Mattafix

Relocating from your native country to another country has its ups and its downs. As is the case with London-based duo Mattafix, they are still trying to adjust to the rigours of living in a fast-paced setting of London. Their experiences are documented in the single Big City Lights, which is spending its third week at number one on the national pop charts in Italy, ahead of songs from U2, Depeche Mode, Hilary Duff and the Pussy Cat Dolls.

Big City Life is a bouncy reggae track and it is the first release from Mattafix's debut album the 14-track Signs Of A Struggle.

"We documented the struggles of living in a big city as opposed to where we were originally living. For one, coming from a small island and now living in London, it can be a bit intimidating. There are a lot of struggles that people go through when you are trying to adjust," group member Marlon Roudette said.

Pursuing a recording career is something that happened by chance for Mattafix. St Vincent-born Roudette, who is 22 years-old, hooked up with India-born 26 year-old Preetesh Hirjie by producing tracks. "We were producing tracks and we realised we worked so well together. We invested a lot of time in our stuff, and we didn't feel comfortable passing on the material to other people. So we decided to do them ourselves," Roudette said.

Both were influenced by the reggae beat from they were teenagers, and admit to having a profound respect for the old school reggae titans, including Gregory Isaacs, Bob Marley, Beres Hammond and Dennis Brown.

"Reggae has always been a part of my life. I grew up in St Vincent where reggae has a huge following. It's the biggest genre of music there. We listen to all kinds of music, but reggae was what stood out for us', Roudette explained.
Both Roudette and Hirjie were in Jamaica earlier this year working with Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare on their album. The result was the song Cool Down The Place, a remake of the Gregory Isaacs original.

"We have a lot of respect for Gregory Isaacs and we wanted to update that song as a form of homage to him. He is our musical hero. Our heart is in the West Indies. Visiting Jamaica was very important for us in making this album. The album is very eclectic; we sort of mixed it up a bit. It also has a soul element, a hip hop element, basically a variety," Roudette said.

The success of Big City Life is not just confined to Italy. The song reached number 15 on the UK Singles chart in October. It peaked at number five in the Ukraine, number four in New Zealand, number 17 in France, and number six in Norway.
The album Signs Of A Struggle is also reportedly doing well in Europe. "We have been slowly building this album. Our European tour will be getting a jump start later this month and it will run into December. So, the interest in the album will be further accelerated," Roudette said.

Roudette also pointed out that since the success of Big City Life, their lives have changed for the better.

"Our lifestyles have definitely benefited. This is a big record for us. We are hardly ever home, because we have to be out promoting the single and the album. We are trying to get a positive message out in the public domain, however, as persons, we keep being the same," he added.

Trousers in Denim

Cream of the 'Crop'

Cheeky's World