Press Reviews

"Debut CD whirls through Caribbean".
Miami Herald
The debut album from Fourth Dimension has an appropriate title: Around the World. But it could very easily have been called Around the Caribbean or even Around South Florida. With its blend of English and Spanish, Jamaican roots reggae, ska and dancehall, and Trinidadian calypso and soca, Around the World is South Florida distilled to its rhythmic essence.
''We didn't just do reggae or just calypso. We did a wide variety of Caribbean music,'' says lead singer-guitarist Carlos Calderon about the CD in a phone interview. ``[We're influenced by] world music in general. For me, personally, coming from Puerto Rico, there's tons of Caribbean music. There's tons of American music there also. We all listen to pretty much everything.''
This eclectic approach has earned the Broward quartet -- which also includes vocalist-bassist Steve McGowan (originally from Miami), drummer-vocalist Ilich Budnevich (originally from Chile), and keyboardist-vocalist Pierre Arnau (originally from Puerto Rico) -- a loyal local following. And, so far, Calderon says the group's musical split personality -- ranging from rootsy, Steel Pulse-style reggae en español to instrumental ska and party-time soca -- hasn't caused too much confusion.
'We were worried, wondering what was going to happen because we were thinking `Is this CD going to appeal to anyone?' '' says Calderon. ``We've gotten good feedback on it. We're happy and people seem to enjoy it.''
The group came together almost two years ago from the remnants of other local bands. Since then, Fourth Dimension has been making a name for itself on the reggae scene, earning airplay on WLRN-FM (91.3) and playing various world-music festivals from Hollywood here in South Florida to Calgary, Canada.
Yet, Calderon admits that right now the loping roots reggae that is so much a part of Fourth Dimension's personality -- reminiscent of Bob Marley and Jimmy Cliff -- is a bit out of fashion. The more up-tempo dancehall is the dominant reggae style these days. ''I think the roots reggae fans are always going to be there,'' he says. ``But just like electronic music seems to be taking over, I think dancehall is going to keep on progressing. Now there's a new type of dancehall; it's pretty aggressive. It's not what I'm into. I'm more into the musicality of reggae.''
What traditional reggae needs, some claim, is a performer who combines the musical grace and burning charisma of Marley. But Calderon isn't holding his breath waiting for that to happen. ''A lot of people say that and I guess it's a possibility but Bob Marley just had the right timing,'' he says. ``There's not really anyone like Bob Marley.''


National Public Radio WLRN91.3fm
"Fourth Dimension's got it going on!!!"

Hot 105.1fm, Reggae Runnin's
"Their energy on-stage reminded me of the days of Bob Marley...high & positive energy"

Reggae-Reviews.com
Coming straight out of Southern Florida, the band Fourth Dimension has a sound reflective of their multi-cultural environment. They sing in both Spanish and English and throw in musical styles ranging from roots reggae, lovers rock, ska and dancehall to soca, rock 'n roll, and hip-hop. This is the true definition of "world music." As a reggae fan, though, it took me a while to get a get a handle of the group's sound. Around the World starts with the fairly straightforward roots tracks "Kings Highway" and "Bongo Tamer" (the later incorporating some rock guitar riffs), then "Dura" switches to dancehall mode, followed by the rock and rap sound of "Fourth Dimension" and the kinetic soca of the title cut. Only by the sixth track, the uber-catchy "Cha Cha," does the album seem to settle into the reggae sound that represents most of its content. Following it are a funky, Eddy Grant-like cover of Genesis's "Land of Confusion," the romantic lovers tune "Real Love," the regal dub "4th Dubmension," and the organ-propelled roots number "Dime." Once I got a firm grasp of Fourth Dimension's sound and the fact that they are primarily a reggae act, I felt more free to enjoy their buoyant sound. Despite having only four members, they have a remarkably big, full-band sound that can get any party started. "Kings Highway" in particular is a wonderful roots anthem, and while diehard reggae fans may not get into the other-genre elements on about four of the tracks, it doesn't really detract from the strong reggae cuts. And if you do like some spice in your reggae, Fourth Dimension's got it.

