Loft
Concert hall for jazz, improvised and contemporary music in Cologne-Ehrenfeld, doubling as the recording room of its affiliated studio.
The Loft began in a backyard not far from the Cologne University of Music. It has since become a venue for creative jazz and improvised music with a national reputation.
At a Glance
- Location
- Wissmannstraße 30, Cologne-Ehrenfeld
- Premises
- Concert hall and recording studio on the third floor of a former perfume factory
- Founded
- 1986
- Operator
- 2ndFLOOR e.V.
- Awards
- Deutscher Jazzpreis 2021 (“Club of the Year”) and 2023 (“Venue of the Year”), APPLAUS 2024 and 2025 (“Best Live Music Venue”)
In 1997 the Loft presented the complete piano works of Karlheinz Stockhausen, and later those of Mauricio Kagel – and its concert hall on the third floor of a former perfume factory also doubles as the recording room for the attached studio.
From a Backyard to Ehrenfeld
The Loft was founded by Hans-Martin Müller, a flutist who was then a lecturer at the Cologne University of Music. His first venue was a factory space in a backyard near the school. In 1987 he moved to Ehrenfeld. After one more change of location, concerts have been held regularly on Wissmannstraße since September 1989, initially alongside exhibitions.
Concert and Recording in One Room
Because the studio uses the hall as its recording space, concerts can be captured in studio quality. Deutschlandfunk and WDR have used this option for live recordings. Numerous albums were made here, including “Sneak Preview” (1999) and “Spinning Songs of Herbie Nichols” (2007) by Simon Nabatov, as well as “Tender Mercies” (2023) by Frank Gratkowski. In the 2010s, Andreas Schaerer and Lucas Niggli, among others, recorded their album “Arcanum” here.
Acoustics and Audience
The hall has excellent acoustics, which often inspire the musicians. In their view, the Loft offers the kind of space that acoustic music and improvisation need. The audience comes for the music, listens attentively, and can experience the creative process up close.
New Music from the Start
Contemporary composed music has been part of the program since the early days. In 1997, the complete piano works of Karlheinz Stockhausen were performed here, as were the complete piano works of Mauricio Kagel. Other offerings included portrait concerts, for example of Frederic Rzewski, chamber music, and “workshops” by the Kölner Gesellschaft für Neue Musik, which was long based in the same building.
Festivals and International Recognition
The MusikTriennale Köln used the Loft as a venue. In 2012, the SWR New Jazz Meeting, directed by Carl Ludwig Hübsch, took place here, among other locations. In 2016, The Guardian included the Loft in its list of the ten best jazz clubs in Europe.
Timeline
- 1986Hans-Martin Müller founds the Loft in a backyard factory space
- 1987Loft moves to Cologne-Ehrenfeld
- 1989From September, regular concerts at Wissmannstraße 30
- 1997Concerts featuring Karlheinz Stockhausen's complete piano works
- 2012SWR New Jazz Meeting held partly at the Loft
- 2016The Guardian lists the Loft among Europe's 10 best jazz clubs
- 2021German Jazz Award as "Club of the Year"
- 2023German Jazz Award as "Venue of the Year"
Gallery
Map
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Address
Wißmannstraße 30
50823 Köln
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Sources & links
- Official website
- Official website (retrieved 2026-10-23)
- Wikidata (retrieved 2026-10-23)
- Wikipedia (retrieved 2026-10-23, rev 262259981)
Auto-generated, last verified: 2026-10-23
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