The KLF
Group · United Kingdom · London · formed 1987 · disbanded 1992
British musical group; acid house band
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Also known as 2K · Discotec 2000 · J.A.M s · K Foundation · K.L.F. · KLF · +10 more
Timeline
1980s
· Debut release
Debut release: All You Need Is Love
First documented Single in the MusicBrainz discography.
source: musicbrainz
1990s
2000s
2010s
2020s
Biography
Biography
The KLF (also known as the Justified Ancients of Mu Mu, furthermore known as the JAMs, the Timelords and other names) are a British electronic band who originated in Liverpool and London in the late 1980s. Scottish musician Bill Drummond (alias King Boy D) and English musician Jimmy Cauty (alias Rockman Rock) began by releasing hip hop-inspired and sample-heavy records as the JAMs. As the Timelords, they recorded the UK Singles Chart number-one single "Doctorin' the Tardis", and documented the process of making a hit record in a book The Manual (How to Have a Number One the Easy Way). As the KLF, Drummond and Cauty pioneered stadium house (rave music with a pop-rock production and sampled crowd noise) and, with their 1990 LP Chill Out
Chill OutSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 14 tracks1Brownsville Turnaround on the Tex-Mex Border1:472Pulling Out of Ricardo and the Dusk Is Falling Fast1:293Six Hours to Louisiana, Black Coffee Going Cold3:014Dream Time in Lake Jackson2:355Madrugada Eterna7:416Justified and Ancient Seems a Long Time Ago1:097Elvis on the Radio, Steel Guitar in My Soul3:0183AM Somewhere Out of Beaumont9:259Wichita Lineman Was a Song I Once Heard5:5610Trancentral Lost in My Mind1:1611The Lights of Baton Rouge Pass By3:3412A Melody From a Past Life Keeps Pulling Me Back1:4113Rock Radio Into the Nineties and Beyond1:2714Alone Again With the Dawn Coming Up0:17, the ambient house 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.
The KLF adopted the philosophy espoused by esoteric novels The Illuminatus! Trilogy, making anarchic situationist manifestations, including the defacement of billboard adverts, the posting of cryptic advertisements in New Musical Express (NME) and the mainstream press, as well as unusual performances on Top of the Pops. In collaboration with Extreme Noise Terror at the BRIT Awards in February 1992, 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 of that year, they deleted their back-catalogue. 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 one million pounds sterling (approximately £2.35m or €2.75m as of 2022).
The duo have released a small number of new tracks since 1992, as the K Foundation, the One World Orchestra, and in 1997, as 2K. Drummond and Cauty reappeared in 2017 as the Justified Ancients of Mu Mu, releasing the novel 2023, and rebooting an earlier campaign to build a "People's Pyramid". In January 2021, the band began uploading their deleted catalogue onto streaming services, in compilations.
Background
Bill Drummond was an established figure within the British music industry, having co-founded Zoo Records, played guitar in the Liverpool band Big in Japan, and worked as manager of Echo & the Bunnymen and the Teardrop Explodes. Artist and musician Jimmy Cauty was the guitarist in the three-piece Brilliant – an act that Drummond had signed to WEA Records and managed.
In July 1986, Drummond 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 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". In the same year he released a solo LP, The Man. Drummond intended to focus on writing books once The Man had been issued but, as he recalled in 1990, "That only lasted three months, until I had an[other] 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, and they would be called the Justified Ancients of Mu Mu:
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 guitar, and I can knock out a few things on the piano, I knew nothing, personally, about the technology. And, I thought, I knew [Jimmy], 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.
The Justified Ancients of Mu Mu
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 The Illuminatus! Trilogy. 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 overlaid with Drummond's raps, of social commentary, esoteric metaphors and mockery.
The JAMs' debut single "All You Need Is Love
All You Need Is LoveSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracks1All You Need Is Love (106 bpm)4:562Îvum Nayâ (Ibo version)3:393Rap, Rhyme and Scratch Yourself4:46" 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; it received positive reviews and was made "single of the week" in Sounds. 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."
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 with praise (including NME 's "single of the week") and the funds necessary to record their debut album. The album, 1987 (What the F**k Is Going On?), was released in June 1987. Included was a song called "The Queen and I", which sampled the ABBA single "Dancing Queen". After a legal showdown with ABBA and the Mechanical-Copyright Protection Society, 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. 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 North Sea ferry trip home. In a December 1987 interview, Cauty maintained that they "felt that what [they]'d done was artistically justified."
Two new singles followed 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
Whitney Joins The JAMsSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 trackAWhitney Joins The JAMs (120 bpm)7:03" 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 Mission: Impossible and Shaft themes alongside Whitney Houston's "I Wanna Dance with Somebody". 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. The second single in this sequence – Drummond and Cauty's third and final single of 1987 – was "Down Town
Down TownSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksADown Town (118 bpm)7:23BDown Town (no bill vox)5:55", a dance record built around a gospel choir and "Downtown" by 1960s star Petula Clark, with lyrics that commented on poverty and homelessness. These early works were later collected on the compilation album Shag Times
Shag TimesSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 14 tracks1All You Need Is Love5:022Don’t Take Five (Take What You Want)4:063Whitney Joins the JAMs7:094Down Town4:295Candyman3:286Burn the Bastards (the long version)6:307Doctorin’ the Tardis3:388Whitney Joins The JAMs (remix)6:399I Love Disco 20005:2910Down Town (remix)6:3011Burn the Beat (club mix)4:5812Prestwich Prophet’s Grin (instrumental remix)4:1713The Porpoise Song (instrumental remix)5:1514Doctorin’ the Tardis (minimal)4:32.
A second album, Who Killed the JAMs?
Who Killed The JAMS?Spotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 7 tracksA1The Candystore3:07A2The Candyman3:26A3Disaster Fund Collection5:41A4King Boy’s Dream1:00B1The Porpoise Song5:45B2Prestwich Prophet’s Grin5:02B3Burn the Bastards6:03, was released in early 1988. Who Killed the JAMs? earned the duo a five-star review from Sounds magazine, who called it "a masterpiece of pathos".
The Timelords
In 1988, Drummond and Cauty released a 'novelty' pop single, "Doctorin' the Tardis" as the Timelords. The song is predominantly a mash-up of the Doctor Who theme music, "Block Buster!" by Sweet and Gary Glitter's "Rock and Roll (Part Two)".
Credited on the record was "Ford Timelord" (Cauty's 1968 Ford Galaxie American police car), "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 later be banger raced at Swaffham Raceway in 1991.
They later portrayed the song as the result of a deliberate effort to write a number one hit single. In interviews with Snub TV and BBC Radio 1, Drummond said that they had intended to make a house record using the Doctor 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 went instead for the lowest common denominator. According to the British music press, the result was "rancid", "pure, unadulterated agony" and "excruciating" and from Sounds "a record so noxious that a top ten place can be its only destiny". A single of the Timelords' remixes of the song was released: "Gary Joins the JAMs" featured original vocal contributions from Glitter, who also appeared on Top of the Pops to promote the song with the Timelords. "Doctorin' the Tardis" sold over one million copies.
The Timelords released one other product, a 1989 book called The Manual (How to Have a Number One the Easy Way), a step-by-step guide to achieving a number one hit single with little money or talent.
The KLF
By the time the JAMs' single "Whitney Joins the JAMs
Whitney Joins The JAMsSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 trackAWhitney Joins The JAMs (120 bpm)7:03" was released in September 1987, their record label had been renamed "KLF Communications" (from the earlier The Sound of Mu(sic)). The duo's first release as the KLF was in March 1988, with the single "Burn the Bastards
Burn the BastardsSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksABurn the Bastards (lp edit)4:07BBurn the Beat (club mix)4:51"/"Burn the Beat
Burn the BeatSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksABurn the Beat3:45BPorpoise Song5:15" (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".
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". King Boy D also said that he and Rockman Rock were "pissed off at [them]selves" for letting "people expect us to lead some sort of crusade for sampling." 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."
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?
What Time Is Love?Spotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracks1What Time Is Love? (original)7:052What Time Is Love? (mix 2)7:00" and "3 a.m. Eternal
3 A.M. EternalSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracksA13 A.M. Eternal (original - edit)3:39A23 A.M. Eternal (Blue Danube Orbital)7:35B13 A.M. Eternal (Moody Boy)6:50B23 P.M. Electro5:57", the first incarnations of later international chart successes. The KLF described the 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, each of which bore the message 'Children we love you'".
