Que Bajo?! night at Santos Party House.   (Photo: Alexander Singh)

Hip-Hop
The place: Von Kellar, 3 Bleecker, at Bowery 212-473-3039
When: Thursdays
How much: Free
The scene: D.J. Eleven (the Rub) and friends play old-school crowd-pleasers— as well as a smattering of newer hits—to an appreciative crowd packed into the tiny, cork-ceilinged downstairs space of the West Village wine bar Von.

Techno
The place: Public Assembly, 70 N. 6th St., nr. Wythe Ave., Williamsburg 718-384-4586
When: One Friday a month
How much: $10 before midnight, $20 after
The scene: Techno acolytes of all ages converge here for the popular Bunker party (beyondbooking.com). The spare, low-lit front and back rooms host a variety of forward-thinking electronic talent, both local (Spinoza, Eric Cloutier) and far-flung (Byetone, Tobias, and Prosumer—all from Berlin).

Latin/Cumbia/Reggaeton
The place: Santos Party House, 96 Lafayette St., nr. Walker St.; 212-584-5492
When: Wednesdays
How much: $5 before midnight; $10 after
The scene: The black-box club’s basement Que Bajo?! parties are such big draws that they’ve inspired outer-borough imitators (Littlefield in Gowanus now hosts a similar night). The hip-shaking crowd is predominantly female.

Electro/Indie/New Wave
The place: Webster Hall, 125 E. 11th St., nr. Third Ave.; 212-353-1600
When: Fridays
How much: $15 in advance, $25 at the door
The scene: Upstairs, at the massive 19-and-up Girls & Boys danceathon, nubile hipsters throng the D.J.’s onstage. Downstairs, at the debauched Trash! party, scantily clad dancers perform to a well-edited New Wave and new-indie soundtrack, supplied by the ubiquitous D.J. Jess.

Dance-Pop
The place: Greenhouse, 150 Varick St., at Vandam St.; 212-807-7000
When: Sundays
How much: Free; open bar between 10 p.m. and 11 p.m.
The scene: Nightlife vet Susanne Bartsch’s weekly Vandam parties prove she’s still got it. D.J. Johnny Dynell, a onetime Mudd Club regular, spins upbeat tracks for a predominantly gay crowd of club kids. The club’s regular bottle-service rules don’t apply.

Dubstep
The place: Coco 66, 66 Greenpoint Ave., nr. Franklin St., Greenpoint 718-389-7392
When: Second Saturday of every month
How much: Free
The scene: Coco 66’s garage bonanzas recently got a major boost when the industrial-style venue expanded its live room’s capacity to 200 and completely overhauled the sound system. Which means those ever-thumping bass lines (think London, circa 2005) now thump even louder.

Rockabilly
The place: Warsaw, 261 Driggs Ave., at Eckford St., Williamsburg; 718-387-0505; Otto’s Shrunken Head, 538 E. 14th St., nr. Ave. B; 212-228-2240
When: Second Fridays at Warsaw, third Fridays at Otto’s Shrunken Head
How much: Free
The scene: Cuff your jeans and grease your hair for Rebel Night, a freewheeling fifties-style rock-and-roll party with homes in the East Village and Williamsburg. A crew of Japanese James Dean look-alikes have been hosting the event for five years for a dedicated crowd of rockabilly enthusiasts.

Sixties Soul
The place: Beauty Bar, 231 E. 14th St., nr. Third Ave. 212-539-1389
When: First Fridays
How much: Free
The scene: Fans of shuttered East Village bar Rififi’s soul nights have moved on. Their current mecca? The retro-outfitted Beauty Bar’s back room, now home to D.J. Josh Styles’s Smashed! Blocked! parties, where tattooed go-go dancers and girls in minis and winged-out eyeliner groove to music like the Ronettes.

Cajun/Zydeco
The place: Connolly’s Pub & Restaurant, 121 W. 45th St., nr. Sixth Ave. 212-597-5126
When: Various days; more info at letszydeco.com
How much: $22
The scene: Around once a month, the Times Square pub is transformed into a dance hall dedicated to the tunes of the Bayou. Bands imported from southwestern Louisiana fire up an older crowd with a frenetic blend of fiddles, accordions, and rug boards. Free zydeco-dance instruction one hour before the show.

Disco
The place: 88 Palace, 88 E. Broadway, nr. Forsyth St., second fl.; 212-941-8886
When: Saturdays
How much: $10
The scene: The long-running monthly No Ordinary Monkey parties (they also pop up at Tandem in Bushwick; see noordinarymonkey.com for upcoming dates), devoted to rare disco tracks, draw crowds to this dim sum restaurant under the Manhattan Bridge.

Everything Mashed Together
The place: (Le) Poisson Rouge, 158 Bleecker St., nr. Thompson St. 212-505-3474
When: Various days; more info at lepoissonrouge.com
How much: Free
The scene: A fashionable crowd turns up once a month when Barcelona’s much-loved Nasty Mondays night takes over this artsy venue’s tiny gallery space. Party founders Max and Sören remix headbangers by the likes of Mötley Crüe with pop and hip-hop classics, to riotous effect.

Related:

• Articles by Fiorella Valdesolo
• Table of Contents: May 24, 2010 issue of New York | Subscribe!