Although born in London, Marlon Roudette spent most of his formative years in the Eastern Caribbean, where he fell in love with the reggae music that seemed to spill forth from every storefront. He returned to London as a 17-year-old and quickly met Preetesh Hirji. The two formed Mattafix, a musical duo whose songs combined the island music of Roudette's youth with electronic loops and urban rhythms. "Big City Life" became the group's signature hit, peaking at number 15 in the U.K. Mattafix released two albums before splitting up in 2010. Roudette signed with Universal and began working on a solo album immediately. "New Age," his first single, became an international chart-topper in July 2011, and the full-length album Matter Fixed followed later that fall. ~ Andrew Leahey