KUKO

KUKO is a Cologne-based DJ and producer who blends hard techno with melancholic melodies and industrial force. Driving drums meet emotions that still have room to breathe, even in the middle of a rave.

He started out more than a decade ago as a DJ at birthday parties, hoping one day to play in clubs and release his own music. His first vinyl EP later came out on 44 Label Group, with support from artists including Kobosil and Somewhen. Today, he is a resident at Adrenaline Cologne and Unreal Germany, and has also played at Verknipt.

2025 brought his first major festival season and a win in the “Breakthrough Artist 2025” category of the FAZEmag annual poll. On the “Die Tonight EP”, he gave form to personal experiences which, in his own words, he worked on for almost a year, often alone at night. A voice message, thunder and rain open the EP and recur throughout the music.

This balance of hardness and vulnerability also shapes his sets: KUKO wants to take his audience out of everyday life and give them space to feel. Fast transitions, punchy kicks and dark industrial energy drive the rave forward without pushing aside the emotional side of his sound.