VIII. Gay Games Cologne 2010

Dialect is key in Cologne. “Koelsch” is not only the beer, but also a mentality, characteristics, and – of course – the language of Cologne. Nowhere elsewhere in the German language area is a dialect that has so influenced the music world.

First there were folk and Carnival songs, marked with humor and over riding love of life. Then, in the 1970s, rock music got infected with this language. Just think of the Koelsch Rock from BAP. Since then, “Koelsch” has been played, listened, and sung to also outside of the carnival season. Groups like “Blaeck Foess”, “The Hoehner”, “The Paveier” with songs like “Viva Colonia” or “Du bes Koelle” of Tommy Engel must be mentioned here, the latter being an especially successful introduction in the Cologne awareness of life. But we shouldn´t forget the group “Brings”, which successfully introduced the young generation to the dialect. In Cologne, everybody knows and loves “Brings” and their “Superjeilezick”. To learn more about hits from Cologne in “Koelsch” listen to www.koelsch-woerterbuch.de/seiten/lieder.php. Enjoy!