Also in 1989, the KLF embarked upon the creation of a road movie and soundtrack album, both titled The White Room
The White RoomSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 9 tracks1What Time Is Love? (LP mix)4:432Make It Rain4:0033 A.M. Eternal (live at the S.S.L.)3:364Church of the KLF1:535Last Train to Trancentral (LP mix)5:336Build a Fire4:407The White Room5:158No More Tears9:249Justified and Ancient4:44, funded by the profits of "Doctorin' the Tardis". Neither the film nor its soundtrack were formally released, although bootleg 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 released: "Kylie Said to Jason
Kylie Said to JasonSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracks1Kylie in a Trance2Kylie Said Mu", 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."
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. 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 prompted Drummond and Cauty to pursue the acid house tone of their Pure Trance series. A further Pure Trance release, "Last Train to Trancentral
Last Train to TrancentralSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksALast Train to Trancentral (remix 1)5:50BLast Train to Trancentral (remix 2)6:45", followed. By this time, Cauty had co-founded the Orb as an ambient side-project with Alex Paterson. Cauty's ambient album Space and the KLF's "ambient house" LP Chill Out
Chill OutSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 14 tracks1Brownsville Turnaround on the Tex-Mex Border1:472Pulling Out of Ricardo and the Dusk Is Falling Fast1:293Six Hours to Louisiana, Black Coffee Going Cold3:014Dream Time in Lake Jackson2:355Madrugada Eterna7:416Justified and Ancient Seems a Long Time Ago1:097Elvis on the Radio, Steel Guitar in My Soul3:0183AM Somewhere Out of Beaumont9:259Wichita Lineman Was a Song I Once Heard5:5610Trancentral Lost in My Mind1:1611The Lights of Baton Rouge Pass By3:3412A Melody From a Past Life Keeps Pulling Me Back1:4113Rock Radio Into the Nineties and Beyond1:2714Alone Again With the Dawn Coming Up0:17 ambient video Waiting were released in 1990, as was a dance track, "It's Grim Up North
It's Grim Up NorthSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracks1It's Grim Up North (radio edit)4:032It's Grim Up North (Part 1)10:033It's Grim Up North (Part 2)6:134Jerusalem on the Moors3:05", under the JAMs' moniker.
Throughout 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 first "stadium house" single, "What Time Is Love? (Live from Trancentral)", released in October 1990, reached No. 5 on the UK Singles 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 No. 1 in the UK and No. 5 on the US Billboard Hot 100. The album The White Room followed in March 1991, reaching No. 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 number three on the Eurochart Hot 100. In December 1991, a re-working of a song from 1987, "Justified & Ancient
Justified & AncientSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 5 tracks1Justified & Ancient (Stand by the Jams)3:382Justified & Ancient ("The White Room" Version)5:053Justified & Ancient (All Bound for Mu Mu Land)7:494Justified & Ancient (Make Mine a "99")5:545Justified & Ancient (Let Them Eat Ice Cream)6:31" was released, featuring Tammy Wynette. It was another international hit – peaking at number two in the UK, and number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 – as was "America: What Time Is Love?
America: What Time Is Love?Spotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracksAAmerica: What Time Is Love? (12″ mix)8:35B1What Time Is Love? (live at Trancentral)5:03B2What Time Is Love?7:35", a hard, guitar-laden reworking of "What Time Is Love?". In 1990 and 1991, the KLF also remixed tracks by Depeche Mode ("Policy of Truth"), the Moody Boys ("What Is Dub?"), and Pet Shop Boys ("So Hard" from the Behaviour album, and "It Must Be Obvious"). 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."
The "stadium house" singles trilogy was characterised by Tom Ewing of Freaky Trigger as applying "the possibilities for mass lunacy" to "awe-inspiring, 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 did to house what Jim Steinman did to rock – they turned it into a thing of tottering grand opera 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' in house music is less fragile".
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.
BRIT Awards and retirement from the music business
On 12 February 1992, the KLF and grindcore group Extreme Noise Terror performed a live version of "3 a.m. Eternal
3 A.M. EternalSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracksA13 A.M. Eternal (original - edit)3:39A23 A.M. Eternal (Blue Danube Orbital)7:35B13 A.M. Eternal (Moody Boy)6:50B23 P.M. Electro5:57" at the BRIT Awards, the British Phonographic Industry'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 BBC 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 comeback would be impossible. The dead sheep purchased but the plan thwarted, Drummond considered chopping his hand off with an axe live on stage.
The performance was instead concluded with 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 proclaimed over the PA 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 time; even he and other close associates of the band thought the announcement was a joke. NME'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.
In the weeks following the BRITs performance, the KLF continued working with Extreme Noise Terror on the album The Black RoomThe Black RoomSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 8 tracks1I'm Fucked2Deep Shit3Bite It Harder4385The Black Room6Fuck the Election7Turn Up the Strobe83 A.M. Eternal (KLF vs. Extreme Noise Terror), but it was never finished. On 14 May 1992, the KLF announced their immediate retirement from the music industry and the deletion of their back catalogue:
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 [sic] 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 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.
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." 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".
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'." 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 Stonehenge.
K Foundation and other pre-millennium projects
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 art projects and media campaigns, including the high-profile K Foundation art award (for the "worst artist of the year"), and in 1993 released a limited edition single – "K Cera Cera" – in Israel and Palestine "to create awareness of peace in the world". They burnt what was left of their KLF earnings – 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.
Also 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"). "The Magnificent" 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".
On 17 September 1997, Drummond and Cauty re-emerged briefly as 2K. 2K made a one-off performance at London's Barbican Arts Centre with Mark Manning, Acid Brass, the Liverpool Dockers and Gimpo; a performance at which "Two elderly gentlemen, reeking of Dettol, caused havoc in their motorised wheelchairs. 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 – "***k the Millennium
***k the MillenniumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracks1***k the Millennium13:572Acid Brass/What Time Is Love? (version K)4:333***k the Millennium (radio edit)4:214***k the Millennium (censored radio edit)4:19" (a remix of "What Time Is Love?
What Time Is Love?Spotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracks1What Time Is Love? (original)7:052What Time Is Love? (mix 2)7:00" featuring Acid Brass and incorporating elements of the hymn "Eternal Father, Strong to Save") – 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 K2 Plant Hire, with plans to build a "People's Pyramid" from used house bricks; this plan never reached fruition. K2 Plant Hire Ltd had been registered at Companies House 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.
The Justified Ancients of Mu Mu return
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, 2023: A Trilogy, and staged a three day event, "Welcome to the Dark Ages". 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 "Toxteth Day Of The Dead".
Cauty emphasised to the BBC 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 interesting to be in a band that doesn't make records but only makes pyramids of dead people.
Samplecity thru Trancentral
On 31 December 2020, the release of series of remastered compilations under the collective title Samplecity thru Trancentral was announced on a graffiti and posters hung under a railway bridge on Kingsland Road in Shoreditch, East London. The 30-minute collection of eight remastered singles Solid State Logik 1 appeared at midnight 1 January 2021, on streaming platforms, while high-definition videos were published for the first time on the band's official YouTube 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 2 featuring 12" versions of the singles.
On 4 February 2021, a re-edited version of Chill Out was released, retitled Come Down Dawn, with previously unlicensed samples from the original release removed, and added "What Time Is Love? (Virtual Reality Mix)," originally from the 1990 remix EP What Time Is Love?
What Time Is Love?Spotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracks1What Time Is Love? (original)7:052What Time Is Love? (mix 2)7:00 (Remodelled & Remixed), integrated in the new mix.
On 23 April 2021, The White Room (Director's Cut) 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
Last Train to TrancentralSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksALast Train to Trancentral (remix 1)5:50BLast Train to Trancentral (remix 2)6:45" from the 1991 album.
The documentary Who Killed the KLF?, directed by Chris Atkins, 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.
The band's master tapes were donated to the British Library in 2023.
KLF Communications
From their very earliest releases as The Justified Ancients of Mu Mu until their retirement in 1992, the music of Bill Drummond and Jimmy Cauty was independently released in their home country (the UK). Their debut releases – the single "All You Need Is Love
All You Need Is LoveSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracks1All You Need Is Love (106 bpm)4:562Îvum Nayâ (Ibo version)3:393Rap, Rhyme and Scratch Yourself4:46" and the album 1987 – were released under the label name "The Sound Of Mu(sic)
The Sound of Mu(sic)Spotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1The Sound of Mu(sic)29:28". 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.
