During production for his fifth album, Self Evident, American singer/songwriter Christos DC had a dream to release the set on January 20, celebrated as Martin Luther King Day in the United States.

Christos DC, a popular figure on the Washington DC reggae scene, thought it appropriate to release the single in homage to the civil rights icon who was assassinated in 1968 “as I believe his message is well needed in our current day and age”.

Like its predecessors, Self Evident is stripped-down roots-reggae, the sound Christos DC grew up listening to in the American capital. He wrote its 10 songs and played guitar, backed by long-time collaborator Darryl Burke on keyboards; Leslie James on drums and bassist Pierre Stone are other core musicians.

Self Evident is produced by Honest Music, the independent company Christos DC formed in 2008. It is released by Zojak World Wide.

Another notable feature of the album is the incorporation of Greek chants, a nod to the artiste’s background and upbringing.

“I have chosen to incorporate my Greek heritage on recent albums by recording traditional songs from Greece as reggae versions. The result was quite unique and really worked well. People respond in such a positive way when they hear them,” he explained. “I want to honour my heritage and also respect the heritage of others by clearly identifying who I am and where my roots come from.”

Born Christos Vrenios, Christos DC says he got into reggae at age 12 after listening to Bob Marley’s Survival album. One of his first major assignments was touring with singer Peter Broggs, a roots artiste who was the first artiste signed to RAS Records, an influential all-reggae label that started in ‘DC’ in 1979.

Since forming Honest Music, he has worked with Kenyatta Hill, Don Carlos, Ras Attitude, Carl Malcolm, Perfect Giddimani, Puma Ptah, and Vaughn Benjamin. According to Christos DC, he never strays from his biggest influence.

“I am extremely committed to roots-reggae and this sound. I learned to play this music working with Rastafarians when I was younger and this has influenced me both personally and musically. I do incorporate elements of other styles but keep it quite subtle as the sound is very much traditional roots-reggae,” he said.