'Off Tha Wall' buzzing out west

Adrian Frater, News Editor

Western Bureau:

With the last Saturday night in May fast approaching, the customary buzz is fast reaching fever pitch across western Jamaica as retro music fans brace themselves for the biannual Off Tha Wall Retro Party, which will be staged at the Pier One Complex in Montego Bay on Saturday, May 29.

"We are getting calls from both local and overseas fans seeking confirmation about the event," said Nash Lawson of After 10 Productions, the promoters of the event. "The buzz is so great that we are now looking at expanding the space we used last year."

Rolling back the clock

Unlike the weekly youth-dominated parties that are a regular feature of life on the Montego Bay Hip Strip, the Off Tha Wall Retro Party is aimed at rolling back the clock for those persons who were teenagers or young adults in the 1970s, ' 80s and ' 90s.

"It is like recapturing the good old days when we used to go out and party the night away in an atmosphere of peace and harmony," said Lawson. "Many of the happily married couples you see around today met their partners at some of these fabulous parties we used to have back in the days."

The Off Tha Wall musical experience, which is the brainchild of Lawson, who was one of western Jamaica's top DJs in the 1980s, is designed to create an avenue for fun and frolic for fans, especially middle-age music lovers, who have refused to buy into the current 'passa passa-style' partying.

"It is like a reunion for those of us who grew up in the disco and early reggae era," said Lawson, who used to mastermind a weekly gig at Pier One. "It is really a gathering of friends and music lovers."

Outgrew venue

In the early years, Off Tha Wall Retro Party, which is named off a hit song of the same name by pop king Michael Jackson, was staged at the small, but intimate, Upstream Bar and Grill at Porto Bello in Montego Bay.

"Over time, we discovered we did not have the space to accommodate the number of patrons we were attracting," said Lawson. "Much as we liked the setting at Upstream, we just had to move to Pier One. Fortunately, we have been able to replicate the atmosphere here."

Last November's staging of Off Tha Wall was quite a blast as a large number of young patrons joined the older ones in making the event a fabulous "all night till daylight" affair as music ruled supreme.

To ensure that the usual atmosphere is recaptured this year, the promoters have booked renowned radio personalities Colin Hinds and DJ Marvin of FAME FM. They will join Lawson in his capacity as DJ Turbo, the party genius, at the turntables.