Gregor Schwellenbach: “Social rules tend to be a bit more relaxed in Cologne”

Gregor Schwellenbach is a musical generalist in the best sense of the word. Whether pop, techno, classical or Carnival tunes, there’s hardly a genre he doesn’t approach with openness. This is reflected in the impressive range of his collaborations: as an arranger, he has worked with The Heritage Orchestra, Lambchop, the German Film Orchestra Babelsberg and the WDR Funkhausorchester.

He was part of the band in Klaus Schumacher’s production of “The Threepenny Opera” in Bremen and served as musical director of a string ensemble on Alligatoah’s 2021 festival tour. His chamber music tribute to the techno label Kompakt received the VIA Indie Award in the “Best Experiment” category in 2014. On top of that, Schwellenbach runs the label “Galerie” and regularly analyses pop songs for WDR Cosmo.

More than just a workplace: Gregor Schwellenbach on his connection to Cologne

Gregor, you grew up just outside Cologne, right? Where exactly are you from?

Yes, that’ right. I’m from Siegburg and grew up in Sankt Augustin. For me and my family, Cologne was always the city where people went to work. My father and grandfather both worked there, and as a teenager I gravitated towards Bonn – simply because I could get there by bike. I didn’t actually move to Cologne until later, after spending several years in Hanover and Hamburg. That’s when I really realised how much I belong here and how much I love this city.

What do you like about people in Cologne?

People in Cologne don’t take themselves too seriously, and I find that very likeable. That really reflects the way I work. Some people treat music as something very serious, but here you learn to stay relaxed and curious without taking yourself too seriously. I also love the genuine interest in other people – Cologne is open, friendly and uncomplicated. Many social rules that feel quite rigid elsewhere are simply a bit looser here. You can see that during Carnival for example.

How did you get into music?

Music has always been part of my life. I studied music, though not in Cologne – I wasn’t accepted at the music academy here. My path first took me to Hanover and then Hamburg, but music stayed with me throughout all those stages. At the beginning, I mainly did commissioned work – writing music for theatre, radio plays and television. I was part of a team, contributing ideas and working collaboratively. Later, with more experience, I started pursuing my own projects and putting more of my own ideas into practice.

The power of music for the Cologne-based composer Gregor Schwellenbach

What were your most unusual projects?

There have been quite a few exciting ones. For example, I created music for the exhibition “Schlaf” by Sebastian Fritz, an artist for whom I’ve also composed film scores. As part of the exhibition, I performed older works, including pieces that had never been released – it felt very intimate and honest. It’s about music flowing like thoughts, memories and dreams in a familiar space, similar to that moment just before you fall asleep.

“For me, music is communication.”

Composer Gregor Schwellenbach

Another interesting project was my collaboration with Kompakt, where I explored Cologne techno in depth and tried to understand why I’m so much more drawn to it than, say, Frankfurt techno. In Cologne’s electronic music scene, there’s a specific rhythm known as the “schaffel rhythm”, which to me always has a playful, laid-back feel. I’m convinced this even has something to do with the Kölsch dialect – it has a similar triplet-based rhythm.

If you’re from Cologne, it’s almost expected that you’re into Carnival. What’s it like for you?

As a child, I loved Carnival, then I hated it for a long time. When I later returned to Cologne, I rediscovered this tradition. It almost felt like returning to that childhood sense of freedom and fun. What I particularly like is how Carnival turns social rules upside down. You meet completely different people you’d never normally party with, and through costumes and the overall atmosphere, boundaries and hierarchies somehow disappear. There’s something really beautiful about that, and it also encourages you to open up to other people.

What kind of music do you listen to?

That’s hard to say – it tends to come in phases. There have been times when I listened to a lot of classical music, and then phases where I focused entirely on the work of people I know personally. These days, I try to keep up with what’s current and which new sounds feel exciting, despite my age. I still have the ambition to figure out what’s cool right now, even if I sometimes realise that this music isn’t necessarily “made for me”. Billie Eilish, for example, is objectively incredibly good, but her music speaks more directly to younger audiences. Still, I enjoy listening to it because I want to understand what’s happening in the music scene.

What does music mean to you?

For me, music is communication. It’s about entering into a dialogue with other people – whether through tradition or entirely new approaches. Even though I often work and compose alone, music remains a way of creating connections. My workspace in Cologne, my studio at the industrial site Gebäude 9, is perfect for that, as you’re working side by side with many other creatives.