KLF Communications releases were distributed by Rough Trade Distribution (a spinoff of Rough Trade Records) in the South East of England, and across the wider UK by the Cartel. 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 Scott Piering.
Outside the UK, KLF releases were issued under licence by local labels. In the US, the licensees were Wax Trax (the Chill Out album), TVT (early releases including The History of The JAMs a.k.a. The Timelords
History of the JAMs a.k.a. The TimelordsSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 9 tracks1All You Need Is Love5:012Don't Take Five (Take What You Want)4:073Whitney Joins the JAMs7:104Porpoise Song5:185Downtown4:296Candyman3:287Burn the Beat6:318Doctorin' the Tardis3:399Gary in the Tardis3:26), and Arista Records (The White Room and singles). The KLF Communications physical catalogue remains deleted in the United Kingdom.
Themes
Several threads and themes unify the many incarnations of Drummond and Cauty's creative partnership, many of these influenced by The Illuminatus! Trilogy; combined, these themes, threads and their activities over the years have been said to form a "mythology." Drummond and Cauty made heavy references to Discordianism, popularised by Robert Shea and Robert Anton Wilson in the Illuminatus! books, Situationism, and tactics often interpreted by media commentators as "Situationist pranks.
In a 2000 review of Drummond's book 45, and an appraisal of the duo's career to date, writer Steven Poole stated that Drummond and Cauty "are the only true conceptual artists of the [1990s]. And for all the eldritch 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:
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 matter how dumb or embarrassing. The myth will suck it up, like a black hole.
Drummond and Cauty have also been compared to Stewart Home and the Neoists. Home himself said that the duo's work "has much more in common with the Neoist, Plagiarist and Art Strike movements of the nineteen-eighties than with the Situationist avant-garde of the fifties and sixties." Drummond and Cauty "represent a vital and innovative strand within contemporary culture", he added.
Illuminatus!
Drummond was the set designer on Ken Campbell's 1976 stage production of The Illuminatus! Trilogy. In the first KLF Communications Info Sheet, Drummond explained that The Justified Ancients of Mu Mu name was "pinched" from Illuminatus! which he had been reading the year before.
A notable theme of Illuminatus! is the number 23, placed overtly and surreptitiously, both in the book and later throughout the band's career:
In lyrics to the song "Next" from the album 1987: "23 years is a mighty long time".
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;
The 1997 return as 2K was "for 23 minutes only".
In numbering schemes: for instance, the debut single "All You Need Is Love
All You Need Is LoveSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracks1All You Need Is Love (106 bpm)4:562Îvum Nayâ (Ibo version)3:393Rap, Rhyme and Scratch Yourself4:46" 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 23.
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 1994.
The 2017 reunion happened at 00:23 on 23 August 23 years after the burning, with the release of a book entitled 2023: A Trilogy. The numerals of the date – 23 August 2017 – also sum to 23 (2+3+0+8+2+0+1+7=23).
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 beautiful once you know."
The "Pyramid Blaster" is a logo and icon frequently and prominently depicted within the duo's collective work: a pyramid, in front of which is suspended a ghetto blaster displaying the word "Justified". This references the Eye of Providence icon, often depicted as an eye within a triangle or pyramid, a significant symbol of Illuminatus! The pyramid was also a theme of the duo's 1997 and 2017 reunions, with the proposed building by K2 Plant Hire 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).
Trancentral
Trancentral (a.k.a. the Benio) was the band's studios. Despite the grandiose lyrics of "Last Train to Trancentral
Last Train to TrancentralSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksALast Train to Trancentral (remix 1)5:50BLast Train to Trancentral (remix 2)6:45", the Trancentral was in fact Cauty's residence in Stockwell, South London (51.471373°N 0.128167°W / 51.471373; -0.128167 (55 Jeffrey's Road, Stockwell, London)), "a large and rather grotty squat." According to Melody Maker's David Stubbs, "Jimmy has lived [there] 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 from a five-year-old fan featuring a crayon drawing of the band."
Sheep
Following the February 1990 release of Chill Out (the press release for which credited sheep as guest vocalists), sheep had recurring roles in the duo's output until their 1992 retirement. Drummond has claimed that the use of sheep on the Chill Out cover was intended to evoke contemporary rural raves and the cover of the Pink Floyd album Atom Heart Mother.
Ceremonies and journeys
Drummond and Cauty's work often involved notions of ceremony and journey. Journeys are the subject of the KLF Communications recordings Chill Out, Space, "Last Train to Trancentral
Last Train to TrancentralSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksALast Train to Trancentral (remix 1)5:50BLast Train to Trancentral (remix 2)6:45", "Justified & Ancient
Justified & AncientSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 5 tracks1Justified & Ancient (Stand by the Jams)3:382Justified & Ancient ("The White Room" Version)5:053Justified & Ancient (All Bound for Mu Mu Land)7:494Justified & Ancient (Make Mine a "99")5:545Justified & Ancient (Let Them Eat Ice Cream)6:31" and "America: What Time Is Love?
America: What Time Is Love?Spotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracksAAmerica: What Time Is Love? (12″ mix)8:35B1What Time Is Love? (live at Trancentral)5:03B2What Time Is Love?7:35", as well as the aborted film project The White Room. The Chill Out album depicts a journey across the U.S. Gulf Coast. In his book 45, Drummond expressed his admiration for the work of artist Richard Long, who incorporates physical journeys into his art.
Fire and sacrifice 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 The Rites of Mu depicts their celebration of the 1991 summer solstice on the Hebridean island of Jura: a 60-foot (18 m) tall wicker man was burnt at a ceremony in which journalists were asked to wear yellow and grey robes and join a chant; the journalists' money was also burnt.
Promotion
Drummond and Cauty were renowned for their distinctive and humorous public appearances (including several on Top of the Pops), 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.
From the outset of their collaborations, Drummond and Cauty practised the guerrilla communication tactic that they described as "illegal but effective use of graffiti on billboards 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 JAMs' "SHAG SHAG SHAG" graffiti, coinciding with their release of "All You Need Is Love
All You Need Is LoveSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracks1All You Need Is Love (106 bpm)4:562Îvum Nayâ (Ibo version)3:393Rap, Rhyme and Scratch Yourself4:46", was drawn over the "HALO HALO HALO" slogan of a Today billboard that depicted Greater Manchester Police Chief Constable James Anderton, who had decried homosexuals amidst the UK media's AIDS furore.
Music press journalists were occasionally invited to witness the defacements. In December 1987, a Melody Maker reporter was in attendance to see Cauty reverse his car Ford Timelord alongside a billboard and stand on its roof to graffiti a Christmas message from the JAMs. In February 1991, another Melody Maker journalist watched the KLF deface a billboard advertising The Sunday Times, doctoring the slogan "THE GULF: 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.
In November 1991, the JAMs placed a photograph of graffiti with the slogan "It's Grim Up North
It's Grim Up NorthSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracks1It's Grim Up North (radio edit)4:032It's Grim Up North (Part 1)10:033It's Grim Up North (Part 2)6:134Jerusalem on the Moors3:05" – which had appeared on the junction of London's M25 orbital motorway with the M1 that runs to Northern England – as an advert in the NME. The graffiti, for which the JAMs denied responsibility, had been the subject of an early day motion in the British House of Commons 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 National Theatre, ten years after the slogan "1987: What The Fuck's Going On?" had been similarly placed to mark the release of the JAMs' debut album.
Reputation as "pranksters"
Cauty and Drummond's tactics have often been labelled by media commentators as "pranks" or "publicity stunts". In 1991, Drummond told an NME 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 NME 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 it."
Legacy
Chill Out is cited by AllMusic as "one of the essential ambient albums". In 1996, Mixmag named Chill Out the fifth best "dance" album of all time, describing Cauty's DJ sets with the Orb's Alex Paterson as "seminal". The Guardian has credited the KLF with inventing "stadium house"; NME named the KLF's stadium house album The White Room
The White RoomSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 9 tracks1What Time Is Love? (LP mix)4:432Make It Rain4:0033 A.M. Eternal (live at the S.S.L.)3:364Church of the KLF1:535Last Train to Trancentral (LP mix)5:336Build a Fire4:407The White Room5:158No More Tears9:249Justified and Ancient4:44 the 81st best album of all time whilst Q listed it as the 89th best British album of all time, in 2000.
