Station 17
Scheibe
What's So Funny About

Station 17 is not so much a real band but an integrative musical project of mentally handicapped men and women from Hamburg. They play together in an abandoned kitchen in their residence at Station 17. The line up is different on each track. The music varies from totally improvised tracks with keyboard noodlings to well produced songs with pre-programmed loops and samples. The big advantage of this disk is the unusual approach of the musicians without any preconceptions about style or image. They simply express their ideas with very simple and effective musical means. This may sound silly, and in a way it really is. But if you don't expect commercial rock and pop music you should give this disk a try ad you might be surprised how good it is.

The title "Scheibe" means simply "Disk", and this describes the minimalistic concept of this album very well. Here is a short description of the 19 tracks:

The first track 1 Fach Denken is a monologue about thinking over a bass groove with some guitar and background noises. Then Ich und Ich, a relaxed track with the often repeated words "und ich". Quiek Quiek is assembled from several loops of voices and rhythm. Überdruck unter Dampf is a jazzy improvisation with saxophone and congas. Oh Susi is made of a rhythm track with some guitar effects and an attempt of a love song. Das Mädchen am Pier is a sea shanty with accordion. Weg nach Nirgendwo tells a short story over an electronic rhythm track, almost techno. Vernichtungsmaid is a nervous, noisy track with steel drums. Tik Tak is Es gibt kein Bier auf Hawai (a very popular oldie) here recreated in a jam session. Überall lauert Gefahr - a frightening track about ordinary fears. Then a synth pop track with the title Cola Lite. Klötze und Perlen is more experimental with wavering synth, metallic percussion and improvised lyrics. A repetition of religious quotes over keyboard improvisations and electronic rhythms. Herzilein is a rough interpretation of a German folkloristic hit over noisy keyboards. Another cover version of a popular Tic Tac Toe song is the percussion heavy Verpiß' Dich. Feuerwasser is a simplistic pop song about fire and water. Ein Hund kam in die Küche, originally an old German folk song with never ending lyrics, was interpreted here as a waltz with clarinet and accordion. The disk ends with Time to say Vorbei, a melancholic song accompanied by outdoor recordings. After all, a highly recommended disk full of creativity and simple greatness. Better than many works by so-called professional musicians!

Copyright © 1998 Lonely Locke