That Kid Chris

b. Chris Straropoli, Queens, New York, USA. That Kid Chris has widely been cited as America’s answer to Joey Negro. Certainly he is at least as prolific, having released dozens of disco-influenced house singles in the early 90s including ‘Feel The Vibe’ (Digital Dungeon Records), ‘Power Of The Darkside’ (Strictly Rhythm Records) and ‘Get Down With The Genie’ (Floorwax Records). Straropoli began his career in the hip-hop dominated music scene of Queens, New York, where he began work as a DJ playing electro jams. His earliest influence was Jellybean’s sets at The Funhouse. Straropoli became a rap DJ proper at the Limelight club before switching to hard house on the east coast rave scene. However, his recorded output relies continually on samples of 70s disco and soul culled from his father’s record collection. He made his breakthrough with the release of ‘Big Time’, a track heavily influenced by Al Pacino’s performance in the movie Carlito’s Way. That and subsequent 12-inches saw him find a sympathetic audience in the UK where he was widely celebrated alongside Josh Wink as the ‘new face’ of melodic American dance music in the mid-90s.