The Campari girls strike a pose with this male patron at the Mello Vibes party last Saturday at Mas Camp, Oxford Road in New Kingston. - Nathaniel Stewart photos

It was boxing legend Roberto Duran who cried 'no mas' when he quit against Sugar Ray Leonard at the Louisiana Superdome, USA, on November 25, 1980. But, the Spanish phrase, which means 'no more', could have been applied to the Mello Vibes party on Saturday night.

For, in terms of party people, the Mas Camp, Oxford Road, New Kingston, could literally take 'no mas', as the retro music party was crammed from the front to the back and side to side. Not only were ladies allowed in free before 11:00 p.m., very early in party time, but tickets were a mere $600 presold and an affordable $800 at the gate.

Just got paid

It was the day after payday and Mello Vibes has a sterling reputation on the retro-party session.

The first gaps among the thicket of bodies at the back of Mas Camp did not appear until well after 3:00 a.m. This was after DJs Liquid and Marvin had been through the standard rounds of dancehall, Shabba chortling "hard and stiff" coming up to 1:00 a.m., soca (one man near the entrance turning Ragga Ragga into 'dagga dagga', and hip hop, the Fugees remake of Roberta Flack's Killing Me Softly among the many songs that kept the crowd moving.

Somehow, they found room to move to Marcia Griffiths' version of Electric Boogie, and Dennis Brown's Here I Come got its standard salutations, coming up to 3:00 a.m. By the time Mello Vibes started to really thin out, the party was into an extended hip-hop run, Biggy Smalls asking "put your hands in the air if you're a true player".

Many did.

While Saturday's Mello Vibes was highly danceable throughout and the sound adequate for the bumper crowd, which was a blend of the mature, not so mature and immature, (a few glitches from the rear speakers at one point dampening the party vibe for about five minutes), it did have its 'over the top' moments.

Showtime!

Among them were, Lady Saw's If De Man Lef, which sent the ladies into full 'bruck out' mode, Bounty Killer's Eagle and the Hawk, which ended the 'showtime' rhythm juggling and Spragga Benz with his hip-hop style of No Way.

Liquid and Marvin took slightly different approaches to their task of whipping up and maintaining a party frenzy, both of which went over well. Liquid spoke very little, the inevitable 'car blocking' announcement included, while Marvin appealed to the 'independent ladies' as he changed the beat from dancehall to Jimmy Cliff's Reggae Night at 2:30 a.m.

And, although in terms of crowd it was 'no mas', the party was not spoilt by the sheer mass of people. After all, waistline movement was the main move of the night and only four feet of space is required.

Cobra's Flex followed THE STAR and many party people out of Mas Camp close to 4:00 a.m., still leaving an audience any promoter would be overjoyed to see at his or her party, flexing happily away at Mello Vibes.

This patron really felt the vibes.