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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

35s & 45s

35s & 45s was born, in part, to broaden the avenues outside of the mainstream gallery system, while sharing love of film photography and records. The mission of the first exhibition was to provide a space where these mediums could be celebrated by and for their community. It quickly became a large monthly gathering for creatives to network, share ideas and support analog. That original mission carries through still today, but exceeding expectations. Check out 35s & 45s' guide to the best places to find analog in NYC.

Owned and operated by local DJ Fatik, I go mainly for the new house/techno/re-issue etc stuff and to kick it. He has an ill plant collection too!

Owned and curated by the DJ's DJ Tom Noble - they carry everything but for me - solid funk, soul, world, disco and house + massive 45 collection. They throw fun in store parties a lot - I walked in on Antal & Tom playing once.

Big, big collection and neighbourhood staple of Williamsburg. Big and super well priced collection of jazz, soul, funk, rock, house, world, etc.

Really dope record store and cafe (great coffee) with rare and well curated collection of used and new disco, house, techno, jazz, brazil, world/brazil and soul.

A solid buy, sell, trade record store with mostly rock, reggae, funk etc - but also a pretty good selection of house joints.

A neighbourhood staple in East Village with the best, consistent rotation of affordable and absolute heat on wax - everything from RnB, soul, disco, hip-hop, techno, house and more house.

A very important space, shout out to owners Vanessa & Bowen. This is one of the most inclusive clubbing spaces in NYC right now with some of the best up & coming, forward thinking DJs as well as staple locals and parties. Good priced drinks, with a totally fun and loose atmosphere - one of my favorite places to be. Also astrology themed cocktails!

Best large club in New York right now, no phones on the dance floor!!! Amazing outside day parties in Spring/Summer with consistent local and international talent I always love to see - Honey Dijon, Theo Parrish, DJ Marcelle, Soul Summit, Marcellus Pittman, Galcher Lustwerk, Stud1nt, Analog Soul etc.

Large club in south Brooklyn with 2 rooms, 1 with a large wooden dance floor and custom hi-fi sound system the other shared with a cafe and more for listening and hanging - although, dancing occurs fo sho - another great place to see the likes of Theo Parrish, Francois K, Ron Trent etc.

Hi-fidelity sound system with high quality vegan tacos, the club is in a cool basement built out with wooden sound treatment and Klipsch system + home rotary mixer - vinyl sounds fantastic here.

The consistent home of techno in Brooklyn for some time now - this is a medium/small size space with heavy hitting lineups on a regular basis, well priced and fun. This is one of my favorite places to hang.

Cocktail bar and fusion sushi restaurant with local disco, funk, rnb and soul DJs. Also home to the birth of 35s & 45s.

Manhattan staple true Discotheque style club with views of New Jersey & New York on the top floor of the Standard Hotel - always good DJs - great place to catch Eli Escobar, Sadar Bahar or local parties from Brooklyn that make their way to Manhattan.

A very small futuristic Star Wars outpost kind of space-themed bar with a custom built hi fidelity sound system and rotary mixer.

Best place for development, hi-res printing, framing, etc - all around full service shop in Soho.

DIY film development in Bushwick, a great space to meet others in the neighbourhood and a good place to learn about new spaces or local exhibitions.

Super fast and fairly cheap place for solid development in LES / Chinatown.

Cheap place in Greenpoint to buy film and develop, best for fast turn around on developing - but the quality is not always the top notch. You get what you pay for, its bottom dollar and fast!

Public Records

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