Winston Sill - A good old-fashioned couple grooves at the Heineken Good Times party, held at Mas Camp, Oxford Road, New Kingston on Saturday September 9.

by Krista Henry, Staff Reporter

Get out your khaki suit, pm pm shorts and platform heels, cause retro parties are here to stay. The 'Oldies but goodies' theme proves successful on the entertainment scene as events such as Yesterday, Good Times, Mello Vibes, Retroactive at the Quad and other retro parties have been blazing the scene year after year. But will they burn out?

Retro parties seek to capture the Golden era of music, attracting patrons in droves yearning for a time when life was simply about fun. According to Roderick Reid promoter of 'Yesterday' and 'Mello Vibes', retro parties focus on music, having a good time and less talking from the selectors. While Jerome Hamilton, a promoter of Good Times, claims that these parties are more interactive. "The golden age is never the present age and this was dancehall music when it was about male-female interaction. Historically the birth and growth of dancehall was mostly through the 80s- that was the prime" Hamilton commented.

Having been in the retro business for more than ten years these parties have proven they can still pull large numbers. Reid says "Yesterday is a younger retro party that caters to 4,000-5,000 persons. While Mello Vibes caters to 2,500-3,000 persons. These are events that are for adults 24-50. However an event like Yesterday which is exclusively 90s music is responsible for introducing younger audiences".

Despite not being in their era, young patrons are rocking out to an oldies beat. Hamilton elaborates, "young people have caught unto Good Times. They want to come, dance and party. They have come to see oldies music as a different branch of music. They have become familiar with it." While Reid suggests that they are a good alternative, after doing research into the field, results were found that there was a need for these parties. The results were proven when at the first Mello Vibes they had to be turning people away.

However with so many retro parties in the industry now, there is a possibility that persons will become bored as the novelty wears off. According to patron Chalene Smith, "retro parties are fun, there's more wining and good music. The vibe is different and a change from today's music. But there are too many now, all of them I've gone to recently, it's the same thing. It's not like now where the music at least changes."

Yesterday is staged three times a year, Mello Vibes twice and Good Times at least two to three times. Jamaican audiences lose interest fast and retro parties may just remain plain 'old'.

However the promoters are not worried, as Reid says, "there's always room at home, in terms of frequency of parties, even if you have one once a month, it's still less than the regular party. People go to these events and have a real good time".

While Hamilton agrees that there has been an increase in retro parties, he says we gravitate to things that are doing well. Good Times stays on top of the game by adding different elements and he says, "when you come you must see good times, feel good times and hear good times."