Low patronage did not prevent those who attended from fully enjoying Hardwine at the Pantry in New Kingston on Saturday night.

Up until as late as 2 a.m., only a third of the venue was occupied but this did change when the party arrived at its end at 3:30 a.m.

When The Star arrived at 12 a.m. it was smooth sailing through the gate and within the venue. The selector played Alison Hinds' Roll it Gal and that had the women in total trance, but sped up the pace with Vegas' Hot Wuk.

He went back to soca and played Jouvert Mas which had the people jumping around. There were even two women who seemed to be gyrating on each other but this was somehow overlooked.

Kurt Riley, from FAME FM, wasted no time when he took the turntables. He immediately unleashed One More Time by Machel Montano. The frenzy he created only increased when he played Wukkin It and Bachelor. Wata, Soca Warrior and Bumpa Catch a Fire only added to the mood.

The people got a chance to cool down when Rags Up was played on a one drop rhythm. Slow movement was the order of the day when Riley played Give Praise by the legendary calypsonian David Rudder.

Mere repetition

DJ Billy started on a good note when he played Munga's Wine Pon It on a soca beat but it was just mere repetition when he played Roll it Gal that was being heard for the third time and was played twice after. He managed to bring the venue to a total cool during his set.

Riley went back on the turntables and brought the place back to craziness when he gave them some soca hits from the past like Foot Steps, Swinging Engine, Follow The Leader and Mad Bull Fever. This was well appreciated by the people as they jumped, waved and 'got on bad'.

He really struck a chord with the audience when he dropped some of the hottest songs in dancehall. He made the ladies Back It Up for Beenie Man, while Mavado gave them a 'squeeze'. By this time, the few men who did not have dancing partners seemed out of place. Nonetheless, some took Erup's advice to 'click their fingers'. The real madness started when Riley played some dancehall hits from the '90s. One man spread his shirt on the ground and laid down then his partner jumped on him and started to 'get on bad'. They also danced in some extremely acrobatic positions. It also became commonplace to see the women's legs wrapped around their men's waists. Lady Saw was a hit with Back Shot, Fling It Up and Stab Up the Mt.

The same mood was maintained when Aidonia's Ukku, Beenie Man's Hum Hum and Anthony B's Tease Har was played. The venue returned to calm at 3:15 a.m. with Rupie's Tempted to Touch.