There was high energy and great vibes at last Saturday’s staging of Hard Wine, which was held at Mas Camp.

Scores of college and university students, including those representing several Caribbean countries, were in attendance demonstrating how prepared they are for the upcoming Carnival season.

With hits by several well-known and emerging soca acts pounding from the speaker boxes and spun by the likes of DJ Kurt Riley, DJ Richie Ras, Lantern MD with Zess, DJ Franco with Brush1, and Antiguan DJ Riddim Master, patrons had unadulterated fun.

DJ Riddim Master, who made his début on the Hard Wine stage, worked up a sweat with songs, including a remix of TOK’s Chi Chi Man, Patrice Roberts’s Mind My Business, a soca remix of Aidonia’s
Tip Pon Yuh Toe, and current sensation Ring Finger by Lady Lava.

The Antigua-based disc jock told the Jamaica Observer that he enjoyed bringing the heat to the Hard Wine stage.

“This is my second time in Jamaica and I had so much fun. The crowd was amazing. Listen, it was pure energy. The ladies came out shaking their bodies, wining and dancing up a storm,” said DJ Riddim Master.

He said he was happy to showcase his musical skills for the Hard Wine crowd.

“I knew about this event from social media, and I’ve seen the energy. And I also know that a lot of students from Antigua are here. I felt like this would be a great opportunity to bring something different to the stage and I hope I did that tonight. I’m just happy to be here,” added Riddim Master, who is also a music producer.

DJ Kurt Riley and Richie Ras blazed a musical furnace with several soca hits, while teasing a bit of dancehall. DJ Franco was also in his element, dishing out multiple treats, while Lantern MD mixed dancehall and soca with tracks such as Ben Ova by RDX and Rukshun by Lyrikal.

Marlon Thompson, a director for Hard Wine, said a lot of work went into putting the event together.

“This time around we decided to work more on being creative and culturally relevant to Carnival. People have said that Jamaica is not true to the spirit or the culture of Carnival, so we tried to incorporate a lot of more cultural objects from other regional carnivals. We had carnival characters from Trinidad, Barbados, and Grenada. We even had a little jonkanoo stuff and we had some beautiful ladies in costumes. That’s what everybody loves about Carnival,” said Thompson.

He added: “The energy here tonight is so hype; everyone’s pumped up and having a great time.”

As a precursor to Carnival festivities, a Hard Lyme pool party will be held on April 23, while the next major staging of Hard Wine is scheduled for July 2.