|
Throughout the years Tony Matterhorn has assumed many aliases: "Mr. Fully Loaded," "Mentally Ill," and his latest "The Man From Mars." Originally born in Kingston, Jamaica; Matterhorn made a name for himself as part of the duo King Addis. He is world renown for his ability to deliver an energetic and exciting live show as a selector. Performing in clubs all over North America, Matterhorn-s style of hardcore dancehall began winning him accolades, including a victories at World Clash (Jamaica) 2002, 2003 and UK Cup Clash in 2003.
Tony Matterhorn is now enjoying the limelight as a deejay. He created waves in the local as well as the mainstream American market in the summer of 2006 with his song "Dutty Wine." Dutty Wine was heavily played on R&B and rap stations around the US and spent 13 weeks at number one on the RETV Dancehall Chart. Peppa Pot talks to Matterhorn about his new found success as a deejay.
Interview conducted by: Heike Wollenweber
Peppa Pot: I realize you are very, very busy at the moment, especially since you are in demand as an artiste and as a selector. What are you working on right now?
Tony Matterhorn: Both of them. Mi still work on my tunes and mi still work on my dub plates. I mean, mi nah leave out the selecting ting cause mi ah di number one selector round the world, internationally! So, I have to hold that post. The songs that I did, dem take off real bad so what can I do? I am just best of both worlds right now.
Peppa Pot: When and why did you decide to take on the role of the artiste?
Tony Matterhorn: Well, I am always round the artistes. I am always changing up the songs they do for my dub plate purposes. So ... I did the "Dancing Class" and then I did "Dancing Class Pt. 2" with Richie Feelings so we just start pretty much picking up on the two songs. We decided to do a song for the girl dem which was "Dutty Wine" and it just blow up.
Peppa Pot: Did you expect the enormous success of "Dutty Wine"?
 |
| Tony Matterhorn | Tony Matterhorn: No. The moment mi did it, mi just know seh the song did big but mi just think it a go big dancehall-wise both foreign and locally cause it is a girl song and there hasn-t been a girl song for a while now. Mi did know the girl dem a go love the song, but to the magnitude where it is now? Mi never expect that it get so big, even bigger than the dancehall.
Peppa Pot: I read about your "Mars" story. What was that joke all about?
Tony Matterhorn: Mi just ah explain the transformation from selector to DJ and getting this big number one song. For dem to comprehend I am telling dem it is not really me. I was abducted by some females from Mars and right now they have me over there and they sent my clone to Jamaica. So the clone is here right now.
Peppa Pot: What else are you working on at the moment?
Tony Matterhorn: I am working on some singles right now. Doing singles for various producers and then complete all of them and then: one big album!
Peppa Pot: Will there be a focus on a lot of dance songs on the album?
Tony Matterhorn: No, just everything. Everything. Every point, every topic that they are missing out. That-s what I am doing.
Peppa Pot: Give me an example.
Tony Matterhorn: For the girl dem for once. Then a futuristic song like "The Man from Mars." I mean, nobody nah do dem kinda song, only Wayne Marshall alone, who say "Astronaut." Some likkle different thing, just anything that makes a difference.
Peppa Pot: But still in the vibes that people know you for?
Tony Matterhorn: Creativity, you know. Just a mad person.
Peppa Pot: Who is Tony Matterhorn as a person?
Tony Matterhorn: Just a plain, simple, everyday, average family guy.
Peppa Pot: This is how you would describe yourself?
Tony Matterhorn: Yes, just musically inclined and very talented when it comes on to music. A lot of people just see Matterhorn. They don-t see Tony. And Tony is just a nice law-abiding citizen. Just kick back and chill. I have family day, you know. Sunday is family day. Me, my daughter and my baby mother we just go out, go movies or whatever. Wednesday is family day again, too. Just kick back and just take it every day, you know, but people see me in the studios and dancehall so they see that side. They don-t see the family side. I live a dual life, like a double agent.
Peppa Pot: Do you still work a lot in the other Caribbean island like your radio show in Barbados?
Tony Matterhorn: No. I still play in the islands, but Barbados, at the radio station, I haven-t been there in a while because I-ve been touring and touring and always in the UK and Europe, so it kind of cut me back from that but whenever I get a little time mi just fly in and deal with the radio again, because they want me back down there.
Peppa Pot: What do you generally think about the music industry in Jamaica at the moment and how it is developing?
Tony Matterhorn: Well, the music has been big. I-ve been telling them the music has been big. Most of the acts coming out of Jamaica, they only limit themselves to certain places like mainstream America. Miami, New York and those places, California. They don-t venture out in Europe, Germany and all dem places. Only the one drop- artistes, so to speak, go to those places so they wouldn-t even know seh the dancehall is that big over that side of the world. Dem just think it-s roots rock over that side of the world. They would not even know the people are hip to the songs that are going on now, in the dancehall. Japan is one of the main places where the dancehall is really big just like reggae. Dancehall is the thing. Dancehall is as big as reggae but so much years the artistes from Jamaica, the entertainers, they think that the reggae department is bigger than the dancehall, because they didn-t venture. You don-t really find the top DJs going into Europe and dem place deh. It-s just the one drop, like the I-Wayne, Chuck Fendah, Richie Spice dem, Anthony B, Luciano. You don-t really find the Ele, and the Bounty and the Beenie dem venture in Europe frequently. They would do a one show, one tour and that-s it and then it-s two years before they go back again.
Peppa Pot: Do you think they are loosing out by their own fault?
Tony Matterhorn: Yeah. Yeah, because they are not seeing that ... the thing is an evolution and it-s big now so you have to work with it.
Peppa Pot: Do you think people outside of Jamaica are catching on more on the dances now as well, thinking especially about Dutty Wine right now?
Tony Matterhorn: Yes. Dutty Wine catch on more because it is a female dance. Just about every girl now know Dutty Wine. You go in the clubs and you see the white girl dem do it, the Japanese girls, the black girls. Everybody doing Dutty Wine cause it-s easy. You remember like Butterfly back in the day. The dances for females will catch on quicker, because more females come to the dances. If you have a dance like Willy Bounce people will catch on to it, but it-s a dance for mostly fellas. A dance for females now ... females catch on to dances real quick so Dutty Wine now, from you see it like ten females are doing it then at the next dance you see about 50. They gon catch it real quick.
Peppa Pot: Anything else interesting going on for you right now?
Tony Matterhorn: Just tell them "The Man from Mars is here and he is here to stay!" And there is going to be a storm round here. Email This Q&A Back
|
