Rated X Panty Party: Check Your Inhibitions & Drawers At The Door.

When the name of the weekly Saturday soiree happening at Luke & Leroy is creatively christened, “Rated X,” it allows your imagination to wander down hallways that you swore only existed in alternate realities or in a paper written by Freud. Yet this two-tier party does exist and it is where DJs Theo & Michael T. (see the dynamic duo above) have been whipping patrons into a universal intoxication faster than the cocktails served.

Rated X was first invented by Mistress Formika and a few girls from Avenue D who happened to call Theo out of the blue in 2003 with the idea of starting a rock ‘n roll, balls to the walls party. Theo jumped at the idea of taking the Panty Party (originally being held in apartments) to Manhattan’s dance floors. Theo explains, “It wasn’t hard to convince a venue to hold our weekly party, but it was hard to find the right place for us. We needed a venue with an open mind and Luke & Leroy fit perfectly.” In January of 2004 Mistress Formika left the party “leaving me and Michael T. together. It is a match made in hell!” Michael T. soon brought aboard MC Peppermint Gummybear (featured above & below with photographer extraordinaire Jonathan Sorber), who hosts the climatic and not-to-be-missed Hot Body Contest at 2:00 a.m.

Theo started DJing at a party called ‘Mullet’ at Meow Mix (now closed) spinning rock and metal. Soon after, she had the opportunity to DJ with the famous Johnny Dynell who taught this femme fatale how to beat match.

The infamous Michael T. is a Washington Heights native who has been spinning for over 10 years up and down both coasts and jumping borders to Mexico City. Michael is not only an established force at Rated X, but also the resident DJ at Lotus’ ‘Loaded’ party and one of the musical masterminds behind Motherfucker.

Michael explains, “It took awhile for Rated X to be taken seriously. It was quite a mish mash the first year and we definitely had some ‘questionable’ patrons. Our numbers have ranged from the very high hundreds (when we were at our peak both at Opaline and Scenic) to about the 400 vicinity now that we are nestled in at Luke and Leroy. I think we will be able to get it back to the 500+ mark once fall comes around.”

In five years Theo hopes to be touring with her band, ‘Theo & The Skyscrapers’ and taking Rated X on the road to L.A. or across the seas to Japan or Brazil. When asked the same question, Michael laughed and stated, “Oh, lord, the senior citizens home? Throwing parties for all of us ‘long in the tooth’ rockers and ‘sweating to the oldies’ with Richard Simmons!”

As if this party needed anything else to pack a potent punch, Rated X also caters to the insatiable thirst of its patrons by offering an open bar from 10 to 11:00 p.m. along with 2-4-1 drink specials if you check your pants at the door and a 2-4-1 power hour for everyone starting at 3:00 a.m. This party is a guaranteed good time that allows your id to run wild and free. As Michael concluded, “Everything you hear about me and my parties are true… for better or worse!”

Rated X
21 7th Ave S
New York, NY 10014
(212) 645-0004
*All photos taken by Jonathan Sorber.

Have YOU seen this asshole?

Since this blog is dedicated to the 212 nightlife, I will tie in this picture by saying you can find me along with other functioning alcoholics (e.g. see boy to the left) this Thursday at a few local watering holes…

A. Nouveau
Nouveau is being held this Thursday, July 27th, @ Fat Baby. I am in the midst of interviewing the Mike Nouveau – so be sure to stop back to read all about how he first began his Thursday night d&d (drinking & dancing) frenzies! In the meantime, here are my top reasons on why you should attend: Open bar from 10-11 p.m. PLUS free jello shots with every drink purchase.

DJs of the night:
John Redden, Sean FightCats, & S.Valentine to name a few.

Fat Baby is located at 112 Rivington Street (Ludlow and Essex), $5

B. DeLuxe
DeLuxe is a party happening on the last Thursday of every month. If you are like me, you have it circled in red 1,000 times and count down the days until you can taste the dance floor. Dr. Maz & special guests spin the best new and classic indie, Britpop, 60’s French pop, new wave, post-punk, glam and indietronics in New York City.

DeLuxe @ Lolita is located at 266 Broome Street (@Allen St.)

C. NC-17
I can’t say enough good things about DJ Jess. If he could spin at every party – we’d all lose our 9-5 jobs. Check out his breeding ground for belligerence at Lit, where the slogan: Come out! Make out! Black out! Get out! always seems to come to fruition no matter what the hour.

NC-17 @ Lit located - 93rd 2nd Avenue.

