In December 2009, Xie Tian Xiao 谢天笑 who is often referred to as China’s King of Live threw a curve ball at the music business by straying away from his grunge/hard rock roots and releasing a Reggae album: 古筝雷鬼 (chinese zither reggae volume 1).
I’ve listened to the record for about a week now and I’m quite impressed by it! I’ll start by saying that it is not the greatest reggae album of all time but it’s a pretty darn good first effort! The way XTX is blending Chinese traditional folk sounds with those distinctive reggae melodies is nothing short of spectacular and the result definitely worth a listen I can compare it to a well mixed cocktail made by a skilled bartender in such a way that it is harmonious. 4 of the songs are brand new while the other 2 were actually on his previous record “Just one desire” from a few years ago.
It’s pretty clear that he’s been down reggae avenue for a few years now and I’m quite curious to see how long he stays on it. He’s been on a trek all over China for the past two months but Beijing will finally have a chance to catch him on the upcoming MIDI festival (Day 2 headlining the Tang Stage)
not bad, eh?
Tags: chinese reggae, xie tianxiao, XTX, 谢天笑
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