Opinions of contemporaries
In 1991, Chris Lowe of Pet Shop Boys said that he considered the only other worthwhile group in the UK to be the KLF. Neil Tennant added that "They have an incredibly recognisable sound. I liked it when they said EMF nicked the F from KLF. They're from a different tradition to us in that they're pranksters and we've never been pranksters."
At the time of the KLF's retirement announcement, Drummond's old friend and colleague David Balfe said of Drummond's KLF career that "the path he's trod[den] 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".
In March 1994, members of the anarchist band Chumbawamba 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 Sex Pistols and Public Enemy. Dunst Bruce 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."
Direct influence
The KLF have been imitated to some degree by German techno band Scooter, being sampled on virtually every album Scooter have released.
In the weeks leading up to the 1996 FA Cup Final, a group called "1300 Drums featuring the Unjustified Ancients of M.U." released a novelty single to cash-in on the popularity of Manchester United footballer Eric Cantona.
The Timelords' book, The Manual, was used by the one-hit-wonders Edelweiss to secure their hit "Bring Me Edelweiss".
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 folk music. Their anonymity, along with details such as their use of a Ford Timelord which was very similar to the one in the KLF's 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 indie band The Hollow Men.
Career retrospectives
Drummond and Cauty have appeared frequently in British broadsheets and music papers since the KLF's retirement, most often in connection with the K Foundation and their burning of one million pounds. The NME called them "masters of manipulating media and perceptions of themselves".
In 1992, NME 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". "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."
"[Of their many aliases,] 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 The Face: "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."
Trouser Press reviewer Ira Robbins referred to the KLF's body of work as "a series of colorful sonic marketing experiments". The Face called them "the kings of cultural anarchy". Robert Sandall 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 pop-artists 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 Maclaren; 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 Kraftwerk."
In 2003, The Observer 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 The Daily Telegraph called the BRITs performance "violently antagonistic" and reported that the "music-business audience" was "stunned"; on the other hand, Piers Morgan writing shortly after the performance called the KLF "pop's biggest wallies". A 2004 listener poll by BBC 6 Music saw the KLF/K Foundation placed second in a list of "rock excesses", after The Who.
A 2017 piece in The Guardian, 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".
Instrumentation
Early releases by the JAMs, including the album 1987, were performed using an Apple II computer with a Greengate DS3 sampler peripheral card, and a Roland TR-808 drum machine. On later releases, the Greengate DS3 and Apple II were replaced with an Akai S900 sampler and Atari ST computers respectively.
The KLF's 1990–1992 singles were mixed by Mark Stent, using a Solid State Logic automated mixing desk, and The White Room 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 Solid State Logik 1
Solid State Logik 1SpotifyYouTube MusicTracklist · 8 tracks1Doctorin’ the Tardis3:362What Time Is Love? (live at Trancentral)3:5633AM Eternal (live at the S.S.L.)3:524Last Train to Trancentral (live from the Lost Continent)3:525It’s Grim Up North4:046America: What Time Is Love?4:077Justified & Ancient3:4883AM Eternal (from The Black Room)2:48 and Solid State Logik 2
Solid State Logik 2SpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1Kylie Said to Jason (7” A Side)4:342What Time Is Love? (live at Trancentral 12” A Side)5:2533AM Eternal (live at the S.S.L. 12” A Side)5:544Last Train to Trancentral (live From the Lost Continent 12” A Side)5:355It’s Grim Up North (12” A Side)10:326America: What Time Is Love? (12” A Side)9:017Justified & Ancient (Make Mine a 99 12” A Side)5:318America No More (12” B Side)6:039K Cera Cera (War Is Over If You Want It) (12” A Side)4:3410The Magnificent2:1511Jarvis Joins the Jams (Trailer)4:29.
The house music of Space and the KLF involved much original instrumentation, for which the Oberheim OB-8 analogue synthesiser was prominently used. Drummond played a Gibson ES-330 semi-acoustic guitar on "America: What Time Is Love?
America: What Time Is Love?Spotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracksAAmerica: What Time Is Love? (12″ mix)8:35B1What Time Is Love? (live at Trancentral)5:03B2What Time Is Love?7:35", and Cauty played electric guitar on "Justified & Ancient (Stand by The JAMs)" and "America: What Time Is Love?". Graham Lee provided prominent pedal steel contributions to the KLF's Chill Out and "Build a FireBuild a FireSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracks1Build a Fire (Vox-Less)4:532Love Trance (Pure Truth 3)8:5033 A.M. Eternal (Welcome to the Moon 1989 mix)10:11". Duy Khiem played clarinet on "3 a.m. Eternal
3 A.M. EternalSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracksA13 A.M. Eternal (original - edit)3:39A23 A.M. Eternal (Blue Danube Orbital)7:35B13 A.M. Eternal (Moody Boy)6:50B23 P.M. Electro5:57" and "Make It Rain". The KLF track "America No More" features a pipe band. The Roland TB-303 bassline and Roland TR-909 drum machine feature on "What Time Is Love (Live at Trancentral)".
Discography & profile
Normalised profile
Percentiles are computed over every artist in the database, so a tier-3 artist can still sit in the 95th percentile on a single axis.
| Metric | Value | Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Wikipedia language versions | 30 | 90.4th |
| Spotify monthly listeners | — | no data |
| Release groups in DB | 92 | 97.6th |
| Studio albums | 10 | 91.1th |
| Awards recorded | 0 | 0th |
| Timeline events | 12 | 88.9th |
| Recording span (years) | 5 | 18.3th |
| Genres | 13 | 98.2th |
Percentiles are computed at render time; missing values mean the artist has no data on that axis.
Discography (92 release groups · 10 studio albums)
Albums · 10
1987 (What the Fuck Is Going On?)