So there are the specials for thirsty Thursday. My suggestion – come early, stay late, & I dare you to keep up!

One Word Says It All: GLAMDAMMIT!

If there was ever a party that came close to giving proper tribute to Ziggy Stardust and the nights of fabulous flamboyance and androgynous anticipation, it can be found at Rififi’s on the second Saturday of every month.

‘Glamdammit’ is the child of DJ Antonio, who first came up with the idea after being a glam-rock fan for years. He soon realized that there was an untapped vein of vivacious nightlife waiting to erupt and in September of 2004 Glamdammit came to fruition.

Antonio has been spinning for four years on a regular basis at venues such as The Annex, Bar 13, Beauty Bar, The Hanger, Lit, Motor City, Niagara, Rififi, and Route 85a. He views New York as, “probably the best rock ‘n’ roll scene as far as I can tell, although I’ve heard some positive things about a few other cities.” Before the birth of Glamdammit, Antonio and DJ Jess began Trash! at Rififi’s. It’s the longest running Brit-pop/new wave night in the East Village, happening each Friday, and has received critical acclaim from almost every publication that covers the beat under Manhattan’s moon.

Antonio gives credit to the success of Glamdammit to great guest DJ’s like Michael T, Justine D, Theo Kogan, Nick Marc, Miss Guy, and Tommy Hotpants. The past party on July 8th featured Twig the Wonderkid and The Astronettes spinning a salacious mix of rock 'n' roll, punk, and glam to the delight of the dance floor. The hosts were Maurice Blitz and Jimtoxicated, both friends of Antonio who “love going out and couldn’t be dragged off the dance floor by a team of rent-a-cops.” For added flavor, a gigantic movie screen played old Bowie videos and kept this reporter quite entranced for most of the evening.

Special guests were BP Fallon and DJ Jess. BP is no stranger to the wonderful world of night glitter and dancing debauchery. Being a rock author, photographer, founder of Death Disco and publicist for T-Rex, tends to keep one plugged into the social circuit.

Citysearch.com recently named Jess New York City’s number one DJ and if you have ever attended his party Trash!, caught him whipping up a frantic frenzy at Lit’s NC-17 or seen him as a regular guest at Motherfucker, you will know why he is deserving of such an accolade.

The greatest moment at Glamdammit, according to Antonio, was “when Michael T performed ‘John, I’m Only Dancing’ in a white latex jumpsuit in October 2005 to celebrate 35 years of glam-rock!” When asked where Antonio sees himself and his parties in the next five years he casually stated, “I don’t think I will live that long.”

Let’s hope for the sake of nightlife that he does. New York City needs more people like Antonio to set the bar for musical mayhem and keep dancing divas in the nocturnal know.

- Riss

* ALL photography shot by the infamous Jonathan Sorber.

Rififi
332 east 11th Street
New York City, NY
No cover
21+
www.glamdammitnyc.com

Glamdammit - Saturday, July 8th

I am giving everyone proper notice: GLAMDAMMIT is this Saturday!

It means it's time to bare your chest, accent your skin with a pink boa, put on that shimmering shade of silver eye shadow, and pucker up those pouty lips with your favorite pink gloss.

Oh & ladies, you can do the same.

Glamdammit is held at:
Rififi
332 E. 11th Street
NYC, NY
10 p.m. till the sun rises in the sky
No Cover (Yes, you read right!)

I will be there reviewing this fabulaire party with photographer Jonny Sorber.

Ruff Club: No punches thrown

On June 30th I wandered into Ruff Club at The Annex for the official Futureheads & French Kicks after party. This three tier, spacious club was packed from wall to wall with twenty-year-olds bobbing their heads to the salacious beats that were being played over the airwaves.











The band Autodrone was playing in the midlevel, but the pulse from downstairs was beginning to attract the attention of many. The basement level of The Annex is where the action heats up. DJs Sean Fight-Cats and S. Valentine will whip you up into such a ferocious frenzy you might just bite a stranger. The vibe is hot down there so the less clothes the better. You can use summer as an excuse or just tell people that you’re heading over to the latest hotspot on Orchard Street.










The musical highlight of the evening was when Blur’s “Girls & Boys” came over the sound system, which caused a dance riot to ensue and the DJ booth to get stormed.

Ruff Club is held every Friday night at The Annex.

The Annex
152 Orchard St
New York, NY 10002
$5 cover
*ALL photos provided by: Nicky Digital

Better come hungry!