Just before Dutchman Hardwell finished, the music stopped playing and the DJ jumped on the mic to take the opportunity to thank the couple of hundred strong revellers for coming out and making the show everything it was. “How are you guys feeling?” He shouted. “I’m sorry I don’t have a proper mic, I hope you understand me but, first of all, Australia is my favourite country to play!”

Coming from one of the most sought after rising stars in dance music, that’s pretty high praise. “Sydney, you’re head and shoulders above the rest. This is un-fucking-believable” he continued, sending the crowd into a frenzy of whistles and cheers. You could tell Hardwell knew that he’d done well – and so did the crowd.

It was a great day for house music – the sun was shining and the opulent surrounds of the Ivy have never looked so inviting. I arrived late and missed Gemellini, but I got there in time to see the DanceClub DJs when they clocked on at 2pm in the Courtyard. Shirts half down, sunnies out, they played a set that progressed nicely from relaxed to dirty. There was a brief hiccup when a slip of the hand led to a slip of the tongue, but before anyone knew it the music was back and banging. Tracks like Bounce by Calvin Harris allowed the guys to show off their skills before Nukewood and co. were up at 3pm.

Hook N Sling also played a great set, balanced between lesser known tracks and crowd favourites. I liked how he bought it right back with Big Jet Plane by Angus and Julia Stone right before Hardwell started, allowing everyone to have a much needed breather.

A text from a mate told me there was some sort of freaky electro stuff going on up in the Bassdrop Room, and that it was worth a look. As it turns out it was Go Freak, a couple of producer/DJs busting electro jacked up on something. There were a few people upstairs; however, most of them were lining the balcony, peering over the edge – their attention was focused on Hardwell and the stage below. As good as it was on the balcony, downstairs was where the party was at.

Hardwell played an awesome set that had people going nuts. He played a bunch of trancey, electro house tunes that included tracks from his own catalogue through to electro reworks of Smells Like Teen Spirit and Sandstorm by Darude to name a couple; all the while sampling vocals and sounds from a long list of tracks. Songs like a remix of The Island by Pendulum injected a carnival-like atmosphere getting everyone jumping up and down, backed up to good effect by the lighting. Levels by Avicii also went off particularly hard. Hardwell has a way of making every drop sound incredible, and his performance was nothing short of flawless.

Even after Hardwell’s massive two hour set, the night was still young with Angger Dimas and then Glovecats.

There were so many highlights it’s hard to pick one. As good as everything was, I thought the best part was watching the guy in the yellow shirt breaking-in the dancefloor early on in the day. After spending twenty minutes going off to Nukewood, the guy was joined by a group of four or five girls with possible intentions. They may have all been a group there together, but he didn’t have a bar of it, preferring Nukewood and I’ve Got So Much Love to Give by Together. Good times.