Selector Super Claude took the tempo of the party up a notch in the latter segment. - file

On the day before the day before the first day of 2009, Soul to Soul at Curphey Place, Swallowfield, St Andrew, lived up to its slow jam billing for a substantial audience, many of whom were dressed nearly to the nines.

However, despite repeated invitations from the slew of selectors, which included Wee Pow, Super Claude and Gladdy, most of them ignored the actual dance floor. Not that there weren't couples rocking to the music, just that most of them chose to stand on the grass on the far side of the dance floor.

'Modellers'

Among those standing on the asphalted area on the near side were the 'modellers'. And there was a fair amount of 'modelling' at Soul To Soul, to go with a genuine appreciation of the music. A blue and white theme, was complemented with an arch of balloons before the raised area from which the selectors played and white lights strung across parts of the borders of the dance floor.

That dance floor saw significant action on two occasions, the latter coming when Gladdy took over the action and continued the deluge of soul with Love Me a Little Bit Longer, Guilty and Homely Girl. Some 'steppers' were among the dancers, one man's white shoes flicking up and out rhythmically as he glided with his partner.

Before, Super Claude had played slower soul music, in which the strings and horns dominated, closing with Yes I Will.

Monopoly

Although soul songs dominated they did not have a monopoly on the turntables at the party. The soca of Tiny Winey and Hot Hot Hot had waistlines twitching at a few minutes to 1 a.m., while after the soul start Gladdy went uptempo to good effect with Another One Bites the Dust and Reggae Night.

Senor Daley took the party back on the soul route with Stand By Me and True Confessions, the latter getting whistles of appreciation. But as Sam Cooke was singing Cupid at 2:30 a.m. a party of five police officers entered Curphey Place and the volume was significantly reduced, one bank of speakers being relocated in order to bring the music closer to those who would try out the dance floor.

But it was to be in vain. Twenty minutes later, as The STAR was leaving Curphey Place, the police were back and the music soon ceased.