Centro-Fly
45 West 21st Street (212-627-7770) With its mod decor and cozy lounges, Centro-Fly has become an upscale oasis for aging hipsters tired of sweating it out at Twilo and Vinyl, and the Thursday-night superstar shindig thrown by house-music label Subliminal is on an equal footing with packed nights like Body & Soul. This fall, Subliminal (and Centro-Fly itself) just might edge out the competition entirely: On September 7, Derrick Carter, whose Underschrift EP contains some of the funkiest house music of the year, will take to the decks; on September 14, Subliminal will host a going-away party for house legend Frankie Knuckles; and on September 28, techno D.J. Josh Wink will make a rare small-club appearance.
Cheetah
12 West 21st Street (212-206-7770) This Flatiron nightspot draws its biggest crowds with hip-hop nights like Thursday’s Clique, but it’s the loopy Tuesday-night party Twelve West, where Rolex-sporting hip-hoppers and suit-and-tied nine-to-fivers boogie to D.J. Nicky Siano’s disco, that gives it club cred. Because it’s scheduled on one of the deadest nights of the week, the masses haven’t exactly flocked to it, but Cheetah’s owners are hoping to change that by relaunching the party with new promoters. Anglophiles will be happy to know that Cheetah’s Friday-night party GBH (Great British House) will begin hosting a monthly event with the London party Miss Moneypenny’s, where drag queens and performance artists take top billing over turntable talent.
Spa
76 East 13th Street (212-388-1060) Some may grumble about his turntable skills, but D.J. Paul Sevigny has earned Spa its first hit with Big Bad Dodgy Wednesdays. “I don’t have any changes in mind for fall,” says club director Steven Lewis. But he is planning to host some notable performances, including drum-’n’-bass icon Goldie and a rare D.J. set on September 13 from Sean Lennon, who’ll continue the tradition of celebrity relations’ taking to the turntables.
Twilo
530 West 27th Street (212-268-1600) Perhaps inspired by Fast Company, Twilo is turning its business into a brand with a monthly publication, Magazine, and a series of mix CDs on Virgin Records. On the dance floor, atmospheric-house producer Kerri Chandler, dark-techno legend Stacey Pullen, Parisian house producer Pepe Braddock, and prolific German house producer Ian Pooley (who’ll be spinning music from his eclectic new Since Then) will unite for Respect Is Burning on September 15. Richie Hawtin, who’s known for making minimal techno under the name “Plastikman,” will bring two turntables, a 909 drum machine, and fierce martial beats to a September 22 live set