As far as party spots go, they don’t come much better than Marrickville Bowling Club. Insulated from the rabble of Saturday night in the city, it’s always warm and welcoming under the copper ceiling. The long-time home of Mad Racket, the Bowlo tonight is in the hands of fellow Sydney crew HaHa. True to the ‘Versus’ theme, the stage is kitted out with boxing rope and a few pugilist-appropriate trimmings.

We arrive a little later than hoped at midnight to find a dancefloor still getting in its groove. It helps that Simon Caldwell is playing a typically consummate set of deep, Detroit-y house that gradually works up some pace. While the venue is less busy than a Mad Racket in full swing, there’s a buzzing atmosphere already. Everyone here has come for the same reason. Sebo K’s Way Back sounds punchy and crisp on the sound-system, the beer is cold and pleasingly priced, and by the time Deetron steps up, the wall-flowers have flocked to the centre.

The immediate enthusiasm from the headliner lifts the vibe in the place, and for the next three-or-so hours he holds it there. While his equipment is out of sight (it’s later revealed by the HaHa newsletter to be three decks and two CDJs), there’s no mistaking that he’s busy up there. The body-jacking mixing may come with some rough edges, but it’s all part of the charm. While identifying individual tracks is largely fruitless for this reviewer, the outstanding feature is groove.

The set just keeps moving. Over the course of his time in the ring, Deetron moves from deep house to analogue techno and back again, never losing sight of the bodies on the dancefloor. When the bassline slides out of the mix for a spacey moment, it rarely kicks back in in an obvious way. Around 3:30am, he works in a big, looping techno record that sounds like it could be 15 years or two weeks old, and for the next hour it just builds and builds.

How refreshing to see a DJ with all hands on deck, working in twists and turns the whole time. I have no doubt we’ll relive this vibe when Vince Watson and Juan Atkins get their turn under the copper ceiling.