by Kandré McDonald, Freelance Writer

The air felt light and the wind blew gently across the roof of the Portmore Pines Plaza last Sunday. The gathering was reasonable just after midnight, but slowly 'swelled' as Sweat - the multi genre party, generated energy.

The event had success written on it from the outset, with the likes of 'The Captain' Colin Hines and the Asylum DJs behind the turntables.

Colin Hines set the pace with several hits from the likes of Beres Hammond, Garnett Silk, Buju Banton, Barrington Levy, and others. The smooth melodies of music from yesteryear was captured in the winds and swayed gently to the ears. The music was well received, as the patrons sang and rocked to the beat.

At this time in the proceedings, the patrons were glued to the perimeter of the venue, but were moving in harmony with the melody of the music.

'The Captain' soon bagan to play more recent dancehall recordings and the change was reflected in the patrons' mood and dance. The pace of the dancing elevated with songs such as Pincher's Desperate Scenario, Baby Cham's Ghetto Story, and Spice's Fight Over Man and Grab Up Yuh.

Still on a high as the patrons continued to 'roll into' the venue, Colin Hines used Spragga Benz to note that Dunkirk Set The Order and later Buju to highlight that 'wi nuh inna nutten too wide.' Assassin made public his dislike of Sissy, before TOK stepped forward to highlight that them 'naah mingle with no man.'

Colin Hines soon passed turntable duties to the Asylum DJs, who immediately grabbed the attention of the patrons with several hits from Sizzla, including Rise to the Occasion, Solid as a Rock, Ain't Gonna See Us Fall, Just One of those Days, among others.

Their set was somewhat fragmented and was filled with commentary. However, the fact that they were playing crowd favourites made them a hit. Songs like Tarrus Riley's Beware and She's Royal and Queen Ifrica's Below the Waist had the patrons singing.

Beenie Man, featuring Barbee on Give It Up, rocked the crowd as did Akon's Locked Up mixed with Busy Signal's Nah Guh a Jail Again.

Colin Hines returned at 2:30 a.m. for a second stint that really hit hard. Sweat glands were bursting as 'The Captain' used some heavy bass hip-hop and R&B songs to rock the party.

Unlike his predecessors, 'The Captain' did no talking, instead he let the music speak for itself. He mixed hits from Celine Dion's I'm Alive to DJ Khaled and Akon's We Taking Over to the delight of the crowd.

Colin Hines could be seen bobbing his head vigourously behind the turntables, and this was a sign that he was enjoying the vibe himself. This vibe and energy spread to the patrons and soon many were dancing openly to some of 'The Captain's' hardcore remixes. He also played several songs from Vybz Kartel, Assassin and a few Aidonia, Munga and Mavado, which the crowd enjoyed.

The partying was stopped by emcee Pretty Boy Floyd, who gave away some prizes and also introduced the Hardcopy models, who had the patrons rushing to the front of the stage area.

Sweat, was a great party, with lots of vibes and energy. When THE STAR team departed at 4:10 a.m. many patrons were still on the roof partying, while a few remained to enjoy the last bits of the party.