1987 · studio album
Search SpotifySearch YouTube Music
Tracklist · 7 tracks · 40:02
A1Hey Hey We Are Not The Monkees7:11A2Don't Take Five (Take What You Want)3:59A3Rockman Rock Parts 2 and 36:52B1Me Ru Con2:24B2The Queen and I7:35B3All You Need Is Love4:55B4Next7:061987 · studio album
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Tracklist · 2 tracks · 40:18
ASide A18:10BSide B22:081988 · studio album
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Tracklist · 7 tracks · 30:04
A1The Candystore3:07A2The Candyman3:26A3Disaster Fund Collection5:41A4King Boy’s Dream1:00B1The Porpoise Song5:45B2Prestwich Prophet’s Grin5:02B3Burn the Bastards6:031990 · studio album
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Tracklist · 14 tracks · 44:19
1Brownsville Turnaround on the Tex-Mex Border1:472Pulling Out of Ricardo and the Dusk Is Falling Fast1:293Six Hours to Louisiana, Black Coffee Going Cold3:014Dream Time in Lake Jackson2:355Madrugada Eterna7:416Justified and Ancient Seems a Long Time Ago1:097Elvis on the Radio, Steel Guitar in My Soul3:0183AM Somewhere Out of Beaumont9:259Wichita Lineman Was a Song I Once Heard5:5610Trancentral Lost in My Mind1:1611The Lights of Baton Rouge Pass By3:3412A Melody From a Past Life Keeps Pulling Me Back1:4113Rock Radio Into the Nineties and Beyond1:2714Alone Again With the Dawn Coming Up0:171991 · studio album
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Tracklist · 9 tracks · 43:48
1What Time Is Love? (LP mix)4:432Make It Rain4:0033 A.M. Eternal (live at the S.S.L.)3:364Church of the KLF1:535Last Train to Trancentral (LP mix)5:336Build a Fire4:407The White Room5:158No More Tears9:249Justified and Ancient4:44Made @ 3 A.M. Coming Down Off E
2001 · studio album
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Tracklist · 1 track · 45:15
1Made @ 3 A.M. Coming Down Off E45:152005 · DJ-mix
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Tracklist · 1 track · 29:28
1The Sound of Mu(sic)29:282016 · studio album
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Tracklist · 11 tracks · 1:11:30
1Trancentral Lost Control6:242No More Tears (In the White Room mix)6:003Turn Up the Fucked5:214Build a Campfire5:025Glider (Air cut mix)3:186White Room (Pure Ambient mix)4:347Build a Fire (Pomona California)6:528It’s Great at the Drone (club mix)9:529It’s Great at the Drone (original mix)9:2210Build a Fire V1 (Who Sampled the Jams mix)11:0611Uranus (Terrarum)3:392021 · studio album
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Tracklist · 1 track · 38:48
1Come Down Dawn (Full Chapter)38:48— · studio album
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Tracklist · 8 tracks
1I'm Fucked2Deep Shit3Bite It Harder4385The Black Room6Fuck the Election7Turn Up the Strobe83 A.M. Eternal (KLF vs. Extreme Noise Terror)
Single · 38
| Cover | Year | Title | Notes | First release |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | All You Need Is LoveSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 3 tracks · 13:211All You Need Is Love (106 bpm)4:56 2Îvum Nayâ (Ibo version)3:39 3Rap, Rhyme and Scratch Yourself4:46 | 9 March 1987 | ||
| 1987 | Whitney Joins The JAMsSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 1 track · 7:03AWhitney Joins The JAMs (120 bpm)7:03 | 7 September 1987 | ||
| 1987 | Down TownSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 2 tracks · 13:18ADown Town (118 bpm)7:23 BDown Town (no bill vox)5:55 | 30 November 1987 | ||
| 1988 | Burn the BeatSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 2 tracks · 9:00ABurn the Beat3:45 BPorpoise Song5:15 | 5 March 1988 | ||
| 1988 | Burn the BastardsSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 2 tracks · 8:58ABurn the Bastards (lp edit)4:07 BBurn the Beat (club mix)4:51 | 18 April 1988 | ||
| 1988 | Doctorin’ the TardisSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 3 tracks · 18:151Doctorin’ the Tardis (7″ Mix)3:38 2Doctorin’ the Tardis (12″ Mix)8:15 3Gary in the Tardis6:22 | 23 May 1988 | ||
| 1988 | What Time Is Love?Search SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 2 tracks · 14:051What Time Is Love? (original)7:05 2What Time Is Love? (mix 2)7:00 | 17 October 1988 | ||
| 1988 | Love TranceSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 2 tracks · 12:261Love Trance5:58 2What Time Is Love? (The Monster Attack mix)6:28 | 14 November 1988 | ||
| 1989 | Last Train to TrancentralSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 2 tracks · 12:35ALast Train to Trancentral (remix 1)5:50 BLast Train to Trancentral (remix 2)6:45 | 23 March 1989 | ||
| 1989 | 3 A.M. EternalSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 4 tracks · 24:01A13 A.M. Eternal (original - edit)3:39 A23 A.M. Eternal (Blue Danube Orbital)7:35 B13 A.M. Eternal (Moody Boy)6:50 B23 P.M. Electro5:57 | May 1989 | ||
| 1989 | Kylie Said to JasonSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 2 tracks1Kylie in a Trance 2Kylie Said Mu | 31 July 1989 | ||
| 1990 | Madrugada eternaSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 3 tracks · 15:10AMadrugada Eterna (club mix)5:20 B1Madrugada Eterna (edit)1:58 B2Madrugada Eterna (ambient house mix)7:52 | March 1990 | ||
| 1990 | It's Grim Up NorthSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 4 tracks · 23:241It's Grim Up North (radio edit)4:03 2It's Grim Up North (Part 1)10:03 3It's Grim Up North (Part 2)6:13 4Jerusalem on the Moors3:05 | 17 December 1990 | ||
| 1991 | Make It Rain / No More TearsSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 2 tracksAMake It Rain BNo More Tears | 1991 | ||
| 1991 | Last Train To Trancentral / WorkSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 2 tracks · 7:20ALast Train To Trancentral (Live From The Lost Continent)3:37 BWork3:43 | 1991 | ||
| 1991 | No More TearsSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 2 tracks · 13:321No More Tears (radio edit)4:06 2No More Tears (LP version)9:26 | 1991 | ||
| 1991 | 3 A.M. Eternal (Christmas Top of the Pops 1991)Search SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 2 tracks · 5:26A3 A.M. Eternal2:43 B3 A.M. Eternal2:43 | 1991 | ||
| 1991 | The Dogg Bite MixSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 2 tracks · 22:56AThe Dogg Bite Mix11:28 BThe Dogg Bite Mix11:28 | 1991 | ||
| 1991 | America: What Time Is Love?Search SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 3 tracks · 21:13AAmerica: What Time Is Love? (12″ mix)8:35 B1What Time Is Love? (live at Trancentral)5:03 B2What Time Is Love?7:35 | 25 October 1991 | ||
| 1991 | Justified & AncientSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 5 tracks · 28:571Justified & Ancient (Stand by the Jams)3:38 2Justified & Ancient ("The White Room" Version)5:05 3Justified & Ancient (All Bound for Mu Mu Land)7:49 4Justified & Ancient (Make Mine a "99")5:54 5Justified & Ancient (Let Them Eat Ice Cream)6:31 | 25 November 1991 | ||
| 1991 | January: What Time Is Love?Search SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 1 track · 7:231January: What Time Is Love?7:23 | December 1991 | ||
| 1993 | K. Cera Cera (War Is Over If You Want It)Search SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 1 track · 4:331K. Cera Cera (War Is Over If You Want It)4:33 | 1993 | ||
| 1997 | ***k the MillenniumSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 4 tracks · 27:101***k the Millennium13:57 2Acid Brass/What Time Is Love? (version K)4:33 3***k the Millennium (radio edit)4:21 4***k the Millennium (censored radio edit)4:19 | 2 September 1997 | ||
| 2005 | What Time Is Love?Search SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 2 tracks · 20:46AWhat Time Is Love? (Veto Retro mix #1)11:34 BWhat Time Is Love? (Veto Retro mix #2)9:12 | Remix | June 2005 | |
| 2005 | Justified & AncientSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 2 tracks · 8:26AJustified & Ancient (Mumuland Re-Visited)3:33 BJustified & Ancient (Produced In 2003)4:53 | 19 July 2005 | ||
| 2005 | Build a Fire / Make It RainSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 2 tracks · 11:02ABuild a Fire5:26 BMake It Rain5:36 | 26 November 2005 | ||
