Vanity
28 E 23rd St between Madison Ave and Park Ave South (212-254-6117)
Subway: N, R, 6 to 23rd St.
Vanity isn’t much to look at, and the name is pretty tired, but as one of Manhattan’s fairly few smallish dance clubs it fills a definite need. It actually has a pretty nice little dance floor and sound system, too. The most popular nights are Tuesdays, when Super Funk attracts a fun music-industry crowd (it’s a good bet that you’ll rub elbows at the bar with the likes of Todd Terry or Masters at Work) despite the name, you’ll mostly hear deep but pumping house spun by guest DJs ranging from local up-and-comers to internationally known names like Benji Candelario. Friday night, the also-misnamed GBH (which stands for Great British House) features mostly American vocal house, spun by DJs who work at King Street and Northcott, two top New York labels (DJ Disciple is a monthly guest, and folks like Roger Sanchez spin on occasion, too). Saturday, Sticky’s program of electronica draws the sort of indie/alternative/student-oriented crowd that listens to the Chemical Brothers, DJ Icey, Fatboy Slim and the like.
