The first taste of the upcoming Pacewon and Mr. Green album "The Only Number That Matters is Won" coming soon on Raw Poetix Records / The Orchard. Directed by Anthony Sylvester

We were able to get a few minutes with the dynamic duo to find out what they have simmering on the back burning.

Interview below by Steve DiLodovico/Smutlife

SL: First, tell us about yourselves, individually and as a team. How did you come together, how long have you been producing, what got you interested in making tracks? Who are your biggest influences?

Det: The Snowgoons formed themselves around 1999, DJ Illegal and Det. We both went to a local jam in southern germany. illegal was selling some of his mixtapes there and we started talking to each other about music, the US Rap scene and mixtape scene. We exchanged numbers and from there on we hooked ourselves up with the latest mixtapes and stuff. At first we didn’t even know that both of us produce beatz, but after a while that topic came up of course and boom – there you go.

SL: What are some of the universal themes in Hip Hop culture and specifically Rap music that makes it so beloved by people all over the world? Why, in your opinion, does Hip Hop have such a huge global presence?

Det: That’s simple. Its the people’s music. people can relate to hip hop because hip hop used to relate to people’s reality. It was a little off focus in the past years, but trust me, that’s like any other cycle. It will come back to where it started: beatz and rhymes. That’s a beautiful thing. and what’s even more beautiful: We’re happy cause we’re a part of that.

SL: Outside of Hip hop, what other influences (musical, artistic, etc.) do you draw upon, if any?

Det: Music is universal. There is no such thing as good or bad, right or wrong. Contemporary music, no matter from where in the world, is a good source of inspiration.

SL: How do you approach beat production, do you come up with tracks with specific MCs in mind or do you hear a finished product and say something along the lines of "you know who would sound dope on this?” and go from there?

Det: Most of the time we just jam. That means we jam like any of these old funky funky bands. We just let ourselves go and we pick up the vibe of a good sample. Whatever we feel. We add instruments, keyboards, whatever is clever. Most of the time the beat is done within an hour or two, fully arranged. But more important than that is the post production following after the vocals are laid down. Then we have an idea of the topic, the flow and vibe of the song and from there we start working on the sculpture. Sometimes rappers are really amazed of what is happening after they put down their verses.

SL: You guys are extremely prolific. It seems like every other day you are putting out joints with all kinds of MCs. Is there anybody out there you haven’t worked with yet that you would really like to collaborate with?

Det: As a matter of fact, as we speak we’re into the process of working all of that out. A lot of artists are out there, no doubt. We need to hit the scene in New york a little bit more, but as i said, we are working on that right now and start straighten it out. Dropping some names, we put KRS One on that list along with Nas, Evidence, Rakim, Method Man, Ghostface – just to name a few. And of course there are a lot of unsigned hype but extremely talented mcs out there who deserve to be heard and we will continue to work with unknown and never heard of artists as this keeps hip hop alive. cause thats what hip hop is all about: beatz and rhymes. and as a young buck i always loved to hear new flows and new voices and rap styles, word up.

SL: What are your personal favorites out of the joints you’ve done so far?

Det: Oh, there are a lot of favorite joints. hard to tell, maybe it’s hatred, casualties of war, black snow jump to mind. but altogether, the whole fist in the thought album is a true favorite. the production on this album is a lot tighter than on our callabos. working with just one single artist or a single group requires a more complex production. it was a different approach than ever before. we were looking through so many ideas and samples and from that stage the process went into thinking "hm, what kind of topic would fit to a sample like this?”, and from there we created the beat. the beat always gives a sample its final direction, a laid back sample sometimes needs a complex power beat in order to not being boring. sometimes you just need to add a few drums and simply play along the sample which is always a good basis for storytelling. 

So going through this process was really something new and challenging for us, as we usually just produce beatz and then wait….patiently waiting for whoever is feeling that particular beat. So yeah, we must say fist in the thought is our most intense work so far. Besides that it’s everything we did and will do with Philly’s own Reef the lost Cauze. he is one of the best out there and real close fam, no doubt….

SL: What can we look forward to from the Snowgoons in the future?

Det: We are very busy right now. Fans can expect some heavy stuff coming up. Right now it’s summertime, and people can lounge in the sun with their shorts and bikinis but you better keep in mind that the Snowgoons season is getting closer and closer…dark days, stormy weather, you need your coat again. That’s our season. There’s snow in winter, and Snowgoons let it snow in winter. So what’s the verdict? Well, first a follow up album of "A fist in the thought” with Lord Lhus and the Savage brothers, it’s called "The Iron Fist”. Also, we’re recording an album with Reef The Lost Cauze. that’s right, you heard it, Reef the Lost Cauze teams up with the Goons for a full length album – nothin but bangers as you know. Reef and the Snowgoons = Instant Classic. 

Third, we are in the recording process with the Krush Unit album, half of the songs are done, people can expect that to drop around X-Mas. And last but not least we’re deep into recording our next Snowgoons Collabo album which will drop early in 2011. this as always will feature all of your favorite rappers. So to all of the fans out there: support real hip hop! peace! 

Thank you to Smutlife.com

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