Music offers us so many different ways to create and manipulate sound.
Some artists play traditional instruments while others take a more modern approach, experimenting with synth sounds. Regardless of the creative process, the results can be equally impressive. What if we told you that you can take a garbage can, and put on a show with it?
It all began with some drumming classes.
Joachim Dölker teaches drums and percussion at the Institut für Musik in Osnabruck, Germany. His classes were highly experimental, and we’re always glad to hear about successful innovations in education. In 2011, Joachim formed a band with seven of his most dedicated students.
They are all guys except for the one girl among them, hence their name: Groove Onkels feat. Tante.
“Onkel” is uncle in German, and “Tante” translates to an aunt, in honor of the only female percussionist in the band.
Their slogan is “Alles im Eimer… Instrumente braucht keiner” which could translate to “It’s all gone down the drain… Instruments are in vain!”
The national breakthrough of the now-famous Trash Percussion Show came in 2012 when Groove Onkels feat. Tante performed on Germany’s Got Talent. They brought everyone to their feet with the original song “Gelber Sack.” That’s the one they perform in this video, too.
The crowd in Osnabruck was in love with the performance.
At first, we see a group of people dressed as waste collectors, in orange vests and everything. There are eight garbage cans are in the middle of the street, neatly arranged in two rows. It doesn’t take long for passersby to be intrigued by the whole scene.
It’s been said in the description box that this is the first public gig Groove Onkels did.
No wonder people seem surprised—they weren’t yet used to seeing such a show! Suddenly, the group that’s supposed to collect the trash, screams “Gelber Sack.” Then they all sit on top of those eight bins and proceed to drum all over them.
The show goes on and sequences of them sitting on bins, jumping, kicking and drumming repeat the entire time.
It might sound a bit chaotic when it’s described with words, but once you see the video, you’ll change the opinion. It sounds surprisingly good, uplifting and powerful. What’s more important is that the audience loves it!
Who would have thought that a trash can could be an instrument?
As it turns out, Groove Onkels’ trash can routine are internationally acclaimed. They all are professional drummers, and what they do here is an interesting experiment. It shows that almost anyone, with basic rhythmic feeling, can take any object and turn it into an instrument. We love the positivity, and optimism they create.
Groove Onkels feat. Tante has already performed all over the globe.
Bahrain, Canada, Singapore, France, Poland, Romania, the Czech Republic, Sweden, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and Switzerland are some of the countries they’ve visited so far.
With 17,700 YouTube subscribers, they seem to have a real hit on their hands!
More than 10 million people have watched their performance on YouTube, and their popularity is only growing day after day. As we mentioned, this was their first gig ever—it happened in 2011 when Groove Onkels were still beginning.
Their performances have evolved quite a lot, and each new show is more elaborate and exciting.
All we can say is that we wish them the best of luck—the world is probably still not aware of how brilliant a bin can sound!
Watch the group’s creative performance by clicking the link below:
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