Though Mattafix's Marlon Roudette and Preetesh Hirji come from different backgrounds (Roudette grew up on the island of St. Vincent, where he studied the steel drums, while Hirji was born to Indian parents in London and was fascinated by the computer), as a band they play urban, poppy music that fits in perfectly on European radio. After meeting each other one day in a recording studio, the two became friends and decided to start a band. Calling themselves Mattafix, a derivative of the West Indian expression "matter fixed," the group released the single "Big City Life" in the summer of 2005, and the song, a mix of island cadence and clean production, was soon being played across Continental airwaves. Their debut full-length, Signs of a Struggle, came out a few months later, and after a year or so of touring Mattafix began writing and recording their next LP, Rhythm & Hymns. Though the album came out in November of 2007, the duo released the charity single "Living Darfur" in collaboration with the groups Save Darfur and Crisis Action, in hopes of raising awareness about the ongoing conflict there. ~ Marisa Brown