DANCEHALL lovers were treated to a wide selection of reggae music at the No. 1 Shed on Front Street at the weekend thanks to the combined efforts of MF Productions and Wild Apache Productions.

Guest DJ was the Stone Love's very own Rory, who is no stranger to the local dancehall scene. The Mid-Ocean News caught up with the dynamic DJ who shared his feelings of life on the road.

"I don't get any time off. I've been touring for nine years and you can say I am the cornerstone of Stone Love. I like to bring some humour when I play my music and if I weren't doing this I'd probably be a comedian," he said with a smile.

Self-described as a nice person, he described working with Norman (aka Maggy) Godwin, the patriarch of Magnum Sound Force, as smooth. "We've been friends for the past nine years", he added.

He did admit the rigours of touring leave very little room for forming friendships, but he passes what precious free time he has by playing chess, pool and the piano. No wonder he has earned the nickname "Genius" which was given to him when he started deejaying at t he age of 14 and two decades later he has no intention of slowing down.

Opening for Stone Love was After Dark who have carved a niche in the dancehall community. Led by a frontman simply known as "Friday", the quartet made a fine showing for themselves by getting the crowd warmed up for the following performers. While Friday wasn't as behind the microphone as his counterparts, After Dark did deliver a fine set as they made way for the heavy hitters of dancehall.

Magnum Force needed no introduction as DJ Maggy had the crowd at his beck and call. As he reeled off a series of dub plates while his sound man chipped in with the electronic sound effects for good measure, the crowd showed their delight as he "toasted" over the microphone.

Described as the "people sound", Magnum Force brought the music to the people as dancehall divas clad in all of their finery showed off the latest steps during the live videotaping session. Also on hand from the MF camp were "Party Man Fats", Rampaul and Kuane Smith, who found himself pressed into service as selector, a far cry from his managerial role of the company.

As usual the latecomers found themselves jockeying for an ideal spot while the session rocked until the wee hours of the morning. Soon featured DJ Rory made his way to the DJ's area. The transition between the two sounds was smooth and one must admit their styles complemented each other.

It was a refreshing change to attend a dancehall session where there was a wide section of the community that comprised different ethnic groups and varying age groups from the late teenager to those in their early 40s.

Other than the well-publicised "hiccup", the session continued until the 2 a.m. cut-off time. One can really appreciate the power a DJ wields, when the sound came to a screeching halt after a potentially ugly situation was quickly defused.

Rory succeeded in keeping patrons' minds on the party and the faithful dancehall followers chose to stay and dance while a few of the more skittish attendees chose to call it a night. But, for the most part, it was a well-attended function where the DJs were able to deliver solid sets without having to rely on homophobic monologues and other forms of "slackness" to win over the crowd.