| 2006 | 3 A.M. Eternal (Chadroy Dempsey Remix)Search SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 1 track · 7:33A3 A.M. Eternal (Chadroy Dempsey remix)7:33 | Remix | October 2006 | |
| 2010 | Down With MuSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 2 tracks · 9:521What Time Is Love: What Time Is Love5:06 2Once Upon In Space4:46 | 2010 | ||
| 2012 | Build a FireSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 3 tracks · 23:541Build a Fire (Vox-Less)4:53 2Love Trance (Pure Truth 3)8:50 33 A.M. Eternal (Welcome to the Moon 1989 mix)10:11 | February 2012 | ||
| 2013 | 3 A.M. Eternal (London by Night All the Way Round)Search SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 1 track · 6:4913 A.M. Eternal (London by Night All the Way Round)6:49 | 2013 | ||
| 2017 | Madrugada Eterna (Johan Agebjörn Acid House Edit)Search SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 1 track · 5:561Madrugada Eterna (Johan Agebjörn Acid House edit)5:56 | 17 April 2017 | ||
| 2018 | Lost Trance 2Search SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 2 tracks · 11:42A1Go to Sleep (original long 12" version)6:22 B1Last Train to Trancentral (Chill Out remix)5:20 | 2018 | ||
| 2018 | Lost Trance 1Search SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 2 tracks · 14:04A1Make It Rain (original long version)7:46 B1Make It Rain (92 remix instrumental)6:18 | 2018 | ||
| 2020 | Lost Trance 3Search SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 3 tracks · 19:28A3PM Eternal (Full Length version)7:10 B13AM Eternal (“original edit” Full Length version)6:48 B23AM Eternal (original Blue Danube)5:30 | 2020 | ||
| — | Whitney Joins the JAMs (Demo Mix 1)Search SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 1 track · 7:181Whitney Joins the JAMs (demo mix 1)7:18 | — | ||
| — | Kylie Said to Jason (Skippy to the Rescue mix)Search SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 1 track · 7:271Kylie Said to Jason (Skippy to the Rescue mix)7:27 | — | ||
| — | Whitney Joins the JAMs (Demo Mix 2)Search SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 1 track · 5:511Whitney Joins the JAMs (demo mix 2)5:51 | — | ||
| — | After The Love (Eternal Edit)Search SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 1 track · 3:591After The Love (Eternal edit)3:59 | — |
Album · 30
| Cover | Year | Title | Notes | First release |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | History of the JAMs a.k.a. The TimelordsSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 9 tracks · 43:091All You Need Is Love5:01 2Don't Take Five (Take What You Want)4:07 3Whitney Joins the JAMs7:10 4Porpoise Song5:18 5Downtown4:29 6Candyman3:28 7Burn the Beat6:31 8Doctorin' the Tardis3:39 9Gary in the Tardis3:26 | Compilation | 1988 | |
| 1989 | Shag TimesSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 14 tracks · 1:12:021All You Need Is Love5:02 2Don’t Take Five (Take What You Want)4:06 3Whitney Joins the JAMs7:09 4Down Town4:29 5Candyman3:28 6Burn the Bastards (the long version)6:30 7Doctorin’ the Tardis3:38 8Whitney Joins The JAMs (remix)6:39 9I Love Disco 20005:29 10Down Town (remix)6:30 11Burn the Beat (club mix)4:58 12Prestwich Prophet’s Grin (instrumental remix)4:17 13The Porpoise Song (instrumental remix)5:15 14Doctorin’ the Tardis (minimal)4:32 | Compilation | 16 January 1989 | |
| 1990 | Lost FilesSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 8 tracks · 50:001What Time Is Love (BKWDS edit)5:27 2What Time Is Love (Massive intro)5:37 3Doctor in the Tardis (7" Inch)3:37 43am Eternal (mix #1)7:12 53am Eternal (mix #5 Unedited Master)7:08 6Justified & Ancient (Ice Cream Men edit)7:38 7What Time Is Love (16 Bar edit)6:11 83am Eternal (mix #2)7:10 | Compilation | 1990 | |
| 1991 | MuSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 5 tracks · 32:3813 A.M. Eternal (live at the S.S.L.)5:59 2Justified and Ancient (All Bound for Mu Mu Land)8:16 3Make It Rain (extended version)4:07 4Last Train to Trancentral (live From the Lost Continent)5:40 5America: What Time Is Love?8:36 | Remix | 18 December 1991 | |
| 1992 | This Is What the KLF Is About IISearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 13 tracks · 1:14:16Disc 1 1Justified & Ancient (Stand by the Jams/7" radio edit)3:38 2Justified & Ancient ("The White Room" version)5:05 3Justified & Ancient (All Bound for Mu Mu Land)7:49 4Justified & Ancient ("Make Mine a 99")5:54 5Justified & Ancient (Let Them Eat Ice Cream)6:31 Disc 21America: What Time Is Love? (radio edit)3:32 2America No More6:07 3America: What Time Is Love? (uncensored)9:02 4America No More (Just the Pipe Band)3:14 Disc 31It's Grim Up North (radio edit)4:04 2It's Grim Up North, Part 110:03 3It's Grim Up North, Part 26:13 4Jerusalem on the Moors3:04 | Compilation | 30 September 1992 | |
| 1992 | This Is What The KLF Is About ISearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 10 tracks · 53:40Disc 1 1What Time Is Love? (live at Trancentral/7" radio edit)3:57 2What Time Is Love? (The KLF vs. The Moody Boys)7:38 3What Time Is Love? (The 1988 Pure Trance original)7:05 Disc 213 A.M. Eternal (live at the S.S.L./7" Radio Freedom edit)3:39 23 A.M. Eternal (Guns of Mu Mu/12" edit)5:24 33 A.M. Eternal (1989 "Break for Love" mix/original Pure Trance mix)5:44 Disc 31Last Train to Trancentral (live From the Lost Continent/7" radio edit)3:39 2Last Train to Trancentral (The Iron Horse/12" version)4:14 3Last Train to Trancentral (The White Room version/import LP version)5:38 4Last Train to Trancentral (The 1989 Pure Trance original)6:42 | Compilation | 30 September 1992 | |
| 1993 | Ultra Rare TraxSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 11 tracks · 1:07:341All You Need Is Love5:05 2It's Grim Up North (club mix)8:51 3What Time Is Love? (Techno Slam mix)4:36 43 A.M. Eternal (Blue Danube Orbital)7:39 5Last Train to Trancentral (remix)5:49 6Kylie Said to Jason7:10 7What Time Is Love? (Power remix)7:38 8Gary Glitter Joins the JAMS6:18 9Justified and Ancient (Tammy mix)5:32 103 A.M. Eternal (Top Mix)2:48 11What Time Is Love? (Wandaful mix)6:08 | Compilation | September 1993 | |
| 1995 | Space & Chill OutSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 12 tracks · 1:18:591Brownsville Turnaround1:45 2Pulling Out of Ricardo and the Dusk Is Falling Fast1:32 3Six Hours to Louisiana, Black Coffee Going Cold2:59 4Dream Time in Lake Jackson2:34 5Madrugada Eterna7:41 6Justified and Ancient Seems a Long Time Ago1:11 7Elvis on the Radio, Steel Guitar in My Soul3:01 83AM Somewhere Out of Beaumont9:25 9Wichita Lineman Was a Song I Once Heard5:56 10Trancentral Lost in My Mind1:16 11The Lights of Baton Rouge Pass By3:17 12Space38:22 | Compilation | 1995 | |
| 1996 | The Lost Sounds of MuSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 12 tracks · 1:12:5713 A.M. Eternal (original)6:01 2Justified & Ancient (Anti a cappella mix)7:12 3America: What Time Is Love? (Acid mix)5:50 4Feel This5:35 5Kylie Said Harder5:32 6What Time Is Love? (Virtual Reality mix)6:53 7Madrugada Eterna (club mix)5:20 83 A.M. Eternal (Moody Boy)6:52 9Mars7:50 10What Time Is Love (live From the Land of Oz)8:40 11What Goes On? (ambient mix, Part 3)6:13 12It's Grim Up North (Omsk mix)0:59 | Compilation | 1996 | |
| 1997 | The White Room Original Motion Picture SoundtrackSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 15 tracks · 1:13:051Kylie Said to Jason (edit)4:01 23 A.M. Eternal (original album version)4:16 3Go to Sleep3:36 4Make It Rain3:35 5Church of the KLF3:51 6No More Tears3:15 7Build a Fire4:54 8Lovers' Side4:16 9The White Room4:24 10Born Free2:50 11What Time Is Love? (Monster Attack mix)6:22 12Madrugada Eterna (original version)7:52 13Primal Megamix4:37 14Kylie Said Trance5:59 15Kylie in a Trance / Interview / Madrugada Eterna9:17 | Soundtrack | 1997 | |
| 1997 | Waiting for the Rights of MuSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 2 tracks · 1:12:021Waiting42:40 2The Rites of Mu29:22 | Compilation | 13 October 1997 | |
