It’s the backyard party you always wanted to put on. Lush natural surrounds, somehow tucked into a convenient corner of inner Melbourne, syncopated by the tasty tunes of a tight little sound system and fuelled by a well stocked cocktail bar and gourmet barbeque. It appeals to a rich tapestry of Melbournians. Young and old, eclectic, eccentric and generic, all wander down the gravel driveway of CERES each Sunday, seeking to wind down after the weekend and slowly accept the arrival of an inevitable Monday.

Aftering entering I beelined for the infamous gourmet barbeque in search of much needed sustenance after a morning at the beach. Realizing that it was only four o’clock and the food was at least an hour off edible goodness, I decided to do something pretty “out there” and tune into Schofield, the maestro of the moment. Schofield, aka Ross Veenstra, hails from north of the river, Melbourne, Victoria. Having always been a fan of recorded music, it was only a matter of time before he decided to jump behind the decks and start to juxtapose some of his favourite tracks for his own aural pleasure. Sunday Sessions always does a thoroughly epic job of acclimatising their lineup to the progression of afternoon/twilight/evening, and today was no exception. The man in the Pink Floyd t-shirt delivered the signature Schofield platter, featuring an assortment of ambient, dub, downtempo electronica, and worldly-beats, ranging from head-nodding late-afternoon hammock beats to more atmospheric movements exploring nocturnal realms. I couldn’t help but be sucked in.

And then began the atmosphere that Sunday Sessions is famous for. Despite the persistence of rain and the increasing cold, by the first notes of Abakus’ DJ set a significant throng throng had formed under the canopy of the dance floor. And this was no Melbourne-club-lets-stand-as-close-to-the-decks-as-possible-and-have-a-geez-while-looking-slightly-bored type throng. This throng had joie de vivre. These are the kind of people who don’t give a fuck if they are the only ones on the dancefloor – good times are going to be had. A.K.A exhibit A – ideal party people.

After thoroughly enjoying his DJ set at Rainbow Serpent, I was again surprised to hear how well Abakus, who is best known for his works in trip-hop, dub and psybient, adapted to playing a DJ set for an uptempo crowd. His performance had the power, simplicity and captivating hooks of your stock and trade progressive tech house, but maintained the subtly beautiful and occasionally haunting traces of his productions. All in all a thoroughly enjoyable set from start to finish. Particularly considering that food had begun to be served…Thunderberger or Hot Rod? Both? Don’t forget the peanut-coriander-cream dressing.

Next up, the man responsible for one of the most memorable main stage sets of Rainbow Serpent 2010 – Spiral Trax’s DJ Anti. A frequent guest at the biggest trance festivals as well as clubs all over the world, the Swede’s musical prowess was clear. He took the mood established by Abakus and elevated it, reminding all punters that it was the end of the weekend and if they wanted to squeeze in any more hedonism the time was now. Unfortunately my time was up, and it was creeping much too close to the start of my Sunday night shift at work. Sigh.

Conclusion: Sunday Sessions is fast becoming the hottest act in town – pencil it in for next Sunday or risk missing out until they start up again next summer. Taking of the latter option is thoroughly discouraged.