Creating that 'Third Dimension' - Music-loving group does well by creating niche

Leighton Levy, Gleaner Writer

Just over a year ago, Third Dimension came to life via a collective vision that involved raising the bar as far as the playing of music is concerned. Just over 15 months later, that vision has become a complete reality.

Promoter Kamal Bankay, disc jockey Kurt Riley and respected producer Mario Campbell have been friends for years, and their intense love for music was among the key things they had in common.

It was no surprise, then, that in May 2009, the three friends decided to pool their respective passions, providing the fuel behind creating an entity that they intend to use to revolutionise music.

"Our vision is to take the presentation of music to a different level," explainsed Bankay.

"So when you are talking about just playing regular music that everybody can get their hands on, you are going to present it differently. Play the songs, grouped differently. Also, when you're talking about the other levels, the other dimensions of music presentation, you're talking about the exclusive remixes that we do, we produce exclusive remixes and get artistes to voice exclusive dub-plates."

Setting themselves apart

All this, Bankay said, is part of their drive to set themselves apart from other people who play music for a living. They did manage to set themselves apart from the rest earlier this month, during the three-day Smirnoff Dream Weekend held in Negril.

At DayDreams, Third Dimension played two sets and showed patrons that they were for real.

"What we did there was show people our versatility. We were able to play some Pop music, some House music, then we played some reggae and then we moved into some dancehall and dub-plates and everything," Bankay said.

Their play was very well received.

They also played at Bankay's party Xtreme Wet 'n' Wild alongside Tony Matterhorn. That also went down very well with the massive party crowd. They had come prepared with 'specials' done specifically for that party, including a Beenie Man remix of DJ Khaled's All I Do Is Win, and consequently tore the place apart.

It was like the crowning moment in a year when Third Dimension steadily built a name transcending the reputations of the already famous trio.

Whereas many local selectors play mainly three genres, reggae, dancehall and hip hop, Third Dimension's selectors present a lot more variety. "Within the sound, we have a deep passion for soca music, spearheaded by Kurt Riley, house music spearheaded by myself and dancehall by Mario Campbell.

More variety

According to Bankay, when they started out it was not that hard breaking into the music industry, and within three months they were getting regular pay dates. By then, Bankay said, they were playing out weekly and on the holidays, three or four times a week and, in some instances, two or three events a night.

"I can tell you that if you go to a party and you did not hear some alternative music, the party would not be complete. One of the biggest songs right now is Billionaire which is considered alternative pop, if, you to a party and don't hear some Lady Gaga, people are going to feel like something was missing from the musical experience. We made a conscious effort to play more house music, alternative music, and soca music."

The focus on building their reputation was among the reasons the trio did not play during Dream Weekend last year, even though they were already in operation. Even though Bankay promotes one of the parties, he felt Third Dimension had to earn its stripes first. By the time this year's Dream Weekend rolled around, they had developed such a great reputation they were invited by the promoters to play, and they did not disappoint.

Having conquered the local circuit, Third Dimension is looking to take on other 'worlds' and they have already targeted spots along the eastern seaboard of the United States where they will embark on their next forays.

Last Memorial weekend, they played stints in the United States and they are already breaking into the market in Miami, but they want to go deeper. "We want to play where there are dancehall/reggae parties happening in the States. We want to go there and share our vision of the music."