Chilled out music

Matzka started his music journey at 15 when he moved from Taitung county to Taipei and sang in local live house venues and in bars. In his songs, he showcases his beautiful hometown and its people.

For example, one of his songs, Handsome Boy from Taitung, laments about how young people from aboriginal tribes pursuing their dreams in Taipei have forgotten their origins. In his song, Red Sun, he talks of a Paiwan wedding, where people sing and dance for a month to celebrate.

In 2010, Matzka founded a band, called Matzka, with a few young people, including drummer Atuhuy, guitarist Sakinu and bassist Alisin from the Paiwan and Puyuma aboriginal groups. His goal was to win the prize money of a local band competition in Taipei.

Recalling those days, he says: "I was so poor then that I even stole food from my landlord.

"But luckily my landlord was very nice to me."

The band performed the song, Mado Vado, which means "like a dog" at the competition and won the first prize. The song sung in Paiwan language, featuring reggae and rock, talks about the struggles of a young man from a small village who works in a big city.

"I didn't expect that the song would win as Paiwan language is usually considered as out-of-date and boring by many young people in the tribes. But it is unique and cool to me," he says.

In 2011, the singer-songwriter got his big break by winning the best band award at the Golden Melody Awards with his self-titled album. In 2016, his album, VuVu Reggae, earned him a nomination for best male singer at the same awards held annually in Taipei.

Speaking of Matzka's work, Arai Soichiro, a music producer and percussionist from Hong Kong, who has been friends and a music collaborator with the singer-songwriter for years, says: "When Matzka started writing songs, he didn't know what reggae was. But his songs are full of reggae beats and his unique sense of humor, which he inherited from his ethnic people. His music came from the place where he grew up, which was natural.

"He just plays the music that comes out of his head, and it's relaxing and fresh."