Aloun Assamba had the crowd at The Deck shaking a leg in the early round last Saturday night at Women at the Control Dance Party. - File

There was lots of female control over what was put on the CD player and a fair serving of woman power coming from the speakers (Dorothy Hobson started out with a run of Jamaican female artistes) at last Saturday night's Women at the Control Dance Party, a Kiwanis Club of West St Andrew event.

It was not, however, a girls get together or a women's lib statement in drum and bass at The Deck, Braemar Avenue, New Kingston. It was a party, with more than sufficient persons to 'build a vibe' while not making it overly crowded, many choosing to sit, sip and socialise while there was a consistent pool of lively dancers.

The sound quality, however, could have been better.

And they got many moods and beats to dance to, Marilyn Bennett appealing musically to "all the single ladies" and easing them out of the negative Spotlight, courtesy of Jennifer Hudson. Bennett used the microphone sparingly, switching to rockers with Dawn Penn's No No No (You Don't Love Me), slowing it down with Beres Hammond's Tempted to Touch and then going dancehall with Baby Cham's Vitamin S.

Not professional selectors

It was understood that the women at the controls were not professional selectors and many got some assistance in the mechanics (not the choosing) of playing their songs. In addition, there were some swings in eras and less than perfect transitions, but the fun did not falter.

After closing off her opening string of reggae rocking ladies, beginning with First Cut, Hobson requested that all Shake It Up Tonight and closed with a soul music that hit the spot.

Janet Silvera, playing a pre-recorded set, brought sustained high energy to the party, not only with the music, mixed to a professional standard, but her dancing and microphone patter. Dropping a merry leg in her purple outfit, she brought Greetings from MoBay, Half Pint style, the crowd cheering with each 1980s dancehall selection, including Buddy Bye and Ring The Alarm. Before Putting Up Resistance, Silvera requested and got a man to dance with her behind the decks.

And as Dirtsman chanted "we coming in hot this year", Silvera said "the music make you hot, but the wig me have on make me hotter." There was laughter all around. A few songs later Pocomania Day got the first 'pull up'. She switched beats with Electric Boogie, honoured the King of Pop with Billie Jean and ended with a touch of new dancehall with D'Angel and Mavado.

Mixing herself

Carole Beckford chose to go at it alone, putting on the songs and mixing herself, opening with Til Shiloh, dropping a couple soca tunes, a couple Tarrus Riley cuts and had a jolly retro-dancehall segment starting with Beenie Man's Nuff Gal and including Buju Banton's B———- Rider.

Playing the songs out, Beckford gave the dancers cause to Celebrate with some Hot Stuff, before going yard and hard with Buju's Driver A. "I'm going to play my last song paying respects to the real big man Bob Marley," Beckford said before ending with So Much Trouble in The World.

She introduced Millicent Lynch and told the latecomers that they had missed Aloun Assamba and Dell Crooks in the early going.

Lynch was in a straight dancehall mood, cutting a stringing dancing figure in yellow pants as she rocked the house with Rampin' Shop, cuts from the mid-1990s 'Joyride' rhythm and the Anything For You mega combination. The dance floor, which had thinned out somewhat, was soon full again and there were cheers for a Heavy D, Frankie Paul and Supercat combination.

Under Pressure was restarted not once, but twice.

There were two champions back to back, Shabba Ranks' Champion Lover and Buju celebrating the women who "walk like a champion" before Lynch handed back over to Silvera, up for a second round by special request.