Racoon started in 1997 as an acoustic duo made up of singer Bart van der Weide and guitarist Dennis Huige. They were joined by bass player Stefan de Kroon and drummer Paul Bukkens a year later, and their self-released demo It's An Ice Cream Day earned them the attention of several record companies and many positive reviews from the Dutch press.

In 1999, Racoon were signed to Sony's S.M.A.R.T. label and at the end of the year they went into the ICP-studios in Brussels to record their full-length debut, Till Monkeys Fly. The album was produced by Michel "Magic Stick" Schoots from Urban Dance Squad; the end mix was done by Phil Nicolo and Bob Ludwig was responsible for the mastering of the album. The album was released in January 2000.

The band was being touted as "the next big thing" and their single "Feel Like Flying" was a power play on Dutch Radio. Racoon also played at the Parkpop and Lowlands festivals. This was followed in 2001 with singles "Smoothly" and "Eric's Bar" and a new album in 2001 titled new album Here We Go, Stereo [MOVLP1668].