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Spotlight on local music: DJ Tone

Name: DJ Tone a.k.a. Solartone of Solartribe Collective aka Anthony Catton Hometown: Huntsville, Ontario. Home is where the heart and head lay. For the last 12 years it has been in Whistler and Mexico. Pique: What brought you to Whistler? A.C.
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DJ Tone

Name: DJ Tone a.k.a. Solartone of Solartribe Collective aka Anthony Catton

Hometown: Huntsville, Ontario. Home is where the heart and head lay. For the last 12 years it has been in Whistler and Mexico.

Pique: What brought you to Whistler?

A.C.: I moved from Banff to Vancouver in 1996. I planned to take a break from snowboarding. Ha! The vortex sucked me in within a few months. When Mike Varrin hired me to DJ at Merlin’s, my fate was sealed.

Pique: How long have you been DJing?

A.C.: 21 years. I started remix editing with dual cassettes back in ’87. A tape of mine landed me my first job playing music. I took a break from music when I joined the Air Force in 1990. I ended up working on CF-18 jets during the time of the Gulf War crisis.

When I got out, I was a bit lost. Luckily, I saw an old Look snowboard for sale and bought it. I ended up getting a job that winter at Powder King, B.C., and ended up devoting the next 17 years to following my dreams of endless powder.

Pique: What is the Solartribe Collective?

A.C.: We are a group of local artists, musicians and citizens who have been gathering under a full moon since 1997. It is a perfect venue to express our art forms to very appreciative crowds, who dance the night away and gather to share the good vibes we produce. We choose to celebrate our ability, manifest our dreams thru love, positive intention and connection to galactic source. Our music will always be a tool to create joy and expressiveness in people.

Pique: How do you describe your sound, or is it constantly changing?

A.C.: It changes depending on my surroundings. In Whistler, I play self-remixed electro tracks mixed with rifts from familiar rock songs and bits of jungle and break beats. The parties I play down in the Yucatan, the energy is more intense and people prefer a harder cosmic musical vibration when it comes to all night under the stars.

Pique: What is your musical background?

A.C.: My father was a part-time radio DJ in the Air Force. He also played stand up bass in a band. My three older siblings were teenagers in the disco era and were also in rock bands. I would always sneak into their rooms to listen to their records and lip sync in front of the mirror. I remember doing KISS “I Was Made For Loving You” for air guitar in Grade 2 and winning, thanks to all that practice.

Pique: What artists do you constantly look to for inspiration?

A.C.: I am inspired by so many Whistler artists and athletes. We certainly have world-class citizens here. I admire anyone who can manifest a statement that captures the essence of this reality.

Pique: When you aren’t performing, where can people find you just hanging out?

A.C.: Merlin’s patio on sunny days drinking Grog or Jade prospecting in the Bend ors.

Pique: I understand that you also have a strong interest in local politics — can you tell me a bit about your involvement in that aspect of the community?

A.C.: Well, I did have a strong interest back in the late ’90s. I cared so much about the money monkeys stealing our way of life, I found myself running for town council and speaking out about maintaining balance in the future direction of this town. I think G.D. Maxwell became a big supporter of my effort but winning a seat would have just been a lesson in futility. Now, it is too late to save the important parts of what made us who we are. We now bow down and bend over to the trademarked torch as it blinds us with visions of greed and grandeur and fills us with little pleasure and much pain.

Pique: We’ve had a lot of big musical events in town this summer. What do you think of festivals like Pemberton Festival and Whistler Music Festival — do they help or hurt local artists?

A.C.: If they are smart enough to mine the superb local talent that exists within this valley then it is an amazing opportunity for artists. The Pemberton Festival did an excellent job of doing this. I still think some of our annual sport festivals could benefit with more research and support towards showcasing more local DJs during things like the Ski and Snowboard Festival and Crankworx.

Pique: What’s your favourite venue in town, and why?

A.C.: Summer, outside spinning at full moons. All egos are soothed by our mass of positive energy. It is Whistler at its purest form — joy! Over 100 parties and I have never seen a fight! Even on occasion when the gangbangers happen to show up, they remain respectful and peaceful and walk away with a smile.

Pique: What’s been the most memorable performance of your career?

A.C.: Too many to pick one… maybe opening up for Pennywise at Merlin’s during the late ’90s Ski and Snowboard Festival, or when I was involved in programming the Pirate FM radio station that rocked the Whistler airwaves for over a year.

Pique: I understand you recently won the Sauza Tequila Canadian Mix-Off semifinals. What was that experience like?

A.C.: It was a bit unexpected and surreal. I received a call from a PR rep from Toronto saying I won a spot as a finalist! She and a camera crew flew in from Toronto and I spun a private party with free drinks for 150 V.I.P.s at the Republic in Vancouver.

Pique: How did you find out about the competition?

A.C.: Someone noticed a similar result on MySpace page from a comp I entered last year and they e-mailed me a heads up. I only had 48 hours til the deadline but managed to throw some stuff together and get it submitted.

Pique: Where was the event held?

A.C.: Montreal, Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver were the four divisions.

Pique: You walked away with some pretty sweet prizes — what were they?

A.C.: They presented me with a cheque for $1,000 and the sponsors, MySpace.com, Stanton and Sauza Tequila threw in another $1,000 in products.

Pique: Now, do you compete against the other three finalists? How is the champion decided?

A.C.: My submission now goes before a group of four very influential music agents and promoters for judging. It is awarded points for certain things like originality, energy, mixing, song selection. The winner will be announced on Aug. 25 th and receive another $3,000 in cash and $2,000 in products.

Pique: What will this do for your career?

A.C.: I imagine this will assist me in getting an agent to represent me in performing outside of Whistler at larger festivals and clubs. Sponsorship from Stanton, which makes awesome DJ products, would be sweet, as well as a chance to work hand-in-hand with Sauza Tequila down in Mexico!

Pique: What was your DJ schedule last month?

A.C.: I played Tommy Africa’s twice, once as an opener for a big name and as a headliner. Also the Pemberton Festival was a blast and I have just returned from playing to a group of beautiful people at the full moon on Saturday night.

Pique: Any final words?

A.C.: I love Whistler. This place has taught me so much about how to be truly happy. Of course, I am sad to see all the changes over the years but the spirit of this place remains strong and no matter where I go, I will always call Whistler my home!