| 1998 | The Lost Sounds of Mu, Volume IISearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 12 tracks · 1:13:3613 PM Electro6:00 2I Gotta CD (7" edit)3:52 3Gary in the Tardis (Minimal)4:09 4Kylie in a Trance (remix)6:37 5So Hard (The KLF vs. The Pet Shop Boys)5:27 6It Must Be Obvious (UFO mix)9:26 7Policy of Truth (Trancentral mix)5:54 8Justified and Ancient (demo Mk II)7:00 9Last Train to Trancentral (Razormaid mix)5:58 10January: What Time Is Love?7:27 113 AM Eternal (live at the Brits)2:52 12K. Cera Cera (War Is Over If You Want It)8:54 | Compilation | February 1998 | |
| 2001 | Live on StageSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 13 tracks · 1:09:411Intro1:00 2Burn the Bastards5:19 3Justified & Ancient7:06 4Love Trance5:44 5Build a Fire4:30 6Go to Sleep4:44 7Last Train to Trancentral (live From the Lost Continent)5:34 8Kylie Said to Jason6:33 9Madrugada Eterna5:28 10What Time Is Love? / (outro)8:42 11It's Grim Up North6:49 123 A.M. Eternal8:12 13America: What Time Is Love? | Live | 3 September 2001 | |
| 2002 | DeLuxe CollectionSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 14 tracks · 1:08:071Justified & Ancient (White Room version)5:05 2What Time Is Love? (LP mix)5:16 3Make It Rain3:37 4Justified & Ancient (Stand by the Jams)3:38 53 A.M. Eternal (live at the S.S.L.)3:36 6Church of the KLF1:54 7Justified & Ancient (Stand by the Jams - 12" version)5:30 8Last Train to Trancentral (live From the Lost Continent)3:37 9Build a Fire4:35 10Justified & Ancient (All Bound for Mu Mu Land)7:48 11The White Room5:15 12No More Tears6:40 13Justified & Ancient (Let Them Eat Ice Cream)6:32 14Justified & Ancient5:04 | Compilation | 2002 | |
| 2005 | The KLF Remix Project Part IISearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 8 tracks · 58:5813 A.M. Eternal (Break for Space)6:45 2Venus (Winter of the World remix)5:15 3What Time Is Dub? (Salz Stripped Down Acid dub)6:40 4Build a Fire (Drum & Vox version)4:56 5Mars (MINUS-SIX-POINT-TWO)8:14 6Mercury (Winter of the World remix)4:32 7Saturn (Ring Modulators mix 4)4:46 8What Time Was Love? (Ambient Mk 2) / Trancentral Lost Out (Orbital Space mix V2) / Build a Fire (Amb-Ient)17:50 | Remix | 15 February 2005 | |
| 2012 | Junior Insurgent Transmitter Ensemble. Select CutsSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 11 tracks · 1:18:141After the Love [Eternal edit]3:59 2Build a Fire [Vox-Less]4:53 3Love Trance [Pure Truth 3]8:49 43 A.M. Eternal [Welcome to the Moon 1989 mix]10:11 5What Time Is Love [Helter Skelter Rave mix]7:24 63 A.M. Eternal [Helter Skelter Rave mix]5:46 7Eternal Space Cadets [Orbital Hum]9:49 8Whitney Joins the Jams [demo mix 1]7:18 9Whitney Joins the Jams [demo mix 2]5:51 10Kylie Said to Jason [Skippy to the Rescue mix]7:26 113 A.M. Eternal [London by Night All the Way Round]6:48 | Compilation | 2012 | |
| 2013 | The KollectionSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 11 tracks13 A.M. Eternal (London by Night All the Way Round) 2Love Trance 33 A.M. Eternal (Klonk Blip Every Trip) 438 (The Black Room demo) 5Fuck the Election (The Black Room demo) 6What Time Is Love (live at the Land of Oz) 7The Sheriff of Mu Mu County 8It’s Grim Up North (club mix) 9Kylie Said to Jason (Skippy to the Rescue mix) 10Trance Kylie Express 11What Time Is Love (Monster Attack remix) | Compilation | 6 June 2013 | |
| 2013 | The Kollection IISearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 12 tracks1Madrugada Eterna (video 303 edit mix) 2What Time Is Love (evil edit) 3KLF Slo the Beats (outtake) 4Mr Hotty Loves You (Disco 2000) 53 A.M. Eternal (Primal demo) 6What Goes On (Ambient, Part 1) 7What Goes On (Ambient, Part 2) 8What Goes On (Ambient, Part 3) 9Naked (pure trance mix) 10Lily Was Here (Space Centre Medical Unit Hum) 11E-Train to Trancentral (longer snippet) 12Fuck the Millennium (live, 1997-09-02: At the Barbican ) | Compilation | 6 August 2013 | |
| 2013 | The KLF Remix Project Part IIISearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 8 tracks · 51:101What Time Was Love? (Anti-club mix)5:52 2Kylie Said Deeper (Microphase remix)5:59 3What Time Is Dub? (Salz Acid dub mix)6:37 4Build a Fire (Agent Cooper's Damn Fine ambient mix)5:57 5Madrugada Eterna (live From the Lost Continent 2012 original version)6:06 6Kylie Said to Jason (Trance Kylie Express)7:40 7Build a Fire (In the White Room Noisesurfer mix V2)5:42 8The Monumental Tribute Mix by Strawb7:17 | Compilation,Remix | 26 August 2013 | |
| 2014 | This Is Not What Chill Out Is AboutSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 2 tracks · 1:04:471This Is Not What Chill Out Is About30:05 2Chill Out Is Not What This Is About34:42 | Remix | 9 September 2014 | |
| 2016 | The KLF Remix Project Part OneSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 9 tracks · 52:501Down Town (Neon Signs Are Pretty)10:26 2Me Ru Con (WTF mix)3:45 3Falling Fast (Off Land Variation)4:38 43 A.M. Eternal (Klonk Blip bonus beats)3:34 5Kylie Said Pure Trance (The DJ Producers Power edit)6:06 63 A.M. Eternal (Re-Dubbed by Reverend Echo)5:57 7It's Grim Up North (Techno dub)6:39 8The Dusk (Off Land Recon2)7:05 9In My Head (A Room of Wires Production)4:40 | Remix | 22 February 2016 | |
| 2021 | Solid State Logik 1Search SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 8 tracks · 30:031Doctorin’ the Tardis3:36 2What Time Is Love? (live at Trancentral)3:56 33AM Eternal (live at the S.S.L.)3:52 4Last Train to Trancentral (live from the Lost Continent)3:52 5It’s Grim Up North4:04 6America: What Time Is Love?4:07 7Justified & Ancient3:48 83AM Eternal (from The Black Room)2:48 | Compilation | 1 January 2021 | |
| 2021 | Solid State Logik 2Search SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 11 tracks · 1:03:531Kylie Said to Jason (7” A Side)4:34 2What Time Is Love? (live at Trancentral 12” A Side)5:25 33AM Eternal (live at the S.S.L. 12” A Side)5:54 4Last Train to Trancentral (live From the Lost Continent 12” A Side)5:35 5It’s Grim Up North (12” A Side)10:32 6America: What Time Is Love? (12” A Side)9:01 7Justified & Ancient (Make Mine a 99 12” A Side)5:31 8America No More (12” B Side)6:03 9K Cera Cera (War Is Over If You Want It) (12” A Side)4:34 10The Magnificent2:15 11Jarvis Joins the Jams (Trailer)4:29 | Compilation | 23 March 2021 | |
| 2023 | MU 2Search SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 10 tracks · 51:211Everybody's K2:08 2DISCO2K235:10 3Get Way Down (Far Below the S.S.L.)7:52 4KLF-193:18 5Stuck Somewhere Between a Radio Rock and the Stadium House With No Dawn in Sight8:07 6TSUBAKI (KLF mix)2:13 8What Time Is Love? (Fuck U LFO. We Are Hypnotic and Chill mix)9:03 9Justified and Ancient Seems 25 Years Ago4:47 10Rupert (live From the Black Room)6:30 | Compilation | 24 December 2023 | |
| — | KLF RemixedSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 10 tracks · 1:07:541America: What Time Is Love? (Choppy Waters)4:19 2Justified & Ancient (Stand by the Jams) (ODC1 Meets Jabu & Usifu in the Pine Barrens)4:33 3It's Grim Up North (South Jersey mix)3:31 4What Time Is Love? (Grey and Yellow mix)7:55 5Last Train to Trancentral (Last Train to the Sub Bass)5:59 6Justified and Ancient / No More Tears (Driving All the Way)8:35 7America: What Time Is Love? / Born Free (Galactor Throws It All in the mix)10:56 8What Time Is Love? (Snowstorm mix)6:41 9What Time Is Love? / Space (Fuckin Miserable)7:50 10Madrugada Eterna (NJ & NY mix)7:35 | Remix | — | |
| — | Arkive 5Search SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 17 tracks1Intro (Stadium House Trilogy) 23 A.M. Eternal (Ultimix) 3What Time Was Love 4Love Trance 5What Goes On (Parts 1-3) 6Church KLF (From O.S.T. 1989 Movie edit) 7Chill Out (Wolf in the Jungle) 8Love Trance (demo) 9E-Train to Trancentral (Ufo mix) 10Lost My Trancentral in Mind 11January What Time Is Love 12E-Train to Trancentral (Sleepless mix) 13Love Time Kiss 14Last Train to Trancentral (808 Bass Vari.) 15It’s Grim Up North (live BBC) 16Madrugada Eterna (White Room Trailer) 17The Magnificent | Compilation | — | |
