KUKO

KUKO is a German DJ and producer from Cologne, where he is based. The city's underground clubs shaped his melodic, industrial approach to hard techno.

KUKO is a solo DJ and producer from Cologne. The city's underground scene shaped an approach that puts emotional melody beside hard industrial drums. By February 2026, he said he had been DJing for over 12 years and writing his own music for around five years. His early catalogue includes Voicemail, documented by Innergate Records in 2023, followed by 44004 on 44 LABEL GROUP in 2024. A January 2024 profile documents a residency with jedermensch.; his wider club connections include Adrenaline and the Unreal collective.

His 2025 release DIE TONIGHT developed that contrast through songs about closeness, uncertainty and loss. He won the Breakthrough Artist 2025 category in FAZEmag's reader poll. In September 2026 he released CATHARSIS on KRACH: a 21-track debut album built around five emotional chapters. The title track pairs him with Tokio Hotel, while the wider album brings together artists from different musical backgrounds.

His own music and voice are central to his DJ sets. Nur Wegen Dir uses his own vocals, and he builds performances around changes in tension and release while leaving room to react to the crowd. The ALL NIGHT LONG world tour with Unreal gives that approach a longer setting. Hear his HÖR session or the face-to-face with VENDEX in Rotterdam in the selected recordings below.

KUKO combines melancholic melodies and his own vocals with hard industrial drums. His sets move through tension, emotion and release, responding to the room and drawing heavily on his own productions. CATHARSIS expands that sound into an album with several collaborators.

CATHARSIS is KUKO's debut album, released on 25 September 2026 through KRACH. Its 21 tracks form five emotional chapters, taking his industrial club sound into a broader setting. Tokio Hotel appear on the title track, which first arrived as a single in June 2026.

• Listen to CATHARSIS

Start with Voicemail for an early melodic reference, 44004 for his 44 LABEL GROUP catalogue and DIE TONIGHT for the emotional writing of 2025. CATHARSIS brings that approach together as a full album. Nur Wegen Dir features his own voice.

• Listen to Voicemail
• Explore 44004
• Listen to CATHARSIS

The selected recordings here include KUKO's Adrenaline session at HÖR from 29 October 2024 and his face-to-face with VENDEX in Rotterdam from 29 March 2025. Open either set to listen and follow the tracklist. His official SoundCloud offers another route into his music.

• Explore KUKO's SoundCloud
• Explore VENDEX

ALL NIGHT LONG is KUKO's 2026 world tour with Unreal. The format gives him an extended night to develop his own melodic and industrial sound. His official tour page lists the announced cities and venues; the upcoming appearances below link the editions in this collection.

• See KUKO's official tour dates

2023 · Voicemail

Innergate's official channel documents Voicemail in April 2023.

2024 · 44004

KUKO joined the 44 LABEL GROUP catalogue with 44004.

2025 · DIE TONIGHT

The KRACH release developed his emotional writing alongside hard industrial drums.

2026 · CATHARSIS

The 21-track debut album arrived on 25 September through KRACH.