Fast rising German producer KUKO delivers one of the strongest hard techno cross over albums of recent times, across five chapters, with features from the likes of Tokio Hotel, Frauenarzt, Adrián Mills and 9ineBro.
KUKO continues his meteoric rise with debut album ‘CATHARSIS’. A 21 track project built around confronting darkness and coming through the other side, he turns hard techno into a cinematic mythology of confrontation, purification and release.
Set for release on 25th September via KRACH, ‘CATHARSIS’ represents more than just an album. It is a five chapter journey through fear, memory, ritual, truth and transcendence. KUKO thrives in the creative world he has built, focussing on music, film and fashion alongside emotional release, visual storytelling and live performance.
“This project represents a short escape from life. A moment to breathe. A moment of being. I want people to feel like they can let go of something…” KUKO explains.
Having amassed over 1.7 million monthly listeners and gained support from the likes of Tiësto, Marlon Hoffstad, Sara Landry, NOVAH and Nico Moreno, KUKO has built a global fanbase while maintaining a relentless touring schedule, quickly becoming a mainstay of the hard techno scene.
The UNREAL resident has taken his signature sound to audiences worldwide, performing at festivals including Dour, EDC Las Vegas, Kappa FuturFestival, Teletech and Tomorrowland, while also embarking on his sold-out, all-night-long world tour. He recently returned from aUS tour which saw him take over the Knockdown Centre in New York, as well as hosting a secret pop-up in Brooklyn, both of which sold out.
KUKO’s debut album CATHARSIS sees him explore his identity as an artist and the vision behind a universe that extends far beyond the music itself. Moving between hard techno, industrial electronic, breakbeat, hip-hop and euphoric synth-driven passages, CATHARSIS is a deeply personal exploration of pressure, identity, memory and release.
Set for release on 25th September via KRACH, ‘CATHARSIS’ represents more than just an album. It is a five chapter journey through fear, memory, ritual, truth and transcendence. KUKO thrives in the creative world he has built, focussing on music, film and fashion alongside emotional release, visual storytelling and live performance.
“This project represents a short escape from life. A moment to breathe. A moment of being. I want people to feel like they can let go of something…” KUKO explains.
Having amassed over 1.7 million monthly listeners and gained support from the likes of Tiësto, Marlon Hoffstad, Sara Landry, NOVAH and Nico Moreno, KUKO has built a global fanbase while maintaining a relentless touring schedule, quickly becoming a mainstay of the hard techno scene.
The UNREAL resident has taken his signature sound to audiences worldwide, performing at festivals including Dour, EDC Las Vegas, Kappa FuturFestival, Teletech and Tomorrowland, while also embarking on his sold-out, all-night-long world tour. He recently returned from aUS tour which saw him take over the Knockdown Centre in New York, as well as hosting a secret pop-up in Brooklyn, both of which sold out.
KUKO’s debut album CATHARSIS sees him explore his identity as an artist and the vision behind a universe that extends far beyond the music itself. Moving between hard techno, industrial electronic, breakbeat, hip-hop and euphoric synth-driven passages, CATHARSIS is a deeply personal exploration of pressure, identity, memory and release.
Chapter 1 - The Damned
Moving effortlessly through pace, genre and intensity, the first chapter opens with an almost weightless introduction, gradually guiding the listener towards the album's heavy title track - a collaboration with Tokio Hotel. KUKO's signature gritty synth melodies weave effortlessly through powerful vocals from the German pop legends, creating one of the album's defining moments.
Tracks such as ‘Nur Wegen Dir’ & ‘Staub’ continue to fuse contemporary electronic production with intimate vocals. The Damned is carried by pressure, memory, fear and everything that has been buried too long. Balancing moments of vulnerability with driving energy, the opening chapter lays the foundation for the journey ahead.
Interlude - The Void
KUKO enters the Void - a place with no ground, no time and no escape. Collaborations with Frauenarzt channel Berlin's underground, club history and raw pop-cultural heritage, while Johannes Schuster's appearance on 0221 traces KUKO back to his foundations in hard techno, its community and UNREAL - the formative forces that helped shape him as an artist.
