THE 2012 staging of SPF — the Independence weekend series of parties — got under way on Friday night with the happening party, Eye Candy.

Held at Cary Island, Prospect Estate just outside Ocho Rios, Eye Candy had all the elements that these premium events bring to the party table — comfortable venue, great drink mixes, a good DJ, and the type of audience that has a need to party.

Credit must go to the DJ of the night, Richie D. He was able to keep patrons rocking all night with an exciting mix of music ranging from house and dance to roots reggae and dancehall, with a splash of soca thrown in for good measure.

At one point, he generated an element of audience participation through a sort of call and response, wherein he played the opening lines to a set of popular tunes, stopping short of the hook and allowing his more-than-willing audience to complete the track, by which time he was on to the next hit.

This set featured the hits including Protoje’s Rasta Love, Dry Cry by Sizzla, Half Pint’s Greeting, Junior Reid’s unity anthem One Blood, the popular Broader than Broadway by Barrington Levy and Damian ‘Junior Gong’ Marley’s latest hit Set Up Shop.

Another of the tracks which generated its fair share of ‘forwards’ was Psycho by the artiste of the summer, Tommy Lee. With his specific vocal styling, the track from this artiste had the audience jumping to the infectious sounds.

SPF, which is now in its second year, continued yesterday with the staging of Fiction Beach at the Mammee Bay Beach, and culminates today with Soirée at The Cove, Drax Hall Estate.

— Richard Johnson