MS RheinLand becomes a floating stage for up-and-coming artists
This only happens once on the Rhine: up-and-coming artists from the regional urban music scene perform live on board a ship, putting the Rhine "on fire". This is the fourth time that KölnTourist Personenschifffahrt, together with Bonn rapper Phily Van, is presenting young up-and-coming stars from rap, hip-hop or R'n'B as part of the "Floating Bars" event series on May 20, 2023. This year, the largest line-up to date will be in action: In addition to Phily Van, this time Toji, Habesha, Katherine Marena, Xtienne and - for the after-show party - DJ Symphy will be part of the party.
The birth of the "Floating Bars" event series was the result of a real "snap idea" in October 2021. "I was thrilled by Philly's performances from the very beginning," recalls KölnTourist Managing Director Angelika Schmitz. "So it made sense to give him his own stage on our ship for once. Hip-hop doesn't exist on the Rhine, so let's just give it a try." So about 100 fans of Phily Van and of hip-hop in general found themselves on board the MS RheinPerle and celebrated a huge party. The KönTourist boss's instinct proved correct: "The response completely blew us away."
Phily Van is a basketball player and a special educator in his main profession. He started rapping a few years ago, and always with a message. "I'm all about spreading positive vibes with my music and making kids think," Phily Van explains. "I don't mind doing that with a twinkle in my eye, because humor is the name of the game." He dropped his first mixtape "Spielwiese" in January 2022, and immediately followed it up with "Spielwiese II" in July 2022. Phily's songs convince with numerous flows, deep messages and good vibes. Offering young artists a platform to perform live in front of an audience on a ship thus became the core of the "Floating Bars" project. This was so well received that since Part II, the MS RheinLand, the largest ship in the KölnTourist fleet, has become a floating stage.
Largest line-up of the "Floating Bars" series
"Boundaries gone, living community, that's my world," raps Phily in "Spazzed Out." And in this spirit, "Floating Bars" developed into a format where young artists from other genres could also present themselves.
One of them is Toji from Duisburg. The 24-year-old singer, rapper and songwriter is influenced by R'n'B and soul and has founded the collective "Soultouching Records." "This collective stands for friends who have become family to me because they strive for the same goals and share the same passion for common interests," Toji explains.
The third artist in the line-up of "Floating Bars Part IV" is Habesha. The Düsseldorf rapper with Eritrean roots has played a major role in shaping the scene. Back in 2003 he was part of the BTM Squad, one of the first crews to popularize street rap with rough lyrics. In 2013 he went his own way as Haben and succeeded with tracks like "Ich lass mir von keinem etwas sagen" or his solo album "Alle wollen Haben" a convincing balancing act between catchy music and powerful hip-hop. Also his latest work "Ich bin dope" shows again his sovereign loose flow and his sense for hooks that go immediately into the ear.The line-up will be strengthened at short notice by the young rapper Xtienne from Bonn, who attracted attention with his latest single "Medi Kit" at the end of last year, and Katherine Marena, a singer / songwriter from Nashville, who now lives in Cologne and released her pop debut "Out Cold" in 2023.
As always, the live concert on board will be rounded off with an after-show party. At "Floating Bars Part IV" DJ Symphy could be won for it this year. She is known as part of the Nani?! Kollektiv, which regularly brings the audience in hip clubs like the "Club Subway" in Cologne or the Krefeld "Schlachthof" to the boil, and knows how to create a boisterous atmosphere with Raggaeton and Dancehall. Now she will bring this unique ship tour to a crowning conclusion with her beats and sounds.
"Floating Bars Part V" is by the way also already in planning, the next date is on Friday, 06.10.2023.KölnTourist offers boat trips and boat charters at the most important junctions on the Rhine in the Cologne/Bonn area, unforgettable and exclusive variety of experiences for a real change of perspective, plenty of deceleration and lots of good humor on one of the most beautiful rivers in Europe. A personal and individual service, delicious food from selected partners and a very good price/performance ratio round off the offer.
KölnTourist is a privately run shipping company with decades of tradition and shipping expertise. The fleet is technically up to date, because the safety of the passengers is always in the center of attention. The interior of the fleet is always well maintained. With an eye on the environment and future generations, the company embarked on a journey to greater sustainability in passenger shipping some time ago. KölnTourist sees itself as a true friend and partner to its guests and lives cosmopolitanism. The employees are authentic and love what they do - with regard to their fleet, their offers, their guests and the team.Links to participating acts:
Phily Van: https://www.youtube.com/@philyvan2968; https://soundcloud.com/philipp_8
Toji: https://www.soultouchingrecords.com; https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChszMGgcmUJnWZrFxrHSXiw
Habesha: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCavWt8J0WhwHSIYKVdTRfTg
Xtienne: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaUP_voT3YGzTxGpn7Dqm-g
KatherineMarena: https://soundcloud.com/marenaband
Symphy: https://soundcloud.com/symphyy
Press release: Hip-Hop, R'n'B and Urban Sounds on the Rhine