| — | Arkive 2Search SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 12 tracks1Kylie Said To Jason (Remix Remix 2) 23AM Eternal / White Room (Primal Demo Mix) 3What Time Is Love (Techno Slam Mix) 4Brooklyn New York (Outtake) 5It's Grim Up North (Original Grey Vinyl Mix) 6What Time Is Love (Power Remix) 73AM Eternal (SSL Demo Mix) 8Build A Fire (Lenny D Mix) 9Alex vs The KLF (Mix Mark II Version) 10One Love Nation (Hot Trax Mix) 11What Time Is Love (Echo & The Bunnymen Mix) 12Last Train To Trancentral (Benio Over & Out Mix) | Compilation,Remix | — | |
| — | Waiting (Some More)Search SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 3 tracks1Waiting - OST 2This Is Not What The KLF Are About 3WTIL - Pure Trance 2 | Remix | — | |
| — | Arkive 1Search SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 12 tracks · 1:11:281Kylie Said to Jason (remix remix 1)6:59 2What Time Is Love? (Monster Attack mix)6:29 3Justified & Ancient (demo mix)7:05 4What Time Is Love? (live at the Land of Oz)8:48 5Last Train to Trancentral (Gridlock mix)7:53 6What Time Is Love? (live at Liverpool)8:07 7KLF Slo the Beats (outtake)1:59 8Last Train to Trancentral (original mix)5:55 9The Rites of Mu (original soundtrack)7:22 10Madrugada Eterna (video 303 edit mix)1:58 113 A.M. Eternal (KLF vs. ENT Xmas TOTP mix)2:46 12What Time Is Love? (Acid mix)6:07 | Remix | — | |
| — | Chill out - ODC1 remixesSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 14 tracks1Brownsville Border on the Tex-Mex Turnaround 2Pulling the Dusk Out of Ricardo and Falling Fast 3Six Black Cold Hours, Louisiana Going to Coffee 4Dream in Lake Jackson Time 5Madrugada Novus 6Ancient Seems Justified and a Long Time Ago 7Elvis on the Guitar, Soul in My Steel Radio 8Beaumont Somewhen Out of 3 A.M. 9I Once Heard Wichita Lineman Was a Song 10Lost My Trancentral in Mind 11The by Pass of Baton Rouge Lights 12A Past Pulling Keeps Me Life Back From a Melody 13And Into Rock Radio Beyond the Nineties... 14Up Again, Alone With the Coming Dawn | Remix | — |
EP · 13
| Cover | Year | Title | Notes | First release |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | 20 Greatest Hits E.P.Search SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 3 tracks · 9:19ABorderline3:57 B1All U Need Is Love3:32 B2BFB1:50 | 5 January 1988 | ||
| 2008 | 2023Search SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 2 tracks · 32:201202320:23 2This Time Is Love11:57 | 2008 | ||
| 2010 | Recovered & Remastered EP 5Search SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 5 tracks · 32:471Disaster Fund Collection (12" mix)6:15 23 A.M. Eternal5:04 3Kylie Said Trance7:49 4What Time Is Love? (instrumental Acid mix)5:51 5What Time Was Love? / The Rites of Mu7:48 | Compilation | 2010 | |
| 2010 | Recovered & Remastered EP 3Search SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 4 tracks · 28:321Last Train to Trancentral8:20 23 A.M. Eternal (USA 'Arista Records' mix)5:46 3Justified & Ancient (Anti-Acapella version)7:23 4It's Grim Up North7:03 | Compilation | 2010 | |
| 2010 | Recovered & Remastered EP 2Search SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 4 tracks · 23:591Kylie Said to Jason7:29 2What Time Is Love? (Techno Gate mix)6:21 3America: What Time Is January?7:25 43 A.M. Eternal (The KLF vs. E.N.T. Radio Freedom edit)2:44 | Compilation | 2010 | |
| 2010 | Live @ Helter SkelterSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 3 tracks · 23:051What Time Is Love? (Helter Skelter rave mix)7:27 23am Eternal (Helter Skelter rave mix)5:49 3Eternal Space Cadets (Orbital Hum)9:49 | Live | 23 March 2010 | |
| 2011 | Recovered & Remastered EP 4Search SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 7 tracks · 1:08:271Space19:05 2What Time Is Love? (live version)8:50 3Lovers' Side5:49 4What Time Is Love? (Echo & The Bunneymen mix)5:20 53 A.M. Eternal (original)6:01 6What Time Is Love? (Powerhouse edit)3:30 7Space19:52 | Compilation | 19 September 2011 | |
| 2012 | Recovered & Remastered EP 1Search SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 8 tracks · 1:10:061America No More (version #2)6:04 2Burn the Beat3:45 3What Time Is Love? (Space mix)7:17 4Last Train to Trancentral6:12 5It's Grim Up North6:52 6America: What Time Is Love?8:36 7Deep Shit (The Cult of Mu) (7" mix)22:31 8It's Grim Up North London (Full Moon Scientist remix 2)8:49 | Compilation | 14 April 2012 | |
| 2012 | Recovered & Remastered EP 6Search SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 1 track · 1:17:351Live from the Lost Continent 20121:17:35 | Compilation | 12 December 2012 | |
| 2013 | Recovered and Remastered EP -4Search SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 8 tracks · 51:101What Time Was Love (Anti-club mix)5:52 2Kylie Said Deeper (Microphase remix)5:59 3What Time Is Dub (Salz acid dub mix)6:37 4Build a Fire (Agent Cooper's Damn Fine ambient mix)5:57 5Madrugada Eterna (live From the Lost Continent)6:06 6Kylie Said to Jason (Trance Kylie Express)7:40 7Build a Fire (In the White Room Noisesurfer mix V2)5:42 8The Monumental Tribute Mix by Strawb7:17 | 9 August 2013 | ||
| 2014 | This Is Not What Space Is AboutSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 9 tracks · 2:11:10Disc 1 1Part 128:05 2Part 213:00 3Part 313:06 4Part 417:54 Disc 21Part 512:59 2Part 69:05 3Part 718:40 4Part 89:49 5Part 98:32 | 14 April 2014 | ||
| 2015 | It's Grim Up North London [Special Remixes]Search SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 4 tracks · 25:381It's Grim Up North London (edit)4:09 2It's Grim Up North London (FNORD mix 2)8:47 3It's Grim Up North London (Full Moon Scientist remix 2)8:48 4It's Grim Up North London (Ambient Drone MK10)3:54 | 7 September 2015 | ||
| 2016 | Lost at TrancentralSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 5 tracks · 36:03100:06:106:10 200:08:338:33 300:07:387:38 400:05:425:42 500:08:008:00 | 22 February 2016 |
Other · 1
| Cover | Year | Title | Notes | First release |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | Chill Out 2Search SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 2 tracks1Chill Out 2 (original) 2Chill Out 2 (remix) | Remix | — |
Stats & PK
Percentile within all 23,672 published artists.Put The KLF head-to-head →
| Metric | Value | Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Wikipedia language versions | 30 | 90.4th |
| Spotify monthly listeners | — | no data |
| Release groups in DB | 92 | 97.6th |
| Studio albums | 10 | 91.1th |
| Awards recorded | 0 | 0th |
| Timeline events | 12 | 88.9th |
| Recording span (years) | 5 | 18.3th |
| Genres | 13 | 98.2th |
Awards & honours
Line-up
| Name | From | To | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bill Drummond | — | present | original |
| Bill Drummond | — | present | |
| Bill Drummond | — | present | original |
| Bill Drummond | — | present | |
| Children of the Revolution | — | present | |
| Jimmy Cauty | — | present | original |
| Jimmy Cauty | — | present |
Where this record comes from
portrait—Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 1.0 · retrieved 11 October 2026
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2K_Barbican_performance_%28Fuck_the_Millennium%29.jpgaliases/urls—musicbrainz · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://musicbrainz.org/artist/8092b8b7-235e-4844-9f72-95a9d5a73dbfdiscography—musicbrainz · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://musicbrainz.org/artist/8092b8b7-235e-4844-9f72-95a9d5a73dbfcore—wikidata · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q741316genre—wikidata · CC0 · retrieved 11 October 2026
https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q741316seed-list—wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_KLFbiography—wikipedia-en · CC BY-SA 4.0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_KLF
Why this artist is in the database
- List of Scottish musicians
Tier rule: historic figure (30 language versions, career ended)
Image: The original uploader was Vinoir at English Wikipedia . · CC BY 1.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Wikidata: Q741316 · MusicBrainz: 8092b8b7-235e-4844-9f72-95a9d5a73dbf
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