Published: Monday - March 12, 2007
Words by Candace Simmons
Snowgoons (Photo: Babygrande)
An album with four German producers and over 20 MCs may sound like a catastrophe in the making, unless of course the album is dropping on Babygrande Records, the self-proclaimed indie powerhouse that is known for being the home of artists suchas GZA, Hi-Tek, Purple City, and Gillie Da Kid to name a few. And if the four Germans are the Snowgoons (made up of Det, DJ Illegal, Torben, and DJ Waxwork) who have been in the game since the late 90s and have worked with some of the most respected U.S. and European artists in the game. In that case, you would possibly have a debut album worthy of praise -- that album being German Lugers. If not praise, then at least respect for rounding up some of the hip-hop's underground elite including, but not limited to, Sean Price, Wise Intelligent, Wordsworth, Jus Allah, and Afu Ra to feature on the album.
But enough name dropping, let's get to the good stuff. Ballerstatus.com had the chance to catch up with the Snowgoons and learn why the production team took four years to bring German Lugers to completion, and how the Germans with U.S. hip-hop roots found their own unique style.
Ballerstatus.com: With the focus many times on the differences between Germany and the U.S., what are some of the similarities that may surprise people?
Manuu: There's so much talent on both sides of the Atlantic. It's just the same as in the U.S. You got so much talent, but a lot of these cats will never get the chance to show what they're able to do because they just don't have the opportunity to shine. That's why we always wanna put some unsigned rappers on our albums. There's just so much talent out there that needs to be heard.
Money rules everything. If you don't have the right connects, you don't get no where... same in Germany as in the States. The same people with the same fears -- job loss, money problems, what's going on with our political leaders and what the future hold for us. Everyday struggles is a global phenomenon.
Ballerstatus.com: Given the popularity of the soul and R&B sample-driven hip-hop, what made you all stray away and do your own thing? And do you ever feel the pressure to go the more commercially excepted route?
Snowgoons: We don't feel any pressure at all. With Babygrande, we found absolutely the right label. It's perfect because Babygrande lets us stick with our own style. They don't push us in any direction. And the commercially accepted route... well, everybody has to come up with his own decision, where he wants to be and what he stands for in life. For us, the sound emerged from our souls. This is what we are, what we stand for, what we felt our whole lives, not only in our lives as producers, but also way back in time when we were just hip-hop addicts dying for a new sound, a new beat, a new flow, whatever...
Ballerstatus.com: How did you all come together and what would you say each of you bring to the table, music wise, personality, etc.?
Torben: Well, Det and Manuu started this whole Snowgoons thing. That was like back in 1999. They teamed up and started to call themselves the Snowgoons, doing some production for European rap artists and for some of the U.S. cats, like old school legends Melle Mel and Donald D.
Det: Yeah, working with Donald D was an experience, he didn't record anything for years and then we did an EP for the man. I guess it was only released in Europe, but it definitely deserved a wider release. Torben and Wax joined us in 2006. It was a natural thing, I mean, it just was meant to be. I remember when I first heard DJ Waxwork rockin' his turntables DJ Babu style. He was only sixteen years old back then, playing these bass lines with his turntables by changing the speed of the record. That was pretty impressive! Same with Torben, I mean, he's just a genius with the computer, giving our sound a big, huge plush sound quality wise.
Manuu: Det is the man who handles the business side. Running his own company with employees and being the oldest of the Goons, that's just the big poppa right there, know what I mean?
Ballerstatus.com: With four distinctive sounds, what is the creative process for producing tracks? Are there usually collaborations within the team or does each producer submit tracks separately?
Snowgoons: On the regular, we team up for the production and lock ourselves up in the lab, all together. Each member of the Goons got his own specialties, his own field of profession he specializes in. Det is good with diggin' in the crates. He's just a Pete Rock of his own with a basement loaded with records and CDs from all over the world. Sometimes it seems like his library is infinite, for real! So he brings these rough ideas to the sessions and most of the time we all meet at the Snowgoons' lab and just put the ideas together after we hear Det's rough ideas and samples.
For instance, Manuu, a.k.a. DJ Illegal, then comes up with the beat programming, then Waxwork jumps in with the bass line and bass sounds. Hearing that, Torben comes in and adds another dimension, like strings here and there, some piano and stuff like that. Everybody adds some spice to lace the track, depending on the beat we're planning for a specific artist. Basically we're like a band of musicians jamming in a live session. No one knows what's next, but in the end it has to be slammin'.
Det: Yeah, but Torben and Wax start to bring in these funky samples, too... we just explode with ideas and styles, it's a never-ending crusade to find the perfect beat!
Ballerstatus.com: It seems that artists are usually pretty anxious to release albums quickly these days, what made you all decide to take your time with German Lugers? Did you ever feel rushed to complete the album, and what things do you think you avoided or accomplished by taking the longer route?
Snowgoons: We took our time to work things out; it just doesn't make sense to be too pushy, it will just fall back on you. If you are trying too hard, you'll just end up being exhausted, all wasted in the game. You need to come up with a scheme, a game plan. We contacted Babygrande with a finished product. Everything was all set, the songs, the mastering, cover artwork, Snowgoons' logo etc.
We're out to build a brand name, slowly but steadily, getting recognition through the quality of our work, the production we're doing and not with an artificial image just to get some buzz in the press. That's ridiculous! Going the longer route gives us the chance to constantly record stuff since we got all the connections we need now. We are already in the recording progress for our next album. Cats will be in for a big surprise if they think we can't top our German Lugers line up.
Ballerstatus.com: What made you go with that name German Lugers for this album?
Waxwork: The German Luger is a well known hand gun. Germany is also known for high quality products, the German Luger is known as a very reliable gun. We wanted to represent a little bit of the high quality from our home country.
Det:German Lugers also stands for each artist/rapper. They all spit, so the name Luger is a metaphor for a rapper's spitting mouth.
Ballerstatus.com: Based on the featured artists on the album, one can get a feel of what type of MCs you are into. But who are some other producers/production teams that made you want to make your first beat, and who are some of the newer producers that you respect?
Manuu: DJ Premier, it has to be DJ premier. I mean come on, just when you thought he's dead, he drops that Christina Aguileira stuff. Crazy! He's one of my main influences, so is Pete Rock, word up!
Det: Marley Marl, I just love to hear his cold chillin' work. The symphony and stuff like that, straight up classics. He was cold chillin' records, him and Big Daddy Kane. Big up to him, DJ Hi-Tek is one of the best, too.
Waxwork: Stoupe, the enemy of mankind. Don't leave him out.
Ballerstatus.com: If you could bring back one deceased artist (like Biggie, Tupac, Big Pun, ODB, Eazy-E, Big L, or Proof) for only one track, who would it be and why?
Snowgoons: Big L, the game just needs a punch-line genius like him. One more song from him, give us the acappella and we will do four more songs using his lines for scratched hooks in other songs.
Ballerstatus.com: Somewhat along the same lines, if you could travel back to one specific era in hip-hop, what era would it be and why?
Det: '87 till '89, Eric B and Rakim, cold chillin' records with Kane, Biz, Masta Ace and all them... EPMD (why the heck did they ever break up?), Poor Righteous Teachers, Red Alert, Mr. Magic and the battle between Marley and KRS-1 transported onto the radio stations.
Manuu: The 90s, baby, the 90s. Everything just exploded with hip-hop, a worldwide epidemic -- D.I.T.C., Show and AG, Mobb Deep, Fat Joe, Das EFX. Memories are all good...
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