The area around CARLsGARTEN in the Mülheim neighbourhood is a cultural hotspot, bringing together drama, music and art. The perfect place to chat to three Cologne-based musicians about their love of the city and its cultural landscape.
Jenny Thiele: a fusion of euphoria and anguish wrapped in fluffy snyth sounds
Jenny Thiele doesn’t have far to come – she lives close by. She spent years touring the clubs of German-speaking Europe with the band Fortuna Ehrenfeld. Since 2022, she’s mainly been performing as a solo artist, making a name for herself with gentle electro and indie sounds. This year, she’s looking to make it big as an independent artist with her new album “Platz”.
Ray Lozano: atmospheric indie soul – emotional, vulnerable, powerful
Born in Cologne, Ray Lozano knows the city like the back of her hand. The singer-songwriter’s debut album, “Pairing Mode”, established her as part of the city’s newcomer scene, and her heartfelt lyrics and soft soul vocals have brought her success internationally too. Ray’s follow-up album, “Silk & Sorrow”, came out in March.
Eike Herwig: drummer of alternative rock band the Donots
Eike Herwig has been a constant feature of the Cologne music scene for over 20 years. As the drummer of punk rock band the Donots, he juggles two worlds – you’ll find him on stage on Saturday evening and having breakfast with his family on Sunday morning. 2024 marked the band’s 30th anniversary. For Eike, “home” is two things – the Donots and Cologne.
You represent different styles of music, but there is something you have in common – you all live in Cologne. How has the city influenced your musical journey?
Ray Lozano: I was born here and quickly found my way into music because there were lots of musical activities at my school. It was completely normal for me that I went to choir practice after school, took part in a musical and attended a songwriting camp in the holidays. Cologne was a great place for doing all that. That’s why I came back after I finished uni in the Netherlands.
It’s always special in Cologne. Everyone just wants to have a great evening.
Ray Lozano
Eike Herwig: I come from a small village near Ibbenbüren, about an hour away from Münster. That’s where we started our band, the Donots. I moved to Cologne 20 years ago and was immediately fascinated by everything going on in the city. The band Klee lived in my neighbourhood at the time and we always used to meet up at Fiffibar in the Südstadt district. We did a lot with the band Angelika Express too. Their bassist back then, Jens Bachmann, lived in our building. So I was sort of plunged straight into the scene.
Jenny Thiele: I came to Cologne a lot to see friends or play gigs back when I was a student in the Netherlands. I always loved the city’s vibe and I had a small network of people I knew here even back then.
Are there any places in Cologne that have played a particular role in your careers as musicians?
Jenny: I love the Gloria Theatre! I’d love to do a solo gig there sometime, if you’re listening, Universe! I’ve performed at E.D.P. in the Ehrenfeld district a few times. I adore that place too. It’s iconic.
Eike: I really like the small places, where it’s hot and sweaty and my drum kit isn’t ten metres away from the audience. I really miss Underground – it was a second home to our band. The demise of the club is having an impact in Cologne too. Sometimes the council takes action to create spaces where culture is safe from investors. But not always.
How would you describe the “Cologne feeling”?
Is there a special kind of energy at gigs in Cologne?
Jenny: Yes, just because it’s your own home turf. It’s where your friends are and your hardcore fans that sing along at the top of their voices.
Ray: But don’t you feel there’s something else special about the audience here too? When I perform in Berlin, for instance, I sometimes find myself thinking, “Are you perhaps a bit too cool?” No matter which project I’m performing with, it’s always special in Cologne. Everyone just wants to have a great evening.
Are there other cities that have a special atmosphere or are even more awesome than Cologne?
Ray: Amsterdam – it’s such a cultural melting pot. The gigs I’ve played there have always been great. The atmosphere is always fantastic even when I’m just in the audience. Everyone sings along and they’re really chilled. People in Germany can sometimes be a bit more reserved.
Jenny: The coolest gigs I’ve played were in some random village. There isn’t the oversaturation you get in the city and people love it when someone from Cologne comes to perform for them. I appreciate that more and more. It’s great to have Berlin, Hamburg or Munich on your tour schedule, of course, and I do celebrate each and every one of my gigs but concerts are just that little bit more special for people who live in smaller places.
Is there a particular stage you enjoy performing on?
Ray: I did a small event at Dublab, a radio station and vinyl record store, with my two bandmates. Completely unplugged. It was really special and something I haven’t done for ages. There were maybe 30 or 40 people in the audience. They were all seated and it’s very intimate. They can hear every little detail in your singing. That was a very special experience.
Eike: You “reveal all”. We did a week-long unplugged tour in 2023. We got rid of everything – the only instrument I had was a case and a snare. We didn’t rehearse anything either. The spontaneity made it really cool.
Ray, your album, “Pairing Mode”, is made up of short tracks that are like little snapshots. Are there any snapshot moments from your own lives in Cologne that you associate with the city?
Ray: Back when Cologne had more clubs that were good for dancing, I was out every weekend – at parties at Underground and Papierfabrik or live concerts at Stadtgarten. I have fond memories of those times.
Eike: My main snapshot moments relate to our last album. We shot a video in the city with street artist Anton Althoff, alias Pusher Tony, for our song “Hunde los”. Now that song makes me think of the city feeling and the atmosphere here: diverse, rough but warm at the same time.
Things are pretty laid-back in Cologne. I couldn’t imagine living anywhere else at the moment.
Jenny Thiele
Is there anywhere else you could imagine living?
