United States

New York City 

Nightlife

Music 

The underground club queen comes through with her favourite NYC spots to dance in.

With over a decade's experience in the game, Kim Anh is at the forefront of New York's queer underground scene. Her captivating vocals and disco-tinged club anthems have found their way onto a slew of labels such as EMI and Deejay Gigolo Records. Aside from releasing via various imprints, she heads up her own named Can U Not Talk. It's via her own label that she's released a remixed version of her 2023 EP 

While New York is her base, the artist can also be found in her adopted home of LA. New York is a city that's ever-changing, and while there are the storied histories of revered spaces that once hosted musical icons and pioneers, there are plenty of new clubs cropping up year on year. We tapped the producer and label head for her knowledge on New York's underground. Where are the best queer-friendly clubs in the city? Where can we experience the best of its party scene? Below, Kim Anh comes through with her favourite dancefloors.

Public Records' Sound Room pairs beautiful architecture with design. The custom Ojas hi-fi sound system will make your face furrow with satisfaction as you bathe in the perfect sound fed by the custom Isonoe mixer. Their restaurant, which offers creative vegan dishes, also offers some of NYC’s best all-vinyl DJs. A complete and thoughtful social space centred around music and community.

Aside from presenting 72 hour ‘non-stop’ parties and solid DJ line-ups, there is a strict no cell phone policy on the dancefloor. That means no filming, no texting or Shazaming either. It’s all about experiencing the music. There is an outdoor beer garden and bagels served on Sunday morning. I recently had one of the most spiritual DJ sets I’ve had in a long time there, playing right before Theo Parrish.

Tucked away beneath the behemoth Knockdown Center, Basement creates an intimate vibe reserved for techno heads. The DJ programming is nothing to kid about. Among the dark catacombs you will be served by a superb programme of both longstanding and up-and-coming DJ talent.

The newest baby sister of Bushwick’s Bossa Nova Civic Club did not come to play. She’s a bit rough around the edges and comes as a wild and judgment free zone for nightlife revellers. Come to sweat under two floors of fog and lights with the girlies and the banji boys.

Good Room harkens back to the good old days of raw space, feet stomping and hollering. The energy builds to a peak by 1AM and carries on solid until the wee hours. Having two rooms, the Good Room and the Bad Room, you have options to shuffle between big room energy and intimate house party vibes. You can wander in on any night (if it’s not sold out already) and know that the music will be in service to the underground. Talent from all over the world play at this venue, which feels intimate compared to the festivals where you’d have to catch them otherwise.

Situated on a small lot in a shipping container in Brooklyn, The Lot Radio streams an incredibly diverse soundscape of music 24 hours per day.  They’ve been known to take over Time Square as an open air and The Modern Museum of Art. There is lots of outdoor seating, a cafe and on a beautiful summer’s day it could easily turn into a spontaneous block party.

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Queer-Friendly Dancefloors in New York, Chosen By Kim Anh

BASEMENT NY

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