Best nightclub dance music: Brasilia

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Brasilia regularly houses a fresh mix of disco, funk and jazz.

The Best Of Team loves to dance. You might say that we “get up with the get down” any chance we get. But the consensus in Kyiv is that there are very few decent clubs.

A look at the local listings will tell you that there are dance “spaces” aplenty. The problem is that most cater to the lowest common denominator. If local management can pack in the broadest spectrum of clients with teen pop and mainstream house and techno, they tend to do just that.

Local DJs specializing in music forms that have yet to really take off here, such as trip-hop or acid-jazz, often struggle to find venues in which to ply their trade.

The net result is a sort of bland, well-known assortment of heavily repeated songs. While not everyone can tell the difference between Detroit-techno and tribal-house, even the least discriminating dance enthusiast demands some variety, some novelty and a whole lot of loud, rump-shaking entertainment. And we are not the least discriminating dance enthusiasts.

Al Capone is certainly a hometown favorite, but local affection is probably more attributable to the space, the crowd and the loyalty it has engendered over the years. The music tends toward mainstream dance and pop. We like a good Zemfira tune as much as the next Best Of team, but puh-lease.

Promzona, while featuring one of the most interesting dance spaces in town, is roundly considered a rival to Michael Jackson as the King of Pop.

Ultra at least has a defined aesthetic. With its “Moscow Beat” series and “Amsterdam Weekend” theme nights, it’s the local equivalent of a rave scene. But Ultra is hardly a “social” experience. Most dancing is done alone with the express intention of demonstrating how “totally into” the music you are. This is probably a good thing given the age of the average Ultra client.

Since its recent opening, Cocktail Bar 111 has been jammed with dancers and drinkers virtually every weekend. However, while they feature a reasonable mix of 1970s disco and 1980s pop, they tend to play a standard loop. Although they have recently added a new DJ to the mix who has given the lineup a slightly more alternative edge, they need to demonstrate more flexibility before they can claim the title.

Caribbean Club is perfect for those who want a little Latin flavor. But if your cha-cha, tango, or your samba is a little out of whack, you may feel a little out of place. We tend to leave Caribbean for the pros (or the incredibly inebriated).

But since its opening earlier this year, Brasilia has quickly established itself as the place to be for serious late-night dancing.

The club favors a mix of disco, funk and jazz, largely on the strength of DJ Kon’s regular appearances. At Brasilia, you’ll hear a mix of the new, the old, the remixed, the rare and the readily recognizable in ever-changing assortments. Plus, the club’s theme nights, such as “Che-73” on the occasion of Che Guevera’s birthday, keep the atmosphere fresh.

Brasilia

5 Druzhby Narodiv.

Tel: 252-8224.

Open daily from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m.