recordJet and BahnhofBeats – a support format with real soundtrack potential for 9 years

Train stations are strange places. They are arrival, departure, stopover, sometimes chaos. They are busy – and at the same time anonymous. People arrive, depart, wait, miss, hope. And while all this is happening, something emerges that we barely consciously perceive in everyday life: a complex, multi-layered soundtrack.

Announcements boom through large halls. Rolling suitcases rhythmically drag across the floor. Doors open and close in time. Steps, voices, tracks, shops – a permanent interplay of sounds. This is exactly where BahnhofBeats comes in.

A music promotion format by local heroes e.V. and Mein_EinkaufsBahnhof (in cooperation with Deutsche Bahn) that has been bringing emerging acts to where stories are made – right into real life – since 2018. BahnhofBeats transforms these everyday sounds into music – and places we usually just pass through into creative spaces. Not as a gimmick, but as a creative interpretation of a place we all know.

As a long-standing partner of local heroes, we are particularly pleased to have been able to support the BahnhofBeats project for many years – because it not only creates attention, but also specifically supports artists in their development: with new impulses, visibility, know-how, and a network that truly helps.

In 2026, the format reaches a new milestone:
For the first time, BahnhofBeats will take place nationwide. Over 100 applications were received – ultimately, seven acts from all over Germany were selected to develop their individual train station soundtracks in the coming months. The release of the songs is scheduled for June 2, 2026.

What’s behind BahnhofBeats?

BahnhofBeats is far more than a classic competition or a showcase format. It is a holistic support program for emerging artists that combines creative process, professional production, and public visibility. The basic idea is as simple as it is powerful:
Artists record sounds from train stations and transform them into their own songs. What initially sounds like an experimental approach develops into something very concrete during the project. Tracks with their own identity that not only work musically but also tell a story – namely, that of the place from which they originated.

Why train stations? The creative appeal of everyday life

What makes BahnhofBeats so special is the conscious decision against the classic studio as a starting point.

Instead, everything begins in real life. Train stations are a perfect resonance space:

• They are emotionally charged (farewell, reunion, departure)
• They are acoustically complex (mechanics, voices, movement)
• They are accessible to everyone (everyone knows them)

The result:
Music that doesn’t originate in a vacuum, but directly from everyday life. Or in other words: Waiting becomes groove. Hustle becomes rhythm. Transit becomes meaning.

The process: From sounds to the finished song

A key reason why BahnhofBeats has such a lasting impact lies in the structured setup of the project. The participating artists are not simply “sent off,” but go through several clearly defined phases – each with its own focus.

Phase 1: Field Recording – Learning to Listen

The process begins with collecting material. The artists spend several hours (approx. five hours) in “their” train station, specifically recording sounds. This doesn’t happen by chance, but consciously:

• Platforms
• Waiting areas
• Entrance areas
• Underpasses
• Shops in the station

This is where the raw material for everything that follows is created. And often, something crucial happens in precisely this phase.
Perception changes. Sounds that were previously incidental suddenly become musical elements.

Phase 2: Coaching & Production – From Sound to Song

In the next step, the actual creative work begins. Together with producer and coach David Pfeffer, the artists further develop their tracks. The recorded sounds are:

• cut
• distorted
• rhythmically arranged
• musically supplemented

Within a few intensive days, songs are created that combine field recording and classic music production. It is important to note, however, that this is not a “workshop” but a real production process – with artistic ambition and clear objectives.

Phase 3: Mix, Master & Visual Implementation

Before the songs are released, they receive their final polish. This naturally means:

• professional mixing
• mastering for streaming platforms

This is followed by the visual implementation: music videos and photo productions are created directly in the train station where the sounds were recorded – precisely where the music originated.

The result is a coherent overall project, as sound, image, and story now intertwine.

BahnhofBeats 2026: These Acts Make the Station Resonate

This year’s participants reflect the diversity of the current music scene – stylistically broad, but all with a clear artistic signature.

Alicee (Erfurt)

Alicee combines pop with electronic elements, imaginative melodies, and soulful vibes – somewhere between modern dream-pop and cinematic soundscapes. Her music thrives on a clear voice, artful vocals, and honest emotionality. For her BahnhofBeats track, she’s going on a sound hunt at Erfurt Central Station.

