Carlswerk Victoria, Cologne, Germany 26th July 2026
Thievery Corporation - “30th Anniversary Tour Tour 2026” - Special guest: Peces Raros
Contemporary club culture mixed with global sound traditions and a creative approach that unites ideas from different eras: THIEVERY CORPORATION are considered the kings of Electronic Fusion music for good reason. Now, they are celebrating their thirty-year anniversary with an extensive tour that also took them to Cologne’s Carlswerk Victoria, a venue which also the iconic Vienna duo KRUDER & DORFMEISTER often grace with their presence.
Peces Raros
Formed in La Plata, Argentina, in 2012, PECES RAROS have spent over a decade carving out a unique sonic identity that bridges Alternative Rock and driving, late-night Techno. Blending dark Synth-Pop, IDM, and raw Rock energy, the duo of Lucio Consolo and Marco Viera emerged from Argentina’s Indie underground to become a major force across Latin America and Europe. Their discography traces a fascinating evolution, moving from the guitar-heavy edges of ‘No-Toquen-A-Michi’ and ‘Oystercard’ to the refined Dark-Wave Electronica of ‘Algo-R ritmo’, ‘Dogma’, and their critically acclaimed studio effort ‘Artificial’, alongside atmospheric live documents like ‘Obras Outdoor’. https://pecesraros.com.ar
Music & Performance
Taking the stage in dark shades and black blouson jackets, PECES RAROS looked less like a modern Electronic duo and more like a revamped, synth-obsessed version of the Gallagher brothers. That rock-and-roll swagger was instantly amplified when one of them strapped on a crimson Red Gibson semi-hollow body guitar right alongside their array of DJ mixing tables.
It was a brilliantly executed, endlessly entertaining gig. The duo seamlessly traded off vocal duties throughout the set, weaving hypnotic Spanish lyrics over throbbing basslines and sharp, rhythmic guitar riffs. The crowd - initially shifting ambiently - was completely dialled into their Dark Electro drive long before they stepped away from the decks. PECES RAROS wrapped their set after 45 minutes, leaving behind a room thoroughly warmed up and buzzing with energy.
Thievery Corporation
A shared passion for rare vinyl finds and sounds outside the current mainstream initially brought DJs Rob Garza and Eric Hilton together in Washington, D.C., in 1995. A collective vision quickly emerged: to liberate club music from all limitations and fuse it with the world’s most exciting sounds, from Brazilian Bossa Nova to classical Indian music. The creative musical collective THIEVERY CORPORATION was born. Just one year after their founding, they released their debut album, ‘Sounds From The Thievery Hi-Fi’, which offered a counter-narrative to an electronic music scene heavily dominated by Techno and House at the time.
The two Americans quickly became an internationally celebrated electronic music duo, releasing a steady stream of records in the following years that not only redefined the boundaries of electronic music but also confidently combined genres like Downtempo, Trip-Hop, Dub, Bossa Nova, Reggae, Soul, and Jazz. In particular, ‘The Mirror Conspiracy’, released in 2000, gained great notoriety and led to the duo’s major breakthrough by creating an accessible sound of Latin vibes, Dub elements, and beats. A packed Carlswerk in Cologne was the result that night. Mostly made up by people in their thirties and forties, the audience was drawn by the promise of complex soundscapes. https://thieverycorporation.com
Music & Performance
With the temperature inside the arena rising and the oxygen levels dropping, waiting for THIEVERY CORPORATION proved to be quite an ordeal. Not everyone inside the audience had the stamina to wait it out, but finally around 21:18, the venue lights dimmed and THIEVERY CORPORATION began their set with an medley intro, above which a spoken narrative over the PA was laid with a female voice detailing the group’s thirty-year lineage.
From the opening notes, the stage transformed into a dynamic canvas. Mesmerizing live sitar melodies floated over deep, sub-bass dub grooves, instantly transporting the venue into a multi-sensory trance. The interplay between the musicians was loose, joyful, and completely engaging. During an extended, thunderous percussion solo, one of the percussionists playfully took a tambourine, and perched it right on top of the lead guitarist’s head without missing a single beat - a brief, unscripted moment that captured the warmth and brotherhood of the band.
Mid-set, the stage was dynamically rearranged right in front of our eyes to feature an intimate acoustic setup, shifting the energy into deep bossa nova rhythms before ratcheting back up into heavy dub tracks. A highlight of the night came when founder DJ Rob Garza paused to share a personal story explaining why the band holds such a deep, permanent connection to Cologne. Back in 1996, right after THIEVERY CORPORATION pressed their very first record, a famed local record store in Cologne named Groove Attack took a leap of faith and bought up their entire initial run.
It was right inside that Cologne shop that the legendary Viennese DJ duo KRUDER & DORFMEISTER picked up the vinyl, fell in love with the sound, and subsequently invited THIEVERY CORPORATION to contribute to their landmark DJ-Kicks compilation - a break that directly led to 4AD signing the band and launching their international career. That local connection gave the entire room an undeniable lift. The crowd locked into every single shift in genre, turning the venue floor into a collective dance floor.
THIEVERY CORPORATION closed out their main set after over 1.5 hours of playtime to a deafening roar, it was a flawless, legendary night that proved 30 years in, THIEVERY CORPORATION haven’t lost an ounce of their magic.
Setlist
01. Assault on Babylon (with Ras Puma)
02. Encounter in Bahia (with Mr. Lif)
03. Shadows of Ourselves (with Laura Vall)
04. Holographic Universe (with Mr. Lif)
05. Radio Retaliation (with Ras Puma)
06. Lagos Communiqué (with Mr. Lif)
07. Satyam Shivam Sundaram (with Laura Vall)
08. Amerimacka (with Ras Puma)
09. Unified Tribes (with Mr. Lif)
10. Vampires (with Ras Puma)
11. Heart is a Hunter (with Frank Orrall)
12. Air Batucada
13. Sleeper Car
14. Beautiful Drug (with Laura Vall)
15. Culture of Fear (with Mr. Lif) (Acoustic)
16. The State of the Union (with Ras Puma) (Acoustic)
17. Sweet Tides (with Laura Vall) (Acoustic)
18. Medley 1
19. Lebanese Blonde (with Laura Vall)
20. Fight to Survive (with Mr. Lif)
21. Warning Shots (with Ras Puma)
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22. (The Forgotten People)
23. The Richest Man in Babylon (with Ras Puma)
All Pictures by Andreas Müller (@designfaktum)
