His childhood in Patras, his collaborations with famous artists and the Greek restaurant in Jamaica - Photos
We saw, heard and read a lot about this year's Grammy Music Awards, which were presented on Sunday night in Los Angeles. Among the big winners of the evening was a Greek who achieved an important victory for his collaboration with the son of a legend of the world music scene.
Greek-born, acclaimed music producer Alexx Antaeus, who, together with the son of the legendary Bob Marley, Julian Marley, won the Grammy for Best Reggae Album for their album "Colors of Royal".
In fact, since Julian Marley was on tour and could not attend the award ceremony, the precious award was received by the Greek producer of the album, who could not hide his excitement.
After first expressing his gratitude to the Academy Awards, his mother and his wife, he dedicated this important international distinction to the people of Jamaica, where he has been living and working for long periods of time in recent years:
"I'd like to dedicate this to the people of Jamaica, who have accepted me as one of their own. And they have lived up to the motto of the country, 'Out of Many, One', he said meaningfully, using the well-known Latin phrase that expresses the will to create a country made up of people of different origins and religious beliefs.
From Patras to New York
The 63-year-old Alexis, as his Greek name is, was born and raised in Patras. When he was 17 years old, he immigrated with his parents to the USA and studied at California State University, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science in the Music Industry.
His first professional contact with the world of music took place in the late 80s as a DJ who soon proved to have a great talent for mixing different music, i.e., making remixes. At the same time, however, he also wrote his music.
In the meantime, he will work as a reporter for the internationally renowned music magazine Billboard.
He will get to know the world of the American music industry from the inside and come into contact with renowned people in the field who will recognise his talent and bring him into contact with many well-known artists.
The fact that in 1992 he was awarded the "Best DJ of Los Angeles" makes him even more well-known in the music circles in which he has now begun to penetrate dynamically as a producer, while in the same year, he became a member of the committee of the Grammy music awards.
Then he built his own studio in New York, where big names of the world music scene spent in the following years, including the Rolling Stones, The Boys, Herbert Gronemeyer, Earth, Wind & Fire, etc.
In addition to the album productions of other artists, he also records personal records, which move mainly along the paths of chill-out music and are based on the mixing of traditional, electronic and hip-hop elements.
Especially the tracks of his album "Byzantine Meditation" were played on American radio, while some of his compositions were used in popular advertising spots.
Landing in Jamaica
The occasion to explore Jamaica and its rich musical tradition was the great, international success of the Jamaican DJ Super Cat's work. And that's how he became one of the first artists to combine techno with traditional Jamaican music and reggae.
In this context, his successful collaboration with the son of the reggae legend Bob Marley, who follows in his late father's footsteps, having even managed to get very positive reviews for his work.
This was his third consecutive nomination for a Grammy Award, and a lucky one, as it turned out, as he received this important distinction for the first time, together with his Greek partner, who already had several gold and platinum records.
Apart from music, however, Alexx Antaeus' relationship with Jamaica has also extended to a business level as he runs one of the most famous ethnic restaurants in Kingston, located on the same street as Bob Marley's house, which has been turned into a museum.
The restaurant owner chose to publicise his Greek origin by calling it "Opa" and including many traditional dishes such as pastitsio, moussaka, souvlaki and, of course, tzatziki.
In addition, whenever his professional obligations allow him, he visits his homeland and travels from Patras and Athens to Mykonos and Kos.
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