DJ Kurt Riley's carnival band to hit the streets in April

DJ Kurt Riley has added another accomplishment to his list of entrepreneurial efforts in music.

Next April, when all the carnival bands hit the streets of Kingston on Carnival Sunday, the disc jock will be in the thick of things with his very own costume.

The section, titled 'Animal Instincts the Genesis', is inspired by the selector, popularly referred to as the 'Party Animal'. Though he did not design the costume himself, Riley was an integral part of the completed look and will serve as the marketer for the design in the coming weeks.

Fiona Fennel, one of the members of the team who put the master plan into action, told The STAR that the selector having his own band in carnival has been more than three years in the making.

"This has been three years in the making because Kurt loves carnival and has always wanted to be more deeply involved. The plans for this particular costume started falling into place earlier this year, and the finished look really represents him. It's white with gold and a little splash of green, and it's really just kind of earthy and natural like him," she said. "Kurt has been involved in music for more than 20 years as a producer, a promoter, a radio disc jock, and he has done so much. This is just another level for him to cement his place in music, particularly in soca, because he loves it so much."

MAJOR SUPPORT

Describing the reaction to the costume thus far, Fennel said that she expected Riley's brand to chump up major support for the costume.

"When it was introduced on Saturday night, the name alone had persons buzzing, but then when they heard that Kurt Riley was the face behind the costume, they went wild," she said. "Everybody was surprised, but it was a welcome surprise as already, people have been calling from all over to not only say congrats, but to ask about the costume. We expect people to support him on this as much as they support him in his music."

Kurt Riley told The STAR that he was happy to be more involved in the carnival happenings this year and was encouraging his fans to support his costume.

The front-line costume is expected to cost approximately US$750, with the price lower for mid-line and back-line versions. Persons interested in purchasing the costume can do so on the Bacchanal Jamaica website or by visiting the outlet at Mas Camp.