“Someone once told me that the infamous Wall had broken the heart of the city right in two. As any songwriter can tell you, a heart struggling to repair itself can provide glorious creativity and painful yet profound insights.
On our first visit we partied the nights away in abandoned high-rise buildings squatted by peaceful revellers. Electronic music pulsed its way past the wrought iron sculptures and modern art pieces that decorated the premises. It was all irresistibly lawless. A free party in the centre of the city seemed a thousand miles away from London’s new exclusivity and social barriers.” This is what Marlon Roudette from UK based band Mattafix wrote before his upcoming promotional visit to Berlin last month. The talented singer, producer and songwriter with an angelic voice made his break through with Mattafix two years ago with the song Big City Life and the debut album Signs of a Struggle. Especially here in Germany the album was a suprise hit and the song had high rotations on all major radio stations. Before that he co-produced the critically acclaimed but unfortunately unsuccessful debut album of former Sugababe Siobhan Donaghy. Mattafix are now back with their second album Rhythm and Hymns and their new single Living Darfur. Read and hear more after the jump.
The single Living Darfur is part of the charity project Save Darfur which draws the attention to the lives and struggles of the people of Darfur. The song is like an update of a Michael Jackson song spiced up with an African choir and some hip hop beats. It’s actually quite beautiful. The album has a quite different feel. You will hear more hip hop, reggae and dancehall vibes. We prefer the songs in the back of the album. Below you can watch the video for the single and listen into the album.
