Who are you? What do you look like? Are you German?

my name is paul james snowden. im from auckland, new zealand, the most beautiful country in the world. i look like this photo. does that excite you joost?

How did you get in contact with Boys Noize records?

i was in warsaw as i got the call, i can remember that very clearly, in 2004 his girlfriend contacted me caus he needed design stuff for his newly founded label boys noize records.  in the meanwhile we have become good friends and i think have churned out 50 plus releases together. alex visits my brother when he is in australia. i call him and his girlfriend our german aunt and uncle.

And why did you choose this special artwork for him and the label?

weird question. i choose to do it because i think its right for the music. i want to create the covers as fun and explosive as possible. i execute the covers in record timing. thats become the perpetual challenge, to make the next artwork louder than the last.

How did you get to do your famous slogan BERLIN WASTED YOUTH? Where does it come from?

BERLIN WASTED YOUTH is the line extension. the really famous slogan is WASTED GERMAN YOUTH. as legend has it… “i was sitting some sunday morning, in the garden at tresor, it was love parade,it was hot and the buzz was very good and all around, me, everyone, so super wang. i turned to my friend and said… these kids, all so fucked up. all of them, so off their fuckin faces. just wasted german youth. its just… WASTED GERMAN YOUTH” . dude, history was written!

We saw a tshirt and stickers with the text: UTRECHT WASTED YOUTH.
How the hell did you get you get to do a Utrecht version?
Utrecht is one of the cities we do Rauw at!

how the hell! ive always been a big fan of holland and a while back gabber. i love the dutch design pop culture and all the colours everywhere. i love the language too. i havent been to utrecht though. WASTED GERMAN YOUTH got approached from dennis who does the oh my tees store in utrecht and my ex assistant aleks is polish, but studied in utrecht, she handled the communication. we did some shirts and have been in contact since. also on that underground resistance -revolution for change- lp, there is that track UR live in utrecht, holland. the intro says it all. i love underground resistance.

You opened a shop in Berlin, why? And what are you selling?

the WASTED GERMAN YOUTH — Shop was the next logical move and it was a good move. the Shop is now opened 2 weeks and were getting into the groove. its early days and there is alot to do, alot of paul snowden going on here. WASTED GERMAN YOUTH stuff, but the 2nd pillar of the WASTED GERMAN YOUTH imperium – things i designed, boysnoize tshirts and vinyl, and other shirts. also the 3rd pillar,stuff from people i know. the 7th pillar is selected items we are working on. the leather flight jacket for that serious macho gay hardcore look. does that excite you joost?

What does Berlin mean to you?

as also legend has it, i listened to too much einstürzende neubauten as a teenager, kollaps, zeichnungen des patienten o.t. and halber mensch and decided i wanted to live in berlin as i was 16. as fate has it, i met a german exchange student and moved to germany end of ’87. it lacks stuff what london, tokyo and new york has and anywhere else doesnt have, but berlin has attitude. berlin is for me home. oh, and the exchange student was a girl. sorry joost, i know that doesnt excite you.

Do you play Boys Noize records music? And if so, how loud and when is the best time?

2008 i was in tokyo as alex was playing, i kept on asking his girlfriend, if i designed the record cover from the record he was playing. TUNES! but no. i dont listen to them all and usually design the covers mostly based on the title and not the sound. but i am a fan. boys noize is a bit of a phenomena. its nice to be part of the gang. music wise, im really into the commercial hiphop thang. the whole mix tape craziness, dipset, young money, and of course old school stuff. but always hard. i like it hard. i love the whole pop culture aspect of modern hiphop. sure, its business and show, but i consider it educational and inspiring. i used to listen to techno but somehow maybe the lyrics were missing. music is the highest form of art. i was involved in the label cross fade enter tainment a while back. we called extreme noise music. released some pretty legendary stuff, released also dutch artists, unit moebius, beverly hills 808303 (SO GOOD), I-f schmerzlabor. i did a couple of releases too. noisy badly produced acid stuff. bad and noisy. noisy and bad.

What can we expect from Paul Snowden in the near future?

so the label is working on some new stuff. the Shop is priorty at present and then getting the label sorted. WASTED GERMAN YOUTH is an extension of my design work, its like a hobby and a business at the same time. in the back of the Shop is also the studio for SNOWDEN-STRATMANN, the agency of my partner willem stratmann and myself. we have been friends for a while and have just recently set up shop and the work together is great. we do creative direction and design and interior and consulting and work as a art/text team and alot of other stuff. and then i also do other stuff as paul snowden too. design and art direction and do a exhibition every now and then. expansion is on the cards. business, health, fun and love. expect alot — deliver paul.

I have 1 extra question: minimal my ass why do you dislike minimal? or is it a sexual thing

fuck that minimal shit is a berlin joke. i did a variation on the theme for a gay friend of mine, your cock my ass. does that excite you joost? would you like one?

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