Release D Riddim (RDR) released their presentation for Notting Hill Carnival 2015. ‘Rise of an Empire‘

To be honest I’ll be very surprised if you don’t know who they are but for you select few, here’s a little history for you… Release D Riddim is a promotion team that organise events in London and the rest of the world, they host some of the best fetes in London and are a very successful force on the UK scene.

RDR have been going for 8 years. Their mas band D Riddim Tribe which is in its third year, presented ‘Rise of an Empire’ at their event 8.

There are 4 section to the band.

• Roman
• Ming Dynasty
• Aztec
• Kemet

Each section has a Backline, Frontline and Ultra option.

• Backline – £140- £170
• Frontline – £180- £220
• Ultra – £300- £350.

These are all inclusive packages.

The presentation of the costumes was a little upsetting to my soul. Let me be clear I very much understand that the lack of venues within a good location that will cater to “urban events” are pretty much slim to none, so getting a club with a massive space for a presentation is FAR from likely but I would loved a little more care put into it. The masses that crowded made it very hard for the costumes to be seen and to be perfectly honest it just seemed abit rushed. No backstory, no talk of options, or the packages and what they included. It made it really hard to get excited as the models barely had enough room to ‘play ah mas’.

However, after the presentation they did let people go to another room where the models gathered to take pictures and so you can really have a good look at the costumes individually.

You all know I absolutely love the sparkle so the decadence of these costumes were definitely a win for me! My favourite had to be Ming Dynasty, the detail was beautiful and the variations in backline, frontline and ultra were great! Giving the customer a real choice.

For the fuller figure, or modest ladies both Ming Dynasty and Romans offer alternatives like monokinis, tankinis, and corsets so don’t feel like this couldn’t be the band for you. Also Kemet and Aztecs don’t have the traditional mas bra and panty offering great alternatives to skimpy mas but still with a sexy twist.

>> Check out all the pictures here <<

Okay so what was missing… For a band that has a fair amount of males… They had one male costume, and it’s wasn’t an amazing choice. I know a lot of men aren’t costume people but I do find sometimes it’s the options they are given that keeps them in a t-shirt. It doesn’t have to be as crazy as the ladies but the detail of the mens was nothing compared to the womens.

Repetitive costumes. Some sections really didn’t show any evolution between the costumes. If there is a plus £100 difference I want to notice why straight away.

More of a presentation. I didn’t really get that excited when watching the presentation. The theme wasn’t dramatised and the explanation of what you get with the costume wasn’t said. It really did lack the finishing touches.

However what RDR do absolutely immaculately is the costume booklet you receive with all prices, explanations of packages, clear pictures with all components. This is actually one of the best marketing tools I have seen in the UK. The fact I could get all the info I needed without having to use technology or bug someone it’s all there.

Alternatively you can visit their website all see all their costumes on www.releasederiddim.com

Undeniably I always have to make a pit stop by RDR on the road, they have an amazing following and great masqueraders so it’s not a vibe to miss out on!

My Mas Score 7.5/10