Gods of Music
Houses can be chillingly silent when a moment arises that not the refrigerator, the heater, the pipes, or the layers of electronic interference aren't permeating the aural atmosphere, disrupting your mind. So from time to time I like to layer something on top of this augmented silence, music that blends with the static ruptures of existence. Today I'm listening to Fourth Dimension's Dura. It's insane. I barely understand any Spanish, but I am enjoying this song greatly. There is a high level of skill and I will try to explain what this sounds like.
Driven by a standard reggae repeating guitar riff and B-3 sounding Organ accenting the down beat notes, the first moments are somewhat reminiscent of the Sesame Street theme music. This quickly fades as the lyrics come in, sung in a wonderful groove with back-up vocalists interjecting "DOO-DAH!" "DOO-DAH!" and a screaming (cute) child's voice at certain key moments of the rhythm. There's a lot of fun in here when the Spanish rapping comes in, and the groove is literally infectious. The bass forms a utility of function similar to the competent form of Talking Heads' usage.
I would have given this song a perfect 10 rating, as it's obviously the best of it's genre. I don't need to be a part of the culture to identify that this song is of high quality. However, the last 5 seconds of the song does not resolve itself. It doesn't even fade out. It just stops amidst a being singing, and the beat in motion. So close to perfection and then a disappointing ending.
Still, Dura is worth listening to. I haven't had this much fun with Latin American music since Os Mutantes. Give it a listen.

indie-music.com
¡Dura Dura!
Bongos, Jamaican vocals, pacifism, partying, y mucho español. Maybe I shouldn't have been surprised to find that the liner notes actually fold up into a bong.
Fourth Dimension is four guys who originally hail from Puerto Rico, Chile, and Miami. This is a band that has played alongside Shaggy, George Clinton, and Julian Marley.
Around the World offers an eclectic mix. "Front Line" is an angry protest rap song. "On the front line you have to make up your mind." And don't forget to "Turn it over like it's hot on the FIRE!" The hard raps are tempered with new age synthetic sound effects, which add a powerful edge reminiscent of old school rap artists.
But who needs protest when you have fiestas? The title track has a wild Carnival atmosphere with whistles, shouts, and non-stop drums.
And who needs fiestas when you have a Genesis cover? "Land of Confusion" by Genesis fits nicely on the album with its lyrics. "There's too many people making too many problems, and not enough love to go around."
"Cha Cha" and "Dancing Time" are relaxing tracks with live up to their names, not with a wild electronic cacophony, but rather by incorporating hypnotic melodies and beautiful vocals.
A kaleidoscopic brilliance is on display throughout this album. "Real Love" captures this perfectly. At first listen, this is a simplistic acoustic guitar and vocal ballad. However, the song has a quality reminiscent of Beck, or the Beatles, in that unconventional elements are consistently wandering in and out of the song. These include a variety of drums, chimes, and odd instruments. Like the album, this song subtly reveals new elements and layers of complexity while not distracting from the simplicity which reveals itself on first listen.
¡Dura Dura!

Adding to all their accomplishments, this groundbreaking quartet has played alongside such legendary artists as Shaggy, Third World, Inner Circle, Steel Pulse, The Wailers, Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley, Julian Marley, Stephen "Ragga" Marley, Mother Cedella Marley, George Clinton, Capleton, Bunny Wailer, Mr. Vegas, King Yellowman, Luciano, Freddie McGregor, Yami Bolo, Lucky Dube, Wayne Wade, Culture, Bob Dylan, Sheryl Crow, Uncle Kracker, Russel Malone, John Mayer, James Brown, The Beach Boys and Big Bad Voodoo Daddy.

Fourth Dimension's music has been featured and receives steady airplay in a number of network T.V. and Radio shows in Canada, North, South and Central America and the Caribbean.
In Canada they have been on the Canadian cable network A-Channel performing live on the "Big Breakfast" show, which has over 1 million viewers. "Wired" the Canadian television program did a special segment on the band. The urban T.V. channel MUN2 has also featured this band on their hit show "THE ROOF", viewed by thousands of people across the US. In South Florida they have been featured in several radio stations including WLRN 91.3FM "Sounds of the Caribbean" where they ranked#1 for 3 weeks surpassing all major label artists. They also ranked in the Top#50 for 2002. Their music has been on soundtracks for a variety of motion pictures including, "The Games We Play" and "Rastafarian Dreams".
Fourth Dimension was Voted "Best Band" Reader's Choice by Florida's City Link Magazine and The New Times Magazine two years in a row in 2002 and 2003.

