The musician, composer and producer Arno Steffen was born in 1953 in Cologne and fell in love with music from a very young age. His musical interests have oscillated between punk rock, experimental music, and humorous pop songs. He is a cornerstone of Cologne’s traditional music scene and Germany in general. A member of many bands since he was in high school, he then became part of some memorable bands—Zeltinger, the punk rock band that sang in the dialect Kölsch, Triumvirat, the experimental band in which he was lead singer and composer, although he is best known for his part in the pop-humorous band L.S.E., which also included songs written in Kölsch—.
The German movement against racism and neo-nazism was founded in Cologne in 1992 as a reaction to the growing racism and brutal aggressions that were taking place in Germany. The colloquial slogan written in the local dialect Kölsch literally means “Ass up, teeth apart!”. The movement brought together some of Cologne’s best bands (BAP, Bläck Fööss, Brings or Höhner, Nick Nikitakis, or The Piano Has Been Drinking, among others) in a first concert that was held in Cologne and that was broadcasted on television. It soon raised awareness and people from the music industry (EMI Electrola) wanted to take that great project in an album for free. That is how the first record was released in 1992 with the title Arsch huh, Zäng ussenander.