Rainbow Serpent is one of Australia’s most well-known and loved festivals, and upon entering the launch party it was clear it was going to be a killer night. Opening the whole of Brown Alley for the party, there was always somewhere new to explore, a tune to hear or someone new to meet. With a diverse lineup of international and local talent, and a packed house to boot, the Colonial Hotel was set to rock.

On walking in the place is buzzing with energy and excitement. Gavin Martin was the first DJ I noticed at the ‘Techy Cotton Rockn – Bottom Room’, providing us with his trademark groove. Checking the place out the capaciousness is evident, there already being a large number of punters getting around without it ever becoming too crowded. With a large rooftop smoking area with bar, there was always room for a breather. Delving further into the depths of the Brown Alley, the middle room was throwing out some really chilled-out ambient songs. This stage equipped with serene statues and other ornaments, it gave that personal touch that I liked. Although not buzzing with people, Numatica was rolling the tunes to the people who were happily swimming around the stage.

Grabbing a drink and booting to the upstairs stage, aptly named the ‘Slut Funk Grind Your Booty – Top Room’, Melbourne local and personal favourite Dave Pham was pumping some very danceable tunes and the crowd was loving it. Mixing it up from softer sounding synths to darker progressive beats, Dave catered to the crowd’s mood perfectly it seemed, picking it up and slowing it down in response to energy of the room.

Back downstairs and after sliding through a throng of people, RYO from Solstice Records, one of the headliners of the night, was propelling behind the decks. I love RYO’s music and seeing a few of his sets now, I had an idea of what to expect. But RYO on Friday had an urgency that I hadn’t seen and it came through in his music in an electrifying way. Some deeper progressive then a banging basslines, everybody was absorbed in the madness. Continuing the fine form at 3am, Dousk from Vapour Records in Greece came on. His first couple of tracks evoked enough stimulation and power that I almost spilt my beer, which was also partly due to the fact that the party-goers were beginning to get noticeably rowdier as the night drew on. Dousk definitely earned his two-hour set, with a great performance and lots of energy behind the decks. Plenty of progressive trance, and when the kick drum rolled in it seemed the dancefloor was dancing in unison. I liked Dousk’s style, he changed it up a bit, giving more layers to the music and making it more exciting.

Cruising up the spiral staircase again, I noticed a bit of daylight filtering through the window, immediately retreating for the darkness of the upstairs stage where Simon Slieker was rocking the closing set. Some very groovy earlier morning tunes were being enjoyed by all upstairs. The production value of the night was fantastic as always at this venue, and the V-DJ’s in all rooms should be commended with a great visual show.

At 5am Sun Control Species came on downstairs and with an emotional ride brought us through their set with a psychedelic edge and fat beats. Their progressive is quite unique and I enjoyed the set that was played. Tim Harvey was the last on and undoubtedly picked up the tempo and got every single person jumping, playing well past 7am.

With a great crowd, enormous venue and more stellar progressive trance acts that you could poke a stick at, the Rainbow Serpent Launch Party more than lived up to expectations. As first round tickets for the Festival in late January 2009 are already sold out, I would suggest punters get your dosh together and get one soon as you don’t want to be the one who misses out on the Rainbow experience.