Village Voice Sound of the City Awards

Photo by Kenny Rodriguez

Best Party To Take Anyone To: The Rub

Once you’ve been to the Rub as many times as I have, you start to pick up on the little things that make the party flow just so. You’ll notice that of the three resident DJs, Cosmo Baker is the showman, often dancing over his mixer and chatting with the crowd over his signature funk-heavy sets. Or that DJ Eleven, the strongest technically (and most unassuming despite the fact that he looms over his fellow partners), has the keenest ear for r&b and dancehall. DJ Ayres is the friendliest (and funniest) of the bunch, and regardless of his ventures into dance music, his selection constantly reminds us that he’s a hip-hop nerd at heart. In fact, hip-hop is the constant of the party, and the one of the many reasons that half of Brooklyn can’t seem to stay away from the monthly throw down at Southpaw.

While I’m certainly biased towards the crew (the fellas are some of my favorites), and their selection does tend to pull even the most reluctant wallflowers onto their very sweaty dance floor, it’s the whole feel of the party that’s kept us coming back over the years. Their demographic is a mix of older regulars, rap fiends, and stylishly hip locals that are more than happy to rub against each other (purposefully or otherwise) on the sunken dance floor. Making friends with strangers is almost too easy (as is drinking their selection of $6 tall boys), and the chances of running into a long-lost friend, ex-boss, or one of Brooklyn’s hip-hop elite are high, too. (Busta Rhymes stopped by earlier this year, and we’ve seen Talib Kweli and Jean Grae hanging out more than once.) Their cast of guest DJs have been nothing to scoff at either. This year (their 8th together) has brought sets by the legendary DJ Scratch, Calgary’s Smalltown DJs, The Bladerunners, Cousin Cole, and Nick Catchdubs among others, proving that they’ve got pretty great taste in friends too. – Puja Patel, December 2010