Synopsis

We go on a journey of discovery through Cologne, accompanied by artists such as Irmin Schmidt (CAN), Gregor Schwellenbach, Niobe and Wolfgang Voigt, head of the label Kompakt, and immerse ourselves into the inextricable relationship between music, images and architecture. THE SOUND OF COLOGNE presents Cologne from a different, vibrant side. Let's experience the hidden musical history of the city of Cologne, a music and picture imagined metropolis. Artists from all over the world have met in Cologne since the 50s and in the following decades up until today, creating together - thanks to the WDR's electronic studio - an artistic scene which became and stayed one of the most influential music scenes in the world. Music from Cologne is electronic and experimental and doesn't care whether its sorted into E-music or U-music. It is urban, usually danceable and mixes the attitude towards life and the sound of a city in an artistic way that creates new, unheard tones and works that send impulses into the music industry. Heroes of the electronic music scene, from the 70s until today, tell us this story while visiting places throughout the city that were vital for their personal and artistic growth. Their stories will help us to understand the relation of music and places, the birth of an imagined picture of a metropolis that replaces the real image, the correlation of imagination and reality. It will explain why precisely the city of Cologne could generate such a strong attraction that musicians all over the world flocked into the city, where their music could develop into maturity and success.