Chapter 2 - The Ritual
The ominous introduction develops into siren-laced, metallic breaks, setting the tone for the chapter ahead. Tracks such as ‘DiskoDisko’ continue the fractured breakbeat energy, while punchy 4x4 kicks drive the collaborations with Toximami and Adrián Mills, pulling the listener further on to the dancefloor without losing the chapter's darker edge. These features are not a guestlist, they are cultural coordinates.
Balancing industrial textures with moments of euphoria, embracing tension and release, moving between relentless club energy and cinematic sound design.
Interlude - The Priest
The Priest emerges first as an adversary, only to reveal himself as the truth - the force that does not destroy KUKO, but breaks him open. Abrasive leads collide with ethereal melodies, balancing tension with release as skippy percussion drives the track forward. KUKO returns to where it all began, tracks such as “Don't Walk Away”, featuring 9inebro, draw on Cologne's raw, smoke-filled hip-hop landscape, grounding CATHARSIS in its local origins while its sonic vision extends far beyond them.
Chapter 3 - Transcendence
The final chapter brings a moment of calm, a chance to reflect on the journey through CATHARSIS. Dreamy synthwave textures replace the intensity of the previous chapters. The darkness is not erased, but accepted. That feeling lies at the heart of ‘CATHARSIS’, an album that captures both the physical energy of the dancefloor and the emotional escape it offers bringing together multiple cultural timelines within a single world. Inviting the listener into KUKO's most personal work to date.
"When I started, techno felt like a trance state to me. We were dancing in tunnels, losing space and time, completely disconnected from normal life. A place where reality disappears, for a moment." KUKO says.
Moving effortlessly through pace, genre and intensity, the first chapter opens with an almost weightless introduction, gradually guiding the listener towards the album's heavy title track - a collaboration with Tokio Hotel. KUKO's signature gritty synth melodies weave effortlessly through powerful vocals from the German pop legends, creating one of the album's defining moments.
Tracks such as ‘Nur Wegen Dir’ & ‘Staub’ continue to fuse contemporary electronic production with intimate vocals. The Damned is carried by pressure, memory, fear and everything that has been buried too long. Balancing moments of vulnerability with driving energy, the opening chapter lays the foundation for the journey ahead.
Interlude - The Void
KUKO enters the Void - a place with no ground, no time and no escape. Collaborations with Frauenarzt channel Berlin's underground, club history and raw pop-cultural heritage, while Johannes Schuster's appearance on 0221 traces KUKO back to his foundations in hard techno, its community and UNREAL - the formative forces that helped shape him as an artist.
Chapter 2 - The Ritual
The ominous introduction develops into siren-laced, metallic breaks, setting the tone for the chapter ahead. Tracks such as ‘DiskoDisko’ continue the fractured breakbeat energy, while punchy 4x4 kicks drive the collaborations with Toximami and Adrián Mills, pulling the listener further on to the dancefloor without losing the chapter's darker edge. These features are not a guestlist, they are cultural coordinates.
Balancing industrial textures with moments of euphoria, embracing tension and release, moving between relentless club energy and cinematic sound design.
Interlude - The Priest
The Priest emerges first as an adversary, only to reveal himself as the truth - the force that does not destroy KUKO, but breaks him open. Abrasive leads collide with ethereal melodies, balancing tension with release as skippy percussion drives the track forward. KUKO returns to where it all began, tracks such as “Don't Walk Away”, featuring 9inebro, draw on Cologne's raw, smoke-filled hip-hop landscape, grounding CATHARSIS in its local origins while its sonic vision extends far beyond them.
Chapter 3 - Transcendence
The final chapter brings a moment of calm, a chance to reflect on the journey through CATHARSIS. Dreamy synthwave textures replace the intensity of the previous chapters. The darkness is not erased, but accepted. That feeling lies at the heart of ‘CATHARSIS’, an album that captures both the physical energy of the dancefloor and the emotional escape it offers bringing together multiple cultural timelines within a single world. Inviting the listener into KUKO's most personal work to date.
