11.09.2026
19:00 until 22:00
dublab HQ · Cologne
Three Skies Festival is coming – celebrating the programme release with an exklusive prelude.
dublab presents a prelude and introduction to the programme of this new festival for unexpected music and sound, taking place 15–17 October 2026 at various spaces in Cologne. From ecstatic to intimate, from noise to song, from improvisation to electronic mutation: Three Skies opens a new chapter in the story of Cologne’s Night of Surprise, bringing together different genres, scenes, traditions and ways of listening.
This first prelude features an introduction to the festival and its programme by artistic directors Thomas Gläßer and Kieran Kaul, a dj set by the festival team and – as the centerpiece – a live performance by Katokye, the Ugandan vocal duo led by John Katokye. Rooted in the traditional songs of the Banyankore and Bahororo people of Western Uganda, Katokye’s music combines poetic improvisation, storytelling and mesmerising vocal lines. Songs about family, history and landscapes unfold into long, hypnotic and deeply immersive performances.
If you like to get an impression of Katokye’s music, you can listen to a recording of their live set at Le Guess Who 2025:
(Source: leguesswho.com/recordings/katokye-live-at-le-guess-who-2025)
Traditional musics have always been part of the world of Night of Surprise – from historical and folk traditions to indigenous musical practices from Africa and beyond. Katokye embodies this openness: a deeply rooted musical practice that can sound ancient, unexpected and touchingly familiar at the same time.
More infos about the festival …
on Instagram: @three__skies
and the Three Skies Website: threeskies.de
Programm:
7–8 PM Three Skies – Festival Introduction & Preview
8–9 PM Katokye – live
9–10 PM Three Skies DJ Team w/ Klara Trawny, Kieran Kaul, William Gill & Thomas Gläßer
Meet the festival, discover its musical world/s and celebrate the beginning of Three Skies with us.
11 September · 7–10 PM
dublab.de Studio
Hansaring 94 · 50670 Cologne
free entry (limited capacity!)