass) is a type of electronic dance music also known as jungle. ... The Magnificent Seven is a 1960 western film directed by John Sturges about a group of hired gunmen tasked with protecting a Mexican village from bandits. .