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The darkness of Friday night was gone, Fletcher's Land Square was full and rocking, the ladies had just sang along with Lady Saw that "me too rich fe argue wid bitch", as well as teasing "I got your man", when the police came on Saturday morning.
Three lawmen made their way through the crowd, which offered no resistance, to where Jam Rock sound system was set up. The music went silent and the selector who was playing at the moment said: "Promoter, you wanted right now."
Those who had been dancing, were now talking and waiting, two crews of male and female dancers in the centre of the crowd taking long, exaggerated looks into the morning sky. The police officers under the tent were not alone, as shortly after, five more lawmen, four armed with high-powered rifles, came down one of the three roads that converge in Fletcher's Land Square and took up position.
"Well massive, all courtesy of the police officer them say a it dat," the selector said, to a chorus of 'No!'
"Have a safe journey home. Bless," the selector said. As the policemen who had been under the tent left one man shouted at them: "Oonu no ave nutten fi do?" but was quickly told by a woman to keep quiet.
A policeman looked in his direction, but kept going. It was 6:33 a.m.
The police had been through the most recent edition of 'Dutty Fridaze' before, but they had been driving, not walking, through a then nearly empty Fletcher's Land Square at 4:12 a.m. The selector had acknowledged their presence with "big up to all peace officers, everyting alright" and continued juggling the Taxi rhythm.
It was a while longer before people turned out, the music going hip-hop and a steady rocking building with the crowd. Elephant Man's commitment to 'Jamaica' sent the tempo up, the selector telling one man to flash his lighter, which he did.
Coming up to 5 a.m. the 'Diwali' rhythm ended with Spragga Benz and one woman with big hips dropped the moves from the video to Sean Paul's Gimme The Light. The selector sent out Sizzla's instruction to "pump up harp pump um" to "all a de man dem whe know dem straight like 6 o'clock", Cobra's Press Trigger getting extended play.
Etana's Roots, Da'Ville's Always on My Mind and Tessane Chin's Hideaway took the pace down, Ifrica's Daddy going out against the "nasty faada dem". The crowd, now near its peak, grooved along to the 'answering machine', but coming up to 6 a.m. it was Jr. Gong's Beautiful that changed the pace. From there it was into the 'Pepperseed' rhythm the women walking out into the video light and chanting along with Louis Culture that "no gal cyan mek yu worry..". Sizzla's No Time to Gaze and Karate hit big and L.A. Lewis interrupted the Showtime rhythm to exult in 'seven!'.
DeMarco's Fallen Soldiers and Bugle's Exercise hit hard before Dutty Fridaze went retro again with Admiral Bailey's God Pickney' and Papa San's I Will Survive, the police coming after the pair of Saws.
Still, after the music was silenced the dancers dropped moves to imaginary music, LA Lewis perched on a van with an oversized toy board rifle and a crowd gathered to cheer on one outstanding 'flosser' for the video camera.
Selectors at 'Dutty Fridaze' included Hotta Ball, the Stone Love crew and the Jam Rock crew, with Foota Hype getting a special hail as a "real yute".
http://www.jamaica-star.com/thestar/.../ent/ent1.html
Three lawmen made their way through the crowd, which offered no resistance, to where Jam Rock sound system was set up. The music went silent and the selector who was playing at the moment said: "Promoter, you wanted right now."
Those who had been dancing, were now talking and waiting, two crews of male and female dancers in the centre of the crowd taking long, exaggerated looks into the morning sky. The police officers under the tent were not alone, as shortly after, five more lawmen, four armed with high-powered rifles, came down one of the three roads that converge in Fletcher's Land Square and took up position.
"Well massive, all courtesy of the police officer them say a it dat," the selector said, to a chorus of 'No!'
"Have a safe journey home. Bless," the selector said. As the policemen who had been under the tent left one man shouted at them: "Oonu no ave nutten fi do?" but was quickly told by a woman to keep quiet.
A policeman looked in his direction, but kept going. It was 6:33 a.m.
The police had been through the most recent edition of 'Dutty Fridaze' before, but they had been driving, not walking, through a then nearly empty Fletcher's Land Square at 4:12 a.m. The selector had acknowledged their presence with "big up to all peace officers, everyting alright" and continued juggling the Taxi rhythm.
It was a while longer before people turned out, the music going hip-hop and a steady rocking building with the crowd. Elephant Man's commitment to 'Jamaica' sent the tempo up, the selector telling one man to flash his lighter, which he did.
Coming up to 5 a.m. the 'Diwali' rhythm ended with Spragga Benz and one woman with big hips dropped the moves from the video to Sean Paul's Gimme The Light. The selector sent out Sizzla's instruction to "pump up harp pump um" to "all a de man dem whe know dem straight like 6 o'clock", Cobra's Press Trigger getting extended play.
Etana's Roots, Da'Ville's Always on My Mind and Tessane Chin's Hideaway took the pace down, Ifrica's Daddy going out against the "nasty faada dem". The crowd, now near its peak, grooved along to the 'answering machine', but coming up to 6 a.m. it was Jr. Gong's Beautiful that changed the pace. From there it was into the 'Pepperseed' rhythm the women walking out into the video light and chanting along with Louis Culture that "no gal cyan mek yu worry..". Sizzla's No Time to Gaze and Karate hit big and L.A. Lewis interrupted the Showtime rhythm to exult in 'seven!'.
DeMarco's Fallen Soldiers and Bugle's Exercise hit hard before Dutty Fridaze went retro again with Admiral Bailey's God Pickney' and Papa San's I Will Survive, the police coming after the pair of Saws.
Still, after the music was silenced the dancers dropped moves to imaginary music, LA Lewis perched on a van with an oversized toy board rifle and a crowd gathered to cheer on one outstanding 'flosser' for the video camera.
Selectors at 'Dutty Fridaze' included Hotta Ball, the Stone Love crew and the Jam Rock crew, with Foota Hype getting a special hail as a "real yute".
http://www.jamaica-star.com/thestar/.../ent/ent1.html
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