Fourth Dimension is without a doubt the most groundbreaking reggae band on the South Florida scene. This multi-talented and ethnically diverse 4-piece band features a combination of influences, which only enhance the musical variety of their showcase.
The quartet specializes in various styles of bi-lingual reggae and island style music so their wide repertoire consists of a positive and uplifting experience. The band describes its sound as "truly tropical", because its members are from the Caribbean, the US and South America. No wonder then, that their following is equally diverse: from tye-dye jam band connoisseurs, to Baby Boomers, to lovers of reggae. Audiences are thus blessed with a performance mix of Bob Marley Style music, Lee "Scratch" Perry-like dub stylings, the current Sizzla style toasting, the traditional Burning Spear style, all the way to the hot-hot-hot soca stylings of Arrow and Latin-Spanish reggae.
Their debut CD, "Around the World" released in 2002, continues to receive rave reviews and radio airplay from reggae industry professionals and fans all over the world: specially in Canada, USA, South America, and the Caribbean. The Miami Herald says, "Fourth Dimension's Debut CD whirls through Caribbean. This bi-lingual album mastered by Ed Mashal, Grammy-Award winning audio engineer for the Eagles, blends roots reggae, conscious hardcore dancehall, dub and ska; the title track will take you to Trinidad's Carnival with its soca flavor. A must-listen to song on the CD is Genesis', "Land of Confusion" remade in reggae.
From the pulsating sounds of the bass guitar to the extensive vocal array, Jah Steve will electrify your soul. He was born and raised in Miami, Florida where he has been involved in the reggae scene for years and has backed up Jamaican "Studio 1" greats such as Derrick Morgan. He names Wailer's bassist Aston "Familyman" as his musical role model.
Melodic grooves and imperial brass, combined with lead and backing vocals, Pierre, "The Reggae Maestro" the keyboard player contributes a cutting edge to this band's sound. Born to Argentine parents in Long Island, New York. At the age of seven, he moved and was raised for the next fifteen years in Puerto Rico. Here he received seven years of training on the piano before moving on to the keyboard, of which he has been playing for about five years. Growing up in Puerto Rico has influenced Pierre's love for the Caribbean's diverse melodies and heart-pumping rhythms. He is largely in part influenced by the vibrant sounds of reggae. The music of Bob Marley, Culture, Israel Vibrations and others has created his love for Roots reggae.
Carlos Calderon A.K.A Strings, Lead and Rhythm Guitarist, provides the sweet sounding harmonies and vocals of FOURTH DIMENSION. Originally from Puerto Rico he provides a Caribbean feel to his performance. The world music vibe and international players such as Santana, Ernest Ranglin, Dwight Pinkney and Gypsy Kings technically influence him. Strings, moved to South Florida in 1995 in order to advance in his music career. Here he obtained a music business degree, freelanced and played in a fusion of bands until 2000 when Fourth Dimension was founded.
Precision and rhythmic groove is the heartbeat and foundation that drummer Omar Khan applies to this world beat sound. Growing up his mentors where Neil Pert,John Bonham and Carlton Barret. His plethora of backgrounds induces a zest to his playing like no other. His love for Caribbean, African Music and love songs led him to get together with Jah Steve, Pierre and Strings; therefore commencing on their journey through the Multi-Dimensional Hypercube and Around the World.
FOURTH DIMENSION will take you on an innovative musical journey while breaking all the rules of the space time-continuum. It is an experience you do not want to miss!!!

Album Description
This Bi-lingual (english and spanish) world music production contains various styles of reggae; roots, spanish ragga, Dancehall. The title track "Around the World" takes you straight to Carnival with its a pure soca groove. Track #7 "Land of Confusion" is the reggae remake of the Genesis song. This CD also contains heavy Dub material and Ska...so we guarantee there will be one song for everyone in this disk...