What’s Spinning in the Meatpacking District?

 

DJs continue to reign in the Meatpacking District. If you want to work up a sweat gyrating to a pulsating beat in gloriously glossy surroundings, perhaps shoulder to shoulder with a local or visiting celebrity, the hot spots below are the places to do so.

 

1 OAK

453 West 17th Street (between 9th and 10th Avenues)

 

This club’s name is not a tribute to trees; rather it stands for “one of a kind.” In addition to cozy banquettes surrounding the chevron-stripe dance floor, where you can sit back and indulge in pricy bottle service, there is stadium seating for those more interested in listening and dancing to A-list DJs such as Chase B and Jus Ske spin their hip-hop-heavy playlists than in keeping an eye peeled for celebrities.

 

Cielo

18 Little West 12th Street (between Ninth Avenue and Washington Street)

Cielo

Cielo. Image: sookie/Flickr

 

Cielo is relatively compact—it holds only about 300 people—but its Funktion-One sound system, sunken dance floor, and elaborate lighting system more than hold their own with those of larger clubs. Electronic dance music, from house to trance, is what you’ll hear most nights, though Toca Tuesdays, hosted by Tony Touch, is an ode to hip-hop. Touch, along with guest DJs, also spins deep house music for the Funkbox sessions on Sunday nights. Louis Vega, described as “a godfather of global dance music,” cohosts the Wednesday evening Roots NYC parties with soul-house master Kevin Hedge.

 

Electric Room

355 West 16th Street (between Eighth and Ninth Avenues)

 

The downstairs bar of the Dream Downtown hotel, this space is even more intimate than Cielo. It holds about 100 people and has the look of a private British club, if such clubs boasted the Union Jack painted on their leather chesterfield sofas and photos by Sante D’Orazio on the walls. Please Me, the Wednesday-night sessions hosted by Jonas Young-Berra that play mostly rock from the ‘70s and ‘80s, have become a hot ticket. Cash NYC spins the harder rock-and-roll All Evil Saturdays, and a rotating list of DJs host the Thursday and Friday evening parties.

 

Le Bain

484 Washington Street (between Little West 12th and West 13th Streets)

 

Jellybean Benitez and Susanne Bartsch are among the old-school DJs working the decks at the rooftop nightclub of the Standard, High Line hotel. The lineup overall is an eclectic one. Those who miss the days of disco and club kids will want to come to the Wednesday evening Dance, Dance, Dance sessions hosted by Eli Escobar and DJ mOma; the Thursday night Bonus Beats offer dance music with a global accent. On Friday and Saturday nights you might hear anything from the techno beats of Derrick May to the fluid segues of Juan Ramos. The music is not the only attraction of Le Bain. There are also the fabulous views of the skyline from inside as well as the terrace, which has artificial turf to evoke an endless-summer vibe. What’s more, in summer proper, a triangular plunge pool takes up some of the dance floor.

 

PHD

355 West 16th Street (between Eighth and Ninth Avenues)

 

Another penthouse lounge, PHD is, like Electric Room, located in Dream Downtown. With a capacity of 400, it is appreciably larger than Electric Room, with two full bars, luxe channeled-leather sofas indoors, and banquettes on the landscaped terrace for indulging in bottle service and specialty cocktails. Like 1 OAK, this is a see-and-be-seen spot. DJs spin till about four in the morning almost daily (on Sundays the party ends at midnight), and the playlists are heavy on hip-hop and EDM with pops of top-40.

 

Plunge

18 Ninth Avenue (at West 13th Street)

Plunge. Image: Sarah Sphar/Flickr

 

Ready for one more rooftop nightclub? This one is on the top of Hotel Gansevoort and takes its name from the adjacent pool. (Be warned: The pool is reserved for hotel guests.) The terraces surrounding the main room are covered by a transparent roof in winter, which retracts once the weather warms. Regardless, the panoramic views are spectacular year-round, and the ever-changing cast of DJs ensure that you have tunes to dance to just about every night (and early morning) of the week.

 

Tao Downtown Nightclub

369 West 16th Street (at Ninth Avenue)

TAO-Downtown-StreetEntry-Photo-Credit-Warren-Jagger

Tao Downtown Street Entry. Image: Warren-Jagger/taodowntown.com

In addition to the pan-Asian Tao Downtown restaurant, the Maritime Hotel harbors the Tao Downtown Nightclub downstairs. The hard-to-find entrance adds to its vibe of exclusivity. The decor, like that of its sister restaurant, can best be described as “Asian influence on acid,” with oversize paintings on the brick walls vying for attention with multitier chandeliers, a disco ball, and scores of candles. But once the DJs start playing—largely but not exclusively EDM and hip-hop—and the light system kicks into gear, you likely will not notice any of it.

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