Eike: The Donots still spend a lot of time in Münster – it’s where we’re from and our studio and office are there. But it’s too clean and tidy for me there. Ten or so years ago, I lived on Rathenauplatz square here in Cologne and I always thought “Ehrenfeld? No way!” But now I love the neighbourhood and its vibrant variety. Sometimes, though, I do miss that big city feeling that other cities in Europe have.
Jenny: Cologne’s a village – things are pretty laid-back here. I couldn’t imagine living anywhere else at the moment. Although it is quite rough where I live in Mülheim – dirty and industrial. There are planes overhead and trains whizzing by.
Ray, as a winner of Cologne City Council’s Holger Czukay “Future Award” for pop music, you’ve suggested the prize money for newcomers should be more than for lifetime achievement. Why?
Ray: Newcomers need so much money to actually be able to bring out music. Everything’s got so incredibly expensive. If you rely on some random agency, things can go very bad and you end up having to foot the bill.
It’s a pity all the red tape sometimes makes you feel like throwing in the towel.
Eike Herwig
Eike: I know lots of young people who want to become musicians. There needs to be a lot more financial support for culture – for university programmes or rehearsal rooms, for example. During the pandemic, our region had special funding programmes you could use for different projects. It felt a bit like having a basic income that enabled you to be creative. It was extremely cool.
Is the life of a musician sometimes not as sexy and rock’n’roll as people think?
Eike: It’s a pity all the red tape sometimes makes you feel like throwing in the towel. It’s also a very insecure profession and many people don’t manage to make ends meet. That has a negative impact on your creative output, obviously, because you’ve got so many other things to think about. So you don’t have the freedom you need to be able to be creative.
Ray: Social media plays a major role nowadays too. I’m still learning how much of a role myself. I’m still not sure how I want to present myself on social media. There’s just so much involved beyond the actual music-making.
Going up to someone and starting a conversation never feels weird here.
Jenny Thiele
Do you feel that being a musician in Cologne has become more difficult?
Jenny: I wouldn’t go that far. I think we were really lucky in our region during the pandemic. I’ve heard from musicians in Berlin that they were really struggling financially. Having said that, it’s plain to see that overheads have gone up here – just like everywhere else. Nowadays, being an artist is much more about being an entrepreneur too. You have to balance the two.
Eike: Yes, there was a lot of support in Cologne during the pandemic. Obviously, it was generally a difficult time but people helped each other here.
To be able to help each other, you have to be part of a network. Does the Rhineland mentality make it particularly easy to connect with people?
Ray: I’ve never had any trouble making contacts in the music genre I work in. So more just in my bubble. It’s different now though because I’m more open to other types of music too. There’s an incredible number of small communities in the city that are all connected with one another. Everyone here has a great deal of respect for artists.
Jenny: They say the people of Cologne love a chat and are always game for anything. And it’s true. Going up to someone and starting a conversation never feels weird here. So it’s really easy to find small cafés or bars to perform in. I really enjoy living here.
Are there any other Cologne artists that inspire you?
Eike: Cologne has some long-established punk bands like Chefdenker and Knochenfabrik that are really important for the German punk scene. Adam Angst are from here and they’re very good friends of ours. In terms of how they make music and live and breathe music, I’m a fan of AnnenMayKantereit. The lads are so genuine and modest. At the same time, they’ve taken a giant leap from street to stadium without being pandering.
Jenny: I really enjoyed working with Ornella and Schlømer. They’re both fantastic musicians as well as being fabulous people! Philipp Ullrich writes gorgeous dream pop and folk songs. Millhope, my producer and someone I’ve made music with for many years, creates hypnotic dream pop from his studio in Cologne, including my new album, “Platz”.
Ray: The first thing that comes to mind is the band SALOMEA and their singer, Rebekka. We first met in 2020 and we were immediately on the same wavelength. It was totally genuine – there wasn’t any bullshitting. And their music is really worth a listen too!
What do you like most about working with other musicians?
Ray: For me, the weird language you develop with other musicians is the best thing. Once you’ve worked together for a while, you only need a few words and notes to understand each other. I can say, “Play such and such a sound” or just sing a few notes and they know straight away what I mean and how I want it to sound.
Jenny: What I like about making music is that it has a wonderful way of forcing you into the moment. You sing the note and it’s all you’ve got. A second later, it’s gone. There’s no time to think about it. When that happens with other people at the same time, I feel it throughout my body. It’s a feeling I hardly ever have outside of music.
Eike: We’ve had the same band line-up for 28 years now. We know what the others mean and that we can rely on each other. I also know I’m not a solo artist – I need a band. Sitting behind the drums on my own is really boring. Playing with a band is completely different.
It’s time to show the other sides to Cologne – and to listen to them!
Ray Lozano
Many people who haven’t explored the Cologne music scene very much think of bands like BAP or Bläck Fööss when they think of Cologne. What’s your take on that?
Eike: “Kölsch” bands are not my thing but I have a lot of respect for what they do and how they communicate the feel of the city in their songs. I think the electro scene has a strong reputation in Cologne too though. There’s so much to discover here. So much more than old-school kölsch bands.
Jenny: My take is different too because I’ve been in the underground and indie scene ever since I first came to Cologne. There’s so much here – in theatre, dance and circus performance too. I respect what kölsch bands do but it’s not really my cup of tea.
Ray: I understand the feeling that type of music sets out to convey. It’s about an easygoingness and the feeling of being proud of the city in which you live. But it’s time to show the other sides to Cologne – and to listen to them!
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