Hello familia, I am Mateo Echeverria, 26. I was born and raised in Geneva, and my parents have their roots in Germany and Guatemala. The first half of the week you can see me working in an office, and the other half, I produce music and I DJ. Also, I am a sociologist.

I first started playing the guitar when I was 14 and got into reggae and dub music via the first events I used to go out to in Geneva.

The easiest to answer this question is by thinking of the CDs that used to be on repeat in the car when I was younger. Three artists come into my mind straight away: Shakira, Phill Collins and the Beatles.

When I was like twelve years old, I was able to convince my younger sisters to contribute with their pocket money (around 4USD/person) so I could buy Avril Lavigne’s CD at Tower Records in New York. I guess this means I really liked her. Another person I really looked up to was Peter Tosh. Random combo.

It can be sweet, joyful, light, pop, melodic, but also dark, hard-hitting and nostalgic. Basically think of reggaeton, dancehall and dub and combine them together. I have worked with a broad range of artists- Androo, Jne Side, Lenky Don, Busy Signal, Capleton, QQ, Landa Freak, Nino Augustine, and Eddie Hill amongst others. Today, I’m happy to share the first volume of a series of bootlegs/remix EPs called « Interpretations ». This one mixes contemporary dancehall with acid music. There is a  special video made with the Patta family as well. Look out for what is coming, I'm super excited!

Collaboration is central to my creative process. The people who know me, know I work organically with the people I do music with. Except for a few exceptions I always make sure to be fully involved in the recording process, by going to the studio with the artists or collaborating remotely since COVID. Whether it comes to making or the visual aspect involved in the releases/events/etc (artwork or video clips), I believe the combined vision of the people involved must fully align, in order to call it a collaboration. My belated friend Lenky Don is a perfect example of my conception of collaboration, we used to hop on calls regularly, talk shit, and finally make great music. We knew the chemistry was there, from day one.

While playing live I usually don't set too specific selections, while playing radio I usually have an idea and concept in mind beforehand. The important thing playing live is reading the crowd, and being able to adapt within the range of my expertise area. For the records I make, I feel a lot freer in terms of crowd-pleasing, and to be honest, it is where I’m the most comfortable in expressing myself. If I could I’d focus on studio work, instead of djing. Like Timbo

A dubplate is a special record voiced by an artist specifically for you, or an instrumental track that only a few people (or only yourself) possess.

The most explosive one would be a Michael Prophet dub for Iration Steppas the vanguard of dub. Without mentioning the classic Dennis Brown and Supercat dubs for David Rodigan, and an also impossible not to talk about OBF and their classic contemporary and obscure dub box - Wayne Smith, Cornell Campbell, Cutty Ranks, Pupajim, and more.

Medellin and New York.

The scene is very exciting here, but there remains a lot to be done, as we need to evolve and show the world how we can set trends.

I started to promote and curate events called Dancehall Fusion in 2016. These parties aim to introduce dancehall in a more alternative way, by blending it with other “urban” music genres based on Soundsystem culture. The event is still going strong, and takes place in one of Geneva’s leading clubs, La Gravière, where the night has made a name for itself in the local scene, and beyond.

Guests have been the likes of Dre Skull, Swing Ting, Jubilee, King Doudou, DJ Florentino, Uproot Andy, Claraaaaaa!, Poirier, Tash LC, Lil C, Felix Hall and Tako amongst others. Super excited to announce here, that the next one will feature one of my main inspirations - Rico OBF with a special and very exclusive dancehall set.

I used to live in Amsterdam for about two years for my studies. I can assure you, whether you like it or not, I’ll be in Amsterdam more often. Super excited to start to work with Mo, I am sure we'll do great things this year.

This show encapsulates my interest and passion for Latinx culture and Caribbean music. The musical content of the show is contemporary/old dancehall and reggaeton (and their different branches, an extension I like to define as « Soundsystem-oriented genres »), as well as showcasing up-and-coming producers and artists, and highlighting more « leftfield » actors navigating these genres.