ARTIST: Mattafix
TITLE: Signs Of A Struggle
LABEL: Buddhist Punk
GENRE: R&B
BITRATE: 207kbps avg
PLAYTIME: 1h 01min total
RELEASE DATE: 2005-10-31
RIP DATE: 2005-10-24

Track List

01. Gangster Blues                  4:19
02. Big City Life                   4:00
03. Passer By                       3:33
04. To & Fro                        4:04
05. Everyone Around You             4:58
06. Clear And Present Danger        4:20
07. Older                           2:50
08. I To You                        4:21
09. Impartial                       3:55
10. The Means                       4:09
11. 1130                            3:28
12. Forgotten                       3:52
13. 555                             6:33
14. Cool Down The Place             7:02

Release Notes:

The previous release tagged as advance was a 5 track sampler.
Enjoy the actual advance.

Bio -

Signs of a Struggle, Preetesh and I feel like it's the perfect
name for this album. Not only have we faced challenges
creatively but we have written this album with a backdrop of
international turmoil. Its difficult not to believe in fate
when I look back at the creation of these songs. Many of the
tracks deal with the individual struggles that both myself and
Preetesh have experienced. In many respects they are the
typical issues that two young men deal with in a 21st century
environment; the turbulent relationships, the family feuds and
trying to find a voice in situations where the opinions of
young people are not always encouraged. And at the epicenter
of our work is a belief that creativity can bring great
change. Our story may not be unique, but we have tried to tell
it as if it were.

Roots and a sense of belonging are themes that appear
lyrically from time to time. Both of Pre's parents were born
in India and, after much travelling, they settled in London
where Pre was born. This background has given him a broad
appreciation for all types of music from traditional Ragas
and old school Bollywood soundtracks to hip hop, rock, and
dance.

I was born in the same part of London but moved to my
mother's homeland in the West Indies (St. Vincent and the
Grenadines) with her as a young child. I moved back to
London in my late teens with a heavy influence of reggae,
dancehall, and hip hop. Since then we have immersed
ourselves in all genres of music from blues to classical.

The past two years have been spent trying to merge all of
these elements into our own style of music. The creative
process is not always clear and many of our break throughs
have come about through coincidences and mistakes. When I
met Pre (on a visit back to London) he was working at a
recording studio where, for the next four years, he learnt
the art of sound. Around the same time I was playing tenor
in a Steel Band in St. Vincent. In my spare time I was
writing rap verses and poetry. By the time I left St.
Vincent and reunited with Pre we both had visions of a
fresh sound. We have both been extremely fortunate to
have played a role in the creation of that sound.

Marlon Roudette