Mark Titus, Freelance Writer

Left: Crazy War came ready for war but fired blanks instead at '45 Cures' in Montego Bay, on Saturday. Right: This patron dances the night away at '45 Cures'. - Photos by Mark Titus

WESTERN BUREAU:

Not many came out to witness the much-touted spin-off between radio disc jockeys and sound system selectors, at '45 Cures' at Pier 1 in Montego Bay on Saturday, as the event failed to live up to the hype that it had generated.

When The Gleaner team arrived at the venue about 11p.m., only a handful of patrons could be seen scattered on the grounds, and despite MC Nuffy's effort to assure the already restive party goers that the show would soon begin, this did not happen until two hours later.

With a number of the island's top selectors slated to perform, the 15 minutes allotted to each in the first round, created an expectation that the event could yet be saved.

Johnnie cool zipped up the vibe

Johnnie Cool of Zip FM was the first to grace the turntables, but despite a gallant effort, left the stage without much hurrah; Digital Chris of Irie FM spent most of his first stint trying to bring the gathering closer to the stage, and the infamous Black Chiney sound just came and went.

However, just when it seemed that Nuffy's gimmicks on stage would be the highlight of the event, DJ Kentucky of local radio station Linkz FM was summoned to the stage.

Armed with a catalogue of 'authentic 45s', the disc jockey reeled off tunes such as Dennis Brown's Revolution; Buju Banton's Untold Story; Taurus Riley's Beware, Stay with You, Two Face Idiba's African queen and many more to the delight of the crowd.

Such an act was hard to follow and Crazy War, in his army fatigue and armed with weapons of all sorts, came with one motive, to promote himself, while promising more when his sidekick arrived, but the patrons would have none of it and his set became the shortest 15 minutes of the night.

The hoard of talent at Zip FM on show was demonstrated by the entry of Jamaica's newest female sensation ZJ Nicky Z, who in trying to start a war of her own, lost the battle. She left enough to indicate that she will be a force to be reckoned in time to come.

Dangerzone was the best performing sound system of the night, while local boy ZJ Liquid of Zip FM's performance cemented the radio his dominance.

When The Gleaner left the venue at dawn, the veteran GT Taylor was preaching his usual message of one love, with DJ Wayne, Little Richie, DJ Sunshine, Sky Juice, DJ Sparks, Stone Love, Fire Links and ZJ Chrome still to come.