05/2019: 2nd FLOOR e.V.: Recording project for young musicians started UPDATE

2nd FLOOR e.V. launches recording project for young musicians
4 x 2 days of free recording in the LOFT recording studio

In September, the LOFT in Cologne – for years one of the most prominent venues for jazz and improvised music in Germany – will be 30 years old. In addition to the excellent acoustics, the two concert pianos (a Steinway D and a Yahama C3) have contributed to the success, but above all the recording studio, which is known far beyond the borders. Well over 1,000 recordings from the LOFT have been released on CD or digitally.

In July and August of the coming summer, the Steinway D grand piano will “fly” to Hamburg for overhaul – this will free up capacity in the recording studio, which we will make available free of charge as a recording project for young musicians on the occasion of our 30th anniversary. The funds for this come from the venue program award of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, which the LOFT has received every year since the award was made 10 years ago.

Bands with an average age of up to 25 years as well as soloists who are not older than 25 years can apply. The deadline for applications is 21.06.2019.

Required application documents: two recordings (also self-made documentation recordings – e.g. with Zoom or similar – are welcome) as well as an overview of the line-up including age information of the musicians, please send by mail to: info@loftkoeln.de.

There are a total of 4x two full studio days available between 25th of July 2019 and the 25th of August 2019. Recordings with piano can only be made on the Yamaha C3. A jury consisting of the chairmen of the association 2ndFLOOR e.V., Prof. Dieter Manderscheid and Frank Gratkowski, the head of the artistic operations office Dr. Urs Benedikt Müller as well as the sound engineers of the LOFT, Christian Heck and Stefan Deistler, will decide on the award.

Financed with funds from the NRW Venue Program Award.


Update 4th of July 2019: we present the winners

Due to a tie, the jury agreed on the following 5 (!) award winners, who are listed here in alphabetical order (by last name):

Leo Asal (Quartett)
Darius Blair (Count Spacey)
Victor Gelling (Nichts von Nachtigallen)
Roger Kintopf (First Circle)
Marie Tyong-Ayong (Trio)