It was Washington, DC native Christopher Vrenios’ deep appreciation for the sounds coming out of Kingston, Jamaica that led him to produce and record with legendary reggae artists Sly and Robbie, The Itals, Augustus Pablo, Sugar Minot, and Don Carlos, the original lead singer from Grammy-winning group Black Uhuru. He also has co-written and recorded with fellow DC act Thievery Corporation. This cool new project features roots Reggae beats across an instrumental album that also employs the use of traditional Chinese instruments—a first for the genre. According to Christos DC, “I’ve always been a big fan of instrumental reggae—it gives me inspiration. At the same time, I grew up watching Kung Fu movies and loved the music, which lead me to learn more about Chinese music in general. For several years I’ve had the idea of merging these two styles together and the result is Kung Fu Action Theatre. The backdrop is 100% reggae, but the Chinese instruments blend very well in creating a new sound that seems mysterious in nature.” Drums: Lincoln Style Scott, Bass: Kenyatta Hill and Christos DC, Keyboards: Laurent “Tippy I” Alfred, Saxophone: Brian Falkowski, Guitar and Guzheng: Christos DC, Erhu: Feifei Yang. Additional Percussion: Kenyatta Hill and Christos DC.
Thursday 3/14: Christos DC – Kung Fu Action Theatre