Explain Colours (Münster)

Explain Colours call their sound “2080s Pop”: nostalgic 80s/90s synth aesthetics meet modern pop production – plus energy from EDM, metal, and club culture. The trio emerged as a DIY project in Münster and is currently developing a style that feels familiar yet surprising. Their recordings are made at Essen Central Station.

Jenoveva (Mainz)

JENOVEVA makes German-language indie-pop between New Wave, pop-rock, and synth-pop – with direct, introspective lyrics about what often remains unsaid. Live, she is approachable, energetic, and connecting. She collects her BahnhofBeats sounds at Kassel Central Station, and her first EP will follow in 2026.

Katharina Engel (Nuremberg)

Katharina Engel is a singer-songwriter and pop singer, somewhere between melancholy and rebellion, tenderness and energy. Spherical synths meet a clear voice and unadulterated authenticity. She seeks her inspiring sounds at Aschaffenburg Central Station.

MIK (Hamburg)

MIK stands for German indie-pop with feeling and attitude: everyday truths so honest that you suddenly find yourself in the lyrics. With support shows for JORIS and Mighty Oaks, among others, and a growing community, he already shows how connecting his music is. For BahnhofBeats, he’s heading to Bremen Central Station.

Mosbach (Wain near Ulm)

Fabian Mosbach makes music without pretense: themes like loss, self-discovery, and intimacy, emotionally direct, but increasingly danceable – indie-pop vibe instead of pure rap focus. Over 160,000 streams on his most successful track show that his blend resonates. He collects his train station sounds at Karlsruhe Central Station.

Bahnhofbeats 2026, Mosbach

Nina Louisa Bell (Berlin)

Nina Louisa Bell creates New German Chanson – poetic, sharp-tongued, glamorously melancholic. Her debut EP “Berliner Nächte” was released in 2025 and moves between big-city romance and political ambition. She records her sounds at Berlin Central Station – it couldn’t be more fitting.

Online Voting & Award: BahnhofBeats Song 2026

On June 2, 2026, all songs will be released – on all common streaming and download platforms. But the project doesn’t end there. On the contrary: that’s when the second important part begins – interaction. After the release, it gets interactive: From June 2 to 18, 2026, the voting phase will run, during which fans and listeners can actively cast their votes. This element makes BahnhofBeats particularly exciting because the project is not just curated “from above,” but actively involves the audience and community.

Also exciting and very BahnhofBeats: The acts play pop-up concerts in the train stations, promoters are on site, addressing travelers, there are loudspeaker announcements and activities – “really reaching people” is not a buzzword here, but part of the mechanism.

Support that starts in everyday life – and ends on stages

For the recordings, the artists are equipped with ZOOM field recorders and professionally guided during production. In addition, marketing, music videos, and individual coaching are part of the support package.

BahnhofBeats impressively demonstrates what a modern support program can achieve. The participating artists benefit from:

• professional production
• individual coaching
• high-quality equipment
• visual content production
• targeted promotion
• live performances with wide reach

Live performances will also take place in June 2026: In addition to the pop-up concerts in the train stations, all acts will play a show at:

• June 21: Krämerbrückenfest in Erfurt
• June 27: ExtraSchicht in Essen

These concerts bring the project back into the public space – where it began. At the same time, they offer artists a stage that goes far beyond classic newcomer performances. This is not symbolic support, but a concrete developmental step for their careers. Because BahnhofBeats was never a project just for a quick effect. Especially since the success of the first winner Baba Blakes, it has become clear that not only is visibility created here, but artists are truly accompanied on their journey through close mentoring and individual support.

Why we at recordJet celebrate BahnhofBeats

Because the project combines many things that are crucial in today’s music industry. This includes creativity with context. Storytelling instead of pure release and a community, instead of just blasting it out. BahnhofBeats is not a short-term hype, but a format with substance. It accompanies artists, challenges them, and at the same time visibly brings them forward.

And perhaps that’s precisely the most important point:
It shows that great ideas often emerge where we least expect them.

Fortunately, since 2018, BahnhofBeats has made audible what otherwise remains in the background.
In 2026, the project will be bigger, more visible, and more relevant than ever.

Because sometimes a song begins exactly where you’re just waiting for the next train.