Looking for a "big night" out on the town? That penultimate megaclub experience, a la New York or L.A., with multiple rooms to make all your friends happy? Better look somewhere else: these days in San Francisco, promoters are thinking small. As the music scene in the city continues to splinter and diversify into microgenres, promoters of late have been throwing parties in tiny venues, from dive bars to art galleries. And where once there was a relatively simple choice of music ("Shall we do House or Acid Jazz tonight?"), clubbers now choose from a dizzying selection of clubs playing only Trance, TripHop, Jungle, Techno, or Deep House. The premise is good: if you know what you like, you can find a club to cater to your tastes without having to battle the madding crowds.

The Top, for example, has undergone a recent metamorphasis, and the grungy Lower Haight bar has made room for a series of popular and specialized DJ nights. Fridays have been the most packed, with a kick-back crowd drinking and sweating on the tiny dance floor while Charlotte, Dani, and assorted TripHop DJ's fool around on the tables. The music can be somewhat unpredictable - ranging from electro to old school Hip Hop, with a strong dose of experimentation - but where else can you get a strong drink and hear some great local DJ's for $3 on a Friday? Saturday nights have been going strong too, when Junglists Shobhan, UFO, and Noel attack the tables.

For a more mellow and upscale Friday evening, you may want to check out The Green Door, On the One magazine's latest weekly Trip Hop-based party. Hidden on Stephenson, in a back alley below Market, The Green Door bar feels more like an opium lounge than a dance club, and the tunes that Felix, Andrew and Thomas are mixing are decidedly downbeat. So far, the super-stylish crowd has been somewhat sparse, and more focused on the bar than the dance floor, but it looks like it could soon be picking up where Goldies on Friday's left off.

Saturdays of late have been dominated by Metro Jazz, which has moved into the 111 Minna art gallery and is drawing a big (and distinctly "fashion") crowd. The regular DJ's - Mauricio, Franky, and Tom Thump - tend to start the evening out with Acid Jazz and move into Disco House as the night progresses, so those who prefer their music a bit harder might want to show up late, or not at all. Word is that you will soon need to have a membership card to get in, although I imagine that if you wear enough black, they'll probably let you in anyway. Be prepared to drink wine and do battle with the mammoth houseplants and art installations that rule the dancefloor.

Those who are less concerned with looking and more interested in getting down should check out Vanilla Fudge at Cafe Bastille on Saturday nights. Although the French Bistro decor makes for a somewhat odd club atmosphere, DJ's Corey Black, Sunshine and other Tweakin' DJ's have been spinning some really groovy House and the $2 cover can't be beat. The cramped dancefloor hosts a funky mixed crowd with a strong dose of European accents (no surprise, given the venue), and the vibe is terrific - even prompting some warm fuzzy handholding circles on the last tune of the night. Must have been all that Pernod....

If you prefer your music hard and fast, you may want to follow in the footsteps of Carl Craig and Juan Atkins and grace MAD with your presence. Monday's Techno/Trance party with Ethan, Alex, Jon Santos, and Joe Rice at the all-ages Bahia Cabana on Market has had solid turnouts, with turn-away crowds on the guest DJ nights. Going to MAD can be strangely surreal - imagine the dancefloor of a salsa club (complete with Brazilian motifs) packed with a mix of trance tweakers, 18 year old raver kids, and the local house denizens, all dancing away to rattle-your-teeth Trance.

On the complete other side of the spectrum from MAD, Lustre is offering a campy alternative to the S.F. club scene. On the last Thursday of every month, Coco's on Eighth fills with an artsy and sexually ambiguous crowd for Lustre's outrageous cabaret. Acts vary from terrific to downright weird (if you are offended by nudity you might want to stay at home with the kiddies), but the people watching can't be beat and DJ Xavier plays some great groovy tunes during the breaks. Mid-month Thursdays are the Lounge, with just the music, the scenesters and the cocktails (full report coming).

1015 Folsom, as usual, is the exception to the microclub rule, and continues to host some great weeklies. Roots/Black Diamond is by far your best bet for a Wednesday night, when a lot of faces from the House scene of old turn out to schmooze and sweat. Felix and Thomas (the Black Diamond half) spin experimental TripHop and Downbeat in the bar for the clubbers chilling under those ubiquitous camouflage nets, while the Wicked crew plays Deep House in the downstairs sweatbox-cum-basement. On the first Wednesday of each month, Roots/Black Diamond moves over for the eternally packed and sticky ComeUnity (aka The House Night that Refuses to Die); and the new Friday night club, Nikita, has also been filling the dance floors until the wee hours of the morning, drawing heavily on the SuperStar DJ contingency with guest DJ's like Keoki, Doc Martin and Sven Vath playing alongside residents Jeno and Simon. The Friday crowd veers dangerously towards weekend warrior types, and the music is of the something-for-everyone variety, with all rooms open and music ranging from Hip Hop to Deep House.

Microclubs cater to picky clubbers, who are choosy about the music that they dance to and the crowd that they schmooze with. There's a little something for everyone in San Francisco right now, it seems, but there don't seem to be any big clubs that are crossing the boundaries of music genrification. Call it elitist, call it specialization, call it what you will. Just don't sit at home and complain.

- - - - janelle brown - - - -

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