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.