"When I started, techno felt like a trance state to me. We were dancing in tunnels, losing space and time, completely disconnected from normal life. A place where reality disappears, for a moment." KUKO says.
‘CATHARSIS’ is out now on all streaming platforms.
Tracklist
A1 CHAPTER 1: THE DAMNED
A2 KUKO - Catharsis ft. Tokio Hotel
A3 KUKO - Nur Wegen Dir
A4 KUKO - Nie Genug
A5 KUKO - Du & Ich
A6 KUKO - Staub
B1 INTERLUDE: THE VOID
B2 KUKO - Tränen Auf Asphalt
B3 KUKO - Tageslicht
B4 KUKO - Unterwelt ft Frauenarzt
B5 KUKO - 0221 ft. Johannes Schuster
C1 CHAPTER 2: THE RITUAL
C2 KUKO - Aquarius ft. Adrián Mills
C3 KUKO - Good Girl ft. Toximami & DJ Cringey
C4 KUKO - DiskoDisko
D5: INTERLUDE: THE PRIEST
D1: KUKO - Phantom
D2: KUKO - Für Immer ft. tinkerbell
D3: KUKO - Don´t Walk Away ft. 9inebro
D4: KUKO - Ohne Dich
D5: CHAPTER 3: TRANSCENDENCE
A1 CHAPTER 1: THE DAMNED
A2 KUKO - Catharsis ft. Tokio Hotel
A3 KUKO - Nur Wegen Dir
A4 KUKO - Nie Genug
A5 KUKO - Du & Ich
A6 KUKO - Staub
B1 INTERLUDE: THE VOID
B2 KUKO - Tränen Auf Asphalt
B3 KUKO - Tageslicht
B4 KUKO - Unterwelt ft Frauenarzt
B5 KUKO - 0221 ft. Johannes Schuster
C1 CHAPTER 2: THE RITUAL
C2 KUKO - Aquarius ft. Adrián Mills
C3 KUKO - Good Girl ft. Toximami & DJ Cringey
C4 KUKO - DiskoDisko
D5: INTERLUDE: THE PRIEST
D1: KUKO - Phantom
D2: KUKO - Für Immer ft. tinkerbell
D3: KUKO - Don´t Walk Away ft. 9inebro
D4: KUKO - Ohne Dich
D5: CHAPTER 3: TRANSCENDENCE
About KUKO
KUKO is the Cologne-born artist translating hard techno into cinema, fashion, mythology, ritual and mass emotion. His foundation is underground rooms, industrial sound, warehouse culture and hard-music communities. His ambition is bigger than the classic DJ lane.
He is building a complete artist system: sound, image, symbols, clothing, physical objects, live ritual, community and cultural positioning. The tension is simple and strong: brutal sound, vulnerable emotional core. That is what separates KUKO from a normal hard-techno act. He is not only scaling shows. He is building belief. He gives the audience something to hear, something to wear, something to collect, something to enter and something to belong to.
KUKO is the Cologne-born artist translating hard techno into cinema, fashion, mythology, ritual and mass emotion. His foundation is underground rooms, industrial sound, warehouse culture and hard-music communities. His ambition is bigger than the classic DJ lane.
He is building a complete artist system: sound, image, symbols, clothing, physical objects, live ritual, community and cultural positioning. The tension is simple and strong: brutal sound, vulnerable emotional core. That is what separates KUKO from a normal hard-techno act. He is not only scaling shows. He is building belief. He gives the audience something to hear, something to wear, something to collect, something to enter and something to belong to.
NOTE TO EDITOR | NOT FOR PUBLICATION
Please find the press kit for KUKO here.
Please find the press kit for KUKO here.
For more information and press opportunities, contact:
Esmeralda Slim - kuko@themediananny.nl
Esmeralda Slim - kuko@themediananny.nl