INTERVIEW: Mattafix
- Posted on June 6, 2008 12:36 PM
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Interview by Zarina Raja
It is very refreshing to stumble upon a pair of musicians who care so passionately about a cause that their music supports.
Mattafix, the Reggae/Rock/Hip-Hop duo are firmly rooted in the promotion of getting the crisis in Darfur back into people’s thoughts. They use their music to spread the word that help is needed, and have even been out to Darfur to grasp the situation and record their single.
When we chatted to Marlon Roudette of Mattafix, he made it clear that Mattafix don't believe themselves to be holier than thou, they have strong feelings about the Darfur campaign and are using their music as a channel to express their beliefs. That doesn’t mean that Mattafix can’t still pen a good love song though…
First of all, I would like to go back to the Living Darfur single. You guys are the first band that recorded a single in a war zone. What did it feel like being at the refugee camp where so much had happened?
It was a difficult few days to be honest with you. We landed and didn’t know what to expect. We were dragging all this camera equipment with us too.
How did the people react to you? Were they weary of you?
Yeah, at first, when we walked into the camps, we were mobbed by children everywhere we went. The adults were weary of us though. As the day went on, everyone warmed to us and we were able to talk to some people about the situation which was vital to the whole project.
How did it make you feel when you chatted to them?
The horrors that they have been through are unimaginable. It puts your own comparatively small issues into perspective. And also the extent that these people are being ignored by the international community….that was another really frustrating aspect of it…the fact that nothing has been done and the fact that nothing is going to be done.
You must have felt even more inspired to do something about it when you came back?
Yeah, if I had had any doubts about getting involved in this before I went there, they were finished after I had visited them. When we got back, we went to the rally straight away. I was able to take part in the demonstration with knowledge of what is going on.
Did you perform the single at the rally?
No, but we have done at various shows like Oxjam and around Europe.
George Clooney and some other celebrities were involved. Did they make it down on the day?
No, but we had pre-recorded messages from them and stuff. It has been so frustrating because the killing has still been going on. Living Darfur didn’t have the impact that I hoped it would. For me, that was quite frustrating, not from a career point of view, but from the cause.
It is great that you have combined the two. Do you think that more musicians should be open to doing this kind of thing?
We have made a point of not judging everyone else. If you don’t feel that it is your place. If you don’t feel comfortable talking about it, then that is fine, but don’t judge artists that do get involved. If I was a journalist, then I would write about it. If I was a film maker, I would make films about it.
Do you think that music is a successful form of protest?
I think that there are a few successes but I also think that it is inevitable that the struggle in music is always connected – the same way that art and struggle are connected. We write about whatever we feel strongly about.
When you spend so much time on writing about war and stuff, do you find it hard to write about things of less importance?
Not really, I am still able to write love songs. You can still feel strongly about yourself in a self-indulgent way. You can still get caught up in the moment and feel just as strong. I think that it is about having a balance. We are entertainers at the end of the day. We are not here to make people feel depressed.
Let’s chat about Rhythms and Hymns. What does this album represent for you guys?
It represents our experiences since the first record. We had a strange experience with the release of our first record. It did so much better everywhere else in the world than it did in the UK. That meant that we were outside of the UK for a long time. When we came back it was strange to be away from it. We got back, and after a couple of days, you focus on what is important – and that is making records.
How does it differ from Signs of a Struggle?
Signs of a Struggle is a beautifully naïve record. The sounds of the two albums are also very different. We have some very talented musicians on this record and it sounds like it.
Once you have finished one album, do you naturally start thinking of new material?
As soon as we started Signs of a Struggle I knew it was going to do well I turned my attention to writing Rhythms and Hymns. I feel like it is not living up to it’s expectations, especially due to the problems we are having with our label. It’s almost as if I have unfinished business. I don’t want to move on until I know that people are going to get to hear them.
What do you have lined up for the next few months?
We are going to Greece tonight for a big show in Anthens which should be cool. I have a studio in East London so I can spend as much time doing production and working with other artists.
Have you got any more projects that you are going to be involved in?
At the moment, I am going to focus on the Darfur stuff. I am a Darfur campaigner. Hopefully I can get back there at some point. We are going to have to re-group and see. Darfur remains the largest concentration of human suffering world wide. Due to the dramatic events in Burma and China, we have dropped down the list of priorities in the headlines. It is just about re-establishing that there is sill a problem. It’s about getting it out there again.
Things Have Changed is out on June 9th. The lyrics are very stirring. Do you think your fans are drawn to your music or the lyrical content and the causes that you support?
Definitely a mixture of both; it is definitely catchy, but then you go back and listen to the lyrics and realize that there is something more there. Everyone wants to identify with what someone is saying lyrically. That is an element that makes people like Morrissey and Simon and Garfunkel maintain longevity in their careers. The masses like lyrics that they can identify with. I think that is something that every song writer looks to grasp.
Which artist has played a large part in your career?
I think the album that got me into the music business was Massive Attack’s Protection. That is where it began for us. I bumped into Daddy G in a bar in London and he said, oh, I have your record. I was so flattered.
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