2002/04/27

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Source: embryo.de, 2002

Because they were tired of the established record label system, young German musicians took the sale of their records into their own hands in April 1976 and founded the first musicians' own independent label in Germany. They were the musicians from the groups Ton Steine Scherben, Checkpoint Charlie, Sparifankal and Embryo. They were to pave the way for a scene from which the independent labels of the 80s and 90s emerged.

Abroad, Schneeball is compared to famous artist associations such as “Spur” or “Strata-East”. Almost everyone who knows anything about musical counterculture has either “Keine Macht für niemand” by Ton Steine Scherben, “Embryos Reise”, Sparifankal's “Bayernrock” or “Frühling der Krüppel” by Checkpoint Charlie in their record cabinet, all of which are now classics.

The last Umsonst - und - Draussen - Festival in Vlotho / Porta Westfalica with more than 100,000 visitors, organized by the Schneeball bands, took place at the beginning of the 80s. One reason for the musicians to stop: the whole thing had simply become too big, confusing etc.. Schneeball did not want to become a new mass culture, because otherwise the musicians would have betrayed their original goals: To create their own culture despite the overpowering commercial music - mass industry, without strict categories, without ideologies, without a producers cut, friendship instead of profit! They encouraged an entire movement with the phrase “Create many Umsonst & Draussen”. To demonstrate their unity, the Schneeball bands created three jointly staged “opera productions” (not in a traditional setting or corset, of course), with which they toured the German countryside, even though many of the bands from the first hour no longer existed.

The genre-spanning was a predicate of Schneeball, jazz rock sounded next to the sophisticated works of future music professors, provocative anarchist lyrics sounded next to the philosophical reflections of Julius Schittenhelm. Just as the “newcomer” Mose-Show has nothing at all in common with Embryo and Argile, the latter have outlived all other bands and have remained true to themselves over the years. Both have been able to travel to other continents thanks to their boundary-crossing music-making. Perhaps one reason for their unbroken existence. Yatra from the former GDR are known as the embryos of the East and were already in contact with the Schneeballers before the fall of communism.

Here comes a snowball flying!

On April 27, 2002, 25 years of Schneeball will be celebrated with an event featuring four bands or projects from today's Schneeball scene: Embryo, Argile, Yatra and the Mose Show.

embryo.de, 2002

https://web.archive.org/web/20020405113510/http://www.embryo.de/schneeball_jubi.htm