AFTER DARK

Sometimes 2 am rolls around and you just want to keep dancing. After Dark has been providing a soundtrack for the 'til-the-sun-comes-up partiers every Saturday night for the last two years. After a successful run at the now-defunct Ararat, the night recently moved to 2410 N Mississippi. The location of the new (and so far unnamed) venue is convenient in a couple of ways. The proximity to the train tracks means there is no limit on the volume of the party, and you can catch the MAX home when it starts the morning run at 5 am. Hosted by the Portland Housing Authority crew, sounds cover the range of house music, from deep and funky to electro- and tech-house. AVA

Saturdays (technically Sundays), 2410 N Mississippi, 2:30-7:30 am (OLCC regulations make disclosing cover charges complicated, but play it safe and don't show up empty handed)

COLD PARTY

Formerly No No No Disco, Cold Party is DJ Linoleum's weekly dance night within the sweaty confines of downtown hipster haven Tube. Things don't usually kick into high gear until midnight, but people are there to dance—not to drink, not to chat, not to see and be seen. Expect to hear Glass Candy, The The, Le Tigre, and everything in between. NLTuesdays, Tube, 18 NW 3rd, 10 pm, free

EYE CANDY

Music videos might be the most perfect thing ever: They're long enough to be engaging, short enough to never get boring, and they combine two of the best things in the world, music and film. So Eye Candy is pretty perfect, too, with a long block of classic, forgotten, and weird music videos. Last time I was there, Spoon and Beck played alongside kitsch like Hall and Oates and oft-forgotten '80s classics like Madness' "Our House," and there was also one of the most amazing things I've ever witnessed: Dolly Parton getting married to Hulk Hogan in the video for her song "Headlock on My Heart." EH

Sundays, Beulahland, 118 NE 28th, 10 pm, free

KULTURSZENE

Given the lack of sign-based advertising on the outside of the Hippodrome/Branx/Rotture building, you might very well feel as if you've stumbled into some deep underground German nightclub when you first set foot inside Branx for Kulturszene. But, please, no Sprockets jokes here. Kulturszene does it right. The monthly event, anchored behind the tables by M. Quiet and 31Avas (a Mercury contributor), lives up to its slogan of "Berlin in Portland" by coating the dark walls with layer after layer of stylish minimalist techno that will please the cross-armed audiophile as much as it will the dance floor devotee. EAC

Monthly (check rotture.com for exact dates), next installment June 13 w/Philip Sherburne, Branx, 320 SE 2nd, 10 pm, $5

POP TART

Every second Sunday, Kaki Marshall—the mastermind behind Pop Tart—is "bringing sexy back to Sundays" by importing West Coast DJs to mix it up with local favorites like DJ Automaton. From modern mash-ups to old school hiphop, the only rule is to keep queer booties shaking. AJR

Second Sundays, Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison, 7 pm, $5

QUEER BAIT

If you're thinking all the rump-shaking fun starts on Friday, then you're missing out on a whole world of Thursday-night fun. Since the grand expansion over at Crush (and the subsequent move to the Eagle PDX Underground), the weekend has been starting even earlier thanks to the gay-friendly sounds of Queer Bait. Featuring her drag queen hotness Splendora, Queer Bait specializes in fun, ass-moving house music that's great, whether ye be queer or straight. WSH

UPDATE: Queer Bait is moving from Crush to the Eagle Underground, 27 NW 6th, starting on Thurs, June 5. Thursdays, 10 pm, $3-5

SITUATIONS

Another venture from everyone's favorite local celeb DJ, Brace Paine (You know, the one from that band... I think they're called the Gossip?), Situations gets warm with Paine's... er, DJ Nightschool's own eclectic mix (which he actually mixes) of pop, new wave, and disco, running the gamut from old school to underground. It features special guest performers and DJs, usually popping in after wrapping up sets elsewhere in town. (Situations debuted with a live set by Free Blood, and the next installment promises a DJ set by the Long Blondes). MS

Occurs approximately every other week, days vary (check myspace.com/secretdiscotech for dates), Dunes, 1905 NE MLK, 10 pm, $7

SUPERNATURE

Supernature brings the electro dance beats to Branx every month, courtesy of DJs Copy, E*Rock, and BJ, plus whatever live act those gentlemen decide to invite. While sparsely attended on the night of my visit—a cadre of diehards twitched on the dance floor while everyone else migrated between Branx and the livelier scene upstairs at Rotture—the solid Supernature crew are committed to bringing the dance beats, for YOUR dancing pleasure. All that's left is for you to do is, you know, dance. AH

Monthly (check rotture.com for exact dates), next installment is June 14, Branx, 315 SE 3rd, 10 pm, $3

VARIOUS

Local DJs Monkeytek and Ryan Organ were bringing bass music to Portland long before everybody and their blog started celebrating dubstep. The two are associated with key record labels in their genre (Lodubs and Aleutian Audio, respectively), and host Various, a slammin' club night with enough bass to rattle every last little part on your body. As the name suggests, Various covers a range of styles, but the sound is rooted in the heady dubstep/ragga/jungle camps. Guests are top quality, extra subwoofers are always on hand, and the dark and gritty atmosphere of Branx is just right. AVA

First Saturdays, Branx, 320 SE 2nd, 10 pm, $5

WICKED WEDNESDAYS

DJ Wicked (AKA Kirk Kirkpatrick) is a hard-working hiphop scratcher—with weekly residencies, albums, national and international gigs, and collaborations. His weekly Wicked Wednesdays underground hiphop night is arguably the longest-running DJ night of its kind in Portland, clocking in at nearly 10 years running. While the crowds might be hit-or-miss, the music gets better and better as the night goes on, so expect to be on the dance floor 'til the bitter end, Thursday morning be damned. CF

UPDATE: Wicked Wednesdays has just moved from XV to Greek Cusina, 404 SW Washington starting on Wed June 4, with the 10-year anniversary party. Wednesdays, 10 pm, free