The group is composed of Jason Köhnen, Gideon Kiers, trombonist Hilary Jeffery, cellist Nina Hitz, singer Charlotte Cegarra, guitarist Eelco Bosman, and violinist Sadie Anderson.

Köhnen and Kiers initially formed the group, often abbreviated as TKDE, in 1999 as a project for scoring silent movies such as Nosferatu and Metropolis.

The hitherto electronic project was altered in 2004 when British trombonist Jeffery and Swiss cellist Hitz joined.

On January 22, 2025 via his email newsletter Jason Köhnen announced that both The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble and The Mount Fuji Doomjazz Corporation are back: "After a hiatus of 12 years...

On February 12, 2025 it was officially announced that The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble and The Mount Fuji Doomjazz Corporation will perform once again in their original line-up on August 29 2025 at Lido in Berlin, Germany.