Roxy

515 W. 18th Street
New York, NY 10011

This gritty warehouse in the western strip of Chelsea had been dominating the New York City nightlife since 1991 and setting the trends and inspiring a way of life for thousands of party boys across the globe. 16 years after it's first all gay Saturday dance party thrown by John Blair in 1991, the legendary dance club that became a symbol of the New York gay lifestyle centered on Chelsea has now closed its door, achieving an exceptional longevity at the forefront of the city's club scene. While every passing year brought their strings of new parties and club openings, and while the hotspots from the last season were either going out of business, being shut down by the police or changing management, the Roxy remained firmly anchored to its Chelsea home, unsinkable against the relentless waves of drama agitating the New York nightlife. Generations of gay men have come out and danced the night away, under the disco ball of this legendary venue, which began as a roller skating rink before being turned into a state of the art mega dance palace. By miracle, Roxy survived numerous police raids, drug epidemics, tax evasion charges, tantrum throwing DJs, changing music trends, and the fickle taste of gay club goers who are quick to desert one day the place they were venerating the day before. Against all odds, the Roxy changed and adapted, while always remaining true to its essence, providing the quintessential gay clubbing experience: a sea of thousands of bare chest muscular boys, gathered to dance and submit their mind, body and soul to the implacable rhythm of the fiercest house music spun by the most renowned DJs from the dance music world.

Immerging yourself in the packed dance floor of the Roxy on a Saturday night was quite a unique experience, and it was such feeling that contributed to define a part of the identity of legions of gay men who used to call the Roxy their playground. Patrons would walk up the long corridor of stairs leading to the coat check, and then gain entrance to the side of the main room, passing along John Blair's membership table where the host and promoters would greet them. The view from the main bar was nothing short of spectacular, with the go-go boxes aligned on the edge of the dance floor, on top of which some almost preternaturally chiseled dancers where gyrating to the pulsating music, their bodies drenched in sweat, exhaling a communicative raw sexual energy.

The crowd gathered in this hollowed dance palace was a concentrate of the gay population of New York. All the different communities within our community were represented, claiming their share of the dance floor, and each corner had its own flavor, reminiscent of the different gay neighborhood of New York.

At the entrance, in front of the main bar was "muscle beach", the area where the finest specimens had elected domicile, showing off their chiseled physique and perfect tan line. On the right hand side, towards the entrance, was "Chinatown", which was the favorite corner for all the "rice queens", as this was where the gay boys of Asian descent tended to congregate. The middle of the dance floor was a rather bland and non defined area, mostly used as a transit path for people crossing over from one side to another, and where mostly tourists would stick around. On the other end of the dance floor was "the hood", an area where all the black and Latin kids would usually gather. This is where you would find the ballroom kids vogueing and doing runway, along with some sizzling "homo-thugs", outfitted in the latest urban fashion, looking like they just came out of a 50 cents video.

Musically, The Roxy was the club that propelled the career of many current big name DJs: Victor Calderone and Peter Rauhofer are two DJs emblematic who honed their skills and developed their style and their talent behind the wheels of steel of the Roxy. Roxy was the place where its DJ's coined the sound that would dominate the global gay club scene. The legacy of the Roxy and its distinctive musical sound lives on, carried by all the DJs that have played in that club or were inspired by it. Many of them belong to Peter Rauhofer's stable of music producers signed to his record label "Star 69". The Roxy was also famous for the occasional performances that punctuated the night. Numerous dance music divas and high profile singers have graced the stage of the club, including Madonna, Cher, and Beyonce. Yoko Ono stormed one night into Peter Rauhofer's booth, took the microphone and gave an impromptu performance howling and moaning over the beats played by the DJ. Such spontaneous happenings and other memorable performances that have taken place at the Roxy have given many cherished memories to the generations of club goers that have danced on its sacred floor.

Its demise seals the end of an era, as Chelsea is becoming more and more mainstream with influx of straight couples and families moving into the neighborhood while the gays who had lead the gentrification of the neighborhood in the late 80's have moved on and migrate to revitalize new areas such as Hell's Kitchen and Harlem.

Leave a review