Biography
When a genius on the mic and steel-drum meets a studio maniac and they put their hip-hop, reggae, rock, dub, pop and dancehall record collections in common, the result is an explosion of vibes, a tornado of soul, a UFO from across the Channel named Mattafix.
In the patois spoken in St Vincent, the small island in the Caribbean where Marlon Roudette grew up, "Mattafix" means "Matter fixed", "no problem"… But when you listen to "Sign Of A Struggle" you're at a loss to find a single problem with the group's pellucid and torrid first album… It isn't just another cocktail of dub, electro, soul, pop, dancehall, hip-hop, reggae and trip hop. Even less so is it the result of a vain experiment in style conducted by a frustrated producer drowned in samplers and keyboards. No, Marlon and his accomplice, Preetesh Hirji, know that without a real song, there's no winning. They're very attached to composition, the real kind, that hasn't been heard since Massive Attack. "Content is essential," explains Marlon. "I studied literature and I read a lot of books on politics. All of that helps me write lyrics. Actually, I have fetish song-writers for different genres: Gregory Isaacs, Bob Marley and Dennis Brown for reggae, Robert Plant and Kurt Cobain for rock, and artists from the label Rawkus like Mos Def and Talib Kweli for everything that comes from hip-hop."
Mattafix is eclectic in its choice of lyrics, but even more so musically. Marlon and Pre' are human juke-boxes. Their creativity is boundless and certainly not stuck in a rut, resulting from the crossing of two intense paths. "The album is entitled "Sign of a struggle'", continues Marlon, "and it deals with the issues that young people will have to address in the 21st century: the environment, international tensions, family feuds, etc. Our personal history is probably not unique but we've tried to write as though it were. Roots and feelings of belonging are themes that have always inspired lyrics. Pre's parents were born in India and moved to London where he was born 25 years ago. Traditional raga, old Bollywood soundtracks, hip-hop, rock and dance music – it's all part of him. That's what inspires all of the different sounds he creates. I was also born in London but I moved to St Vincent when I was very young. I used to rap and play steel-drums over there. I moved back to London when I was a teenager with huge reggae, dancehall and hip-hop influences in my pockets. Since then we've both been immersed in all sorts of music, from blues to classical! Our album is the result of these two rich and eclectic lives."
The boys' coordination and complicity is core to the album. Marlon unleashes his never-simplistic, always-engaged prose and Preetesh builds falsely nonchalant and truly hypnotic Babel towers around it. This is the case on the hit single "Big City Life", an incredible urban dub full of rap and raga emanations and irrepressible groove. But Mattafix's palette holds many other nuances such as the unexpected presence of the amazing Talvin Singh who contributes his tablas to enrich the young London duo's sound.
On "Passer By", another sublime urban voyage which leaves you forever scarred, Marlon's voice nestles in crystalline guitar-song while Pre' concentrates on finding a subtle beat to give the whole an intensely sensual soul flavor. This sensuality also oozes out of "Gangster Blues", a sort of dub blues that is driven by the unique voice of Mattafix's lead singer. His is a hybrid voice that combines an almost Prince-like falsetto and ferociously dirty raga with disconcerting ease. This amazing vocal gap is the epitome of Mattafix's eclecticism. An unbelievably soulful take-off, a hip-hop boost and a few dabs of dancehall… it's "11.30 PM (Dirtiest Trick In Town)", another magic mix of the British duo's values.
Marlon Roudette is a big fan of Radiohead, Notorious BIG and Sam Cooke. Preetesh is addicted to the latest Queens Of The Stone Age album. Still, in the end, "Sign of a Struggle" sounds nothing like any of these. "When you're a music fan like we are," concludes Marlon, "the best way to find your own voice and to be original is to really go for it and not think about any specific style or group… And without being pretentious, I think our album sounds like nothing else." So, even if some people are bound to drop names, even judiciously (Massive Attack, Cornershop, Tricky, Roots Manuva, Sly & Robbie, Shuggie Otis, Unkle, etc.), Mattafix has succeeded in mixing an avalanche of influences to make something solid and unique. This is even more impressive since Marlon is only 22 and his accomplice 25… Their other feat is having given life to an album that will probably surprise both specialists and neophytes, dance floor tourists and groove addicts. It has all the makings of a cult album.
