"It's the best drum-and-bass in the city," says resident DJ Diesel Boy, unleashing ultrathick beats and sinister bass lines.
Fluid's space is like the name - smooth curves and swirling shapes, a sleek, eerie underwater cave without the water. Cobalt-blue mosaic tiles line the walls and bar top, and funky blown-glass lamps dangle over the drinkers like oozing stalactites. Unisex bathrooms glisten with slivers of mirror on the walls and floors. In a dark room behind the DJ booth, couples make out.
"I need to hear some noise," MC Dub2 yells, riling up the sweaty crowd. The call-and-response produces hoots and yelps. Diesel breaks into Future Cut's "Whiplash," a machine-gun barrage of beats that packs the floor.
Mondays are hip-hop nights. Wednesdays have a cosmopolitan flavor, attracting snazzy dressers and drinkers. House music is played Fridays and Saturdays. "Spanish Fly," a Latin House party, will begin on Tuesdays.
"There's a lot of style and prestige in this room," says waitress-model Candice Lambert, 22, in a leopard-skin cowboy hat, well-worn corduroy pants, and a bustier-style top.
