Na het horen van de track 'Honor' van Laws en Cyhi da Prynce was ik zeer benieuwd naar wie de track had geproduceerd. Na het een en ander aan research kwam ik al snel op de site van The Argonauts. Er staan inmiddels een paar tracks van het producers duo online en het klinkt stuk voor stuk zeer belovend. Via hun iets wat knullig ogende site werd ik door de zin 'We make music. Take a listen. If you like it. Contact us' uitgedaagd en zo gezegd zo gedaan. Het resultaat: een erg kort interviewtje met Don en Sam van The Argonauts. Enjoy!
Can you briefly introduce yourself? We are two kids from the suburbs – Sam and Don. We started playing music together more than a decade ago in a garage and haven't stopped since. We were raised in Fremont, California, but we have been living in Los Angeles for over a year now.
Can you explain the name Argonauts? It’s from the Greek myth Jason, the Argonauts and the Golden Fleece. I read the stories as a child and I loved the 1963 film.
When did you start with the music? Don: My parents bought me a guitar for my 11th birthday and I was immediately addicted. Shortly after that, they took me to my first concert, which was the Rolling Stones Bridges to Babylon tour and that kind of launched my interest in all the great music of the 60's and 70's.
Sam: I was young and one year for Christmas my parents gave me a boom box with three cassette tapes: Michael Jackson - Bad, Queen - Greatest Hits, and MC Hammer - 2 legit 2 quit. That is what really got me into making music and I started playing piano and drums.
How would you describe your music/beats? I know we're not the only ones doing it, but I think our background in rock music really pushes us to make full songs rather than the standard 4 bar loops that hip hop tends to live on. We like to blend live instrumentation with synths and use drums sampled from classic breaks.
There are also a handful of bigger names that we are currently working with on a few tracks, but it's probably too early to speak on that.
What can we expect from The Argonauts in 2011? You can probably expect some more music with Cyhi da Prynce. We also have a track that’s almost ready to drop with a kid named Bryant Stewart who's out of St. Louis. Same goes for one with Carlos St. John who's out of Brooklyn. We also have a track with Tabi Bonney that should be going on his next album. There are also a handful of bigger names that we are currently working with on a few tracks, but it's probably too early to speak on that. 2011 should be a great year.
