Afternoon oasis

If music is the food of love, Sunday Service is more a feast than brunch.

It’s Sunday afternoon at Hollywood & Highland, and the crowd has just been treated to the most sublime musical set, a mix of James Brown, Bebel Gilberto, Dirty Vegas and Biggie Smalls. Now, the DJ’s switching it up to a tropical blend of Latin jazz and hot Caribbean rhythms, and things are starting to get muy caliente. The fact that this is all taking place on a fifth-floor pool deck with a million-dollar view only adds to the sizzle.

It’s all compliments of the Sunday Service, a summertime ritual in Los Angeles where girls in shimmery bikinis and stilettos floss their goods in front of guys who are dressed to impress in lightweight linens -- think Don Johnson at the height of his “Miami Vice” babe-dom.

This all-day poolside bash is celebrating its fourth year, and with each location, promoter Gary Richards takes it up a notch. Richards, the American general manager for XL Recordings and a vice president of No Name Worldwide -- a record label and management company -- started the Sunday Service as a way to take advantage of California’s weather while offering guests a musical nirvana.

At its latest incarnation, a heavenly oasis in the heart of Hollywood, Sunday Service is in full swing. Previous locations have included the Hyatt on Sunset Boulevard, the Figueroa Hotel and the Downtown Standard -- both in downtown Los Angeles. But by taking it uptown to the new Hollywood & Highland complex, poolside partyers can enjoy some serious afternoon delight. For starters, Wolfgang Puck is catering the affair and that means, you can wash down your cervesa with a ceviche shooter or chicken lollipops. Yum.

Then there’s that view. Anyone who’s got love for Hollywood will revel in the rooftop vantage point where you can see for miles and miles. From the Griffith Observatory, scaffolding and all, to the Knickerbocker Hotel and Capitol Records, it’s all within eyeshot. And sure, there’s Highland Liquor and a few sketchy strip malls in between, but that only adds to the flavor, especially when you realize you’re gazing at the view to the sounds of Basement Jaxx.

The fact that this takes place on a Sunday afternoon makes it all the better. It’s too early in the day to worry about work and what good is living in California if you don’t take the time to appreciate everything it has to offer.

The fun begins at 1 p.m. and as the afternoon progresses and people let down their hair, it’s not unusual to see folks spilling into the pool and crowding the dance area. With black decidedly out and all shades of color decidedly in, it’s wonderful to watch Hollywood morph into a rainbow. Girls with purple hair and bondage capris dance with post-punk preppies who look like they jumped out of a Tommy Hilfiger ad.

At this year’s Sunday Service, Richards spiced things up by teaming with longtime Hollywood promoter Rick Calamaro, a partner in Nacional and the Ivar clubs, as well as Travis Andres, the owner of Level One Marketing and a partner in the uber-hot party planning crew, the Alliance. Scene translation: The Sunday Service has gone Hollywood, and stars and starlets will be among the crowd mingling poolside each week.

Fans of the Sunday Service already include Rob Zombie, Fred Durst and Tricky, and because of Richards’ musical background bands continue to show up each week. No Name’s worked with such artists as Slipknot, Mudvayne, Hatebreed, and Motograter, and band members add a cool rocker element to the already hot scene.

The real stars are the DJs, who don’t settle for the obvious but try to expand musical horizons each week. Among those spinning at the Sunday Service are DJ AM, Dave Hernandez, Scott Beachgroove and Richards himself, who obsesses over the music each week to make sure it’s just right. When he’s at the turntables, you’ll likely hear a shot of Led Zeppelin bump up against a splash of Daft Punk.

Although the cover charge varies, those who enter before 3 p.m. pay $10 to lounge all day. One of the best deals is the parking, which is only $2 with validation -- the Sunday Service validates for all guests. To enter the party, you just park at the complex on any level and take the elevator to the fifth floor.

Once you slip past the rope, you get to be a part of something so enchanting, you might want to kick off those heels and stay awhile.

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Sunday Service

Where: Hollywood & Highland, fifth floor pool deck, 6801 Hollywood Blvd.

When: Sunday, 1 -10 p.m.; reservations recommended

Cost: 21 and older; $10 before 3 p.m.; $20 after 3 p.m.

Info: (323) 308-3550