This town has always had its share of kickin’ monthly and weekly parties -- from Back2Basics, Vagabond, Rainbow Playground and Nate Wiley on through to Black Lily, Vampyros Lesbos, Sugar Town and Making Time. But where’s the next big distraction going to come from? City Paper sent its resident scenesters Ainé Ardron-Doley, A.D. Amorosi and Sean O’Neal out in search of previously undiscovered forms of intelligent nightlife.

Tastytreats

Candyland

Tastytreats boasts a bangin' assortment of hip-hop, while Candyland handles soul and hip-hop classics. Deep-crate selections from DJs ?uestlove, Cosmo Baker and Mike Nyce; Tastyjawn girls -- roaming hostesses in snazzy 'jawn shirts (Classicjawn, Ghettojawn, Flyjawn) who help out shy admirers by passing "I like u, want to dance?" notes. Guest stars like Bilal, Macy Gray, Common, Mystic, The Roots, Jazzy Jeff, Cash Money, Rich Medina and Miz, Malik Yoba. And, of course, Tastykakes at Tastytreats and old-school games (Uno, Connect Four, Twister, etc.) at Candyland.

Stacey: ³Both nights are geared toward people who can appreciate good music and a good vibe. It doesn't matter who you are or what you're into. We have a very diverse crowd of people.²

Thompson: ³The idea behind Tastytreats was to structure a club that I would feel comfortable attending. The music could run a massive spectrum of styles. House one second, soul breaks the next; a healthy dose of hip-hop, roots reggae and slow jams -- yes, I rock slow stuff. Women that take you outta your shyness by delivering lil' love notes to the object of your desire on the J.Lo. Not to mention: What snack speaks Philly more than a Tastykake?

³I stole the Candyland idea from a club I used to frequent in London. Strip twister, human checkers and chug-a-lug were played there quite often with great results. So there was yet another magnet for the social outcast in me. That's about it, creating spots that have good distractions in case you are a strobe-lit honey.²

Thompson: ³Weird: The first night I broke out the slow jams -- which is a no-no in nightlife, let alone a town not that progressive as, say, New York -- mofo's looked at me like I was crazy, but sure enough they found themselves grinding harder to Voyage to Atlantis' than Murder She Wrote.' So I figured out right then and there, This is how you make impact with folk --take risks with confidence and you can win any crowd over.'²

Stacey: ³Imagine one club with all of your favorite parties of the week, all going on at one time. The Remedy, Black Lily, Afrorikan, Tastytreats and Candyland. DJs include: ?uestlove, Rich Medina, Jazzy Jeff, Cosmo Baker, Mike Nyce and Dennis Perez along with performances. This gig is on May 18.²

Fuck It Mondays

Mondays, 10 p.m.-2 a.m. $3, 21+, Club Atlas, 21st and South sts., 215-735-9939.

Just about every kind of club-oriented electronic dance music, ranging from bangin' 4/4 to deadly breakbeat warfare, including jungle, techno, house, trance, breaks and hardcore.

Monica Sharp, one of Philly's leading female drum 'n' bass DJs. She spins for Eternal Productions and will be singing for Structure's new Sunken label.

³Three-dollar cover plus $5 pitchers plus dollar shots equals $9 of cheap drunken fun and good music,² says Sharp. Fuck It Mondays are for ³anybody who is looking to come out and have a good time for a cheap price, listen to good music and not be an asshole.²

Sharp: ³Best thing that happened is that none of the DJs have thrown up yet, and the worst thing is that none of the DJs have thrown up yet.²

Sharp: ³We're going to try to bring out talent from different areas like New York, Phoenix and Reno. Once a month, we are going to have Philadelphia house legends, a lot of the old-school DJs that helped build the scene up.²

Dirty

Thursdays, 10 p.m.-2 a.m. (but keep your eyes peeled for a new schedule), $5, 21+, Proto Lounge, 125 S. Second St., 215-351-9026.

Imri Jonas and Olivetti. Jonas is a flier designer, runs Reflective Multimedia and spins breaks all over -- Motion, Transit and more. Olivetti is Philly's newest techno DJ, relocating here a little more than a year ago from New Orleans and originally from Dallas.

Loyal followers of solid dance music, grown-up ravers sprinkled with a handful of well-dressed Old City roamers. According to Jonas, the night is geared for ³people who are tired of the pretense, snobbery and superficiality that seems to be pervading the scene lately. People who are looking for the perfect place to unwind and have a good time.²

Jonas: ³Not for the purists or elitists. We're calling the music format tech-funk.' You might even hear punk-disco, two-step or acid polka. We love to mix it up; we think that's what DJing is about. It's the only way to keep things fresh and creative.²

³Olivetti is drawing crowds for his pole-dancing talents alone. Girls seem to let their wild side come out. I take pictures that suck. And every week at least one person's drunken antics become the comedy highlight for everyone else. Any other stories you hear: It wasn't us, and we don't know what you're talking about. Oh, and the music kicks ass!²

Jonas: ³You never know who will be dropping by. Drink specials you have to figure out with a calculator. Worthless door prizes and shameless promotional merchandise.²

Synergy

Fridays, 10 p.m.-3:30 a.m., $10 before midnight, $15 after, 21+, Transit, 600 Spring Garden St., 215-925-8878.

Progressive house and trance on the main floor, deep, funky house downstairs in the Substation, and old-school hip-hop upstairs in the VIP Suite. Resident DJs: Matt Kling, Carl Michaels, Jason Leroy, Jamie Morris and Henry Lindmar.

Matt Kling, who first gained recognition by organizing and spinning the Synergy parties at Shampoo. Now a regular on the local club-DJ circle.

A mix of mainstream and underground clubbers from all over. Says Kling: ³The night is geared for people of all cultures and genres of electronic dance music.²

Kling: ³To give Philadelphia a weekly event that they can attend on a regular basis where they can find quality entertainment, wonderful people and, most of all, positive, memorable experiences.²

Kling: ³The best thing that has happened for Synergy is the combined efforts of formerly competitive organizations and people coming together as one to build something that everyone can benefit from. The worst thing that has happened to Synergy at this point is going through some costly growing pains.²

Kling: ³Our future plans in regards to Synergy is to bring in world-class artists and DJs on a consistent basis to a larger-capacity venue, in turn helping to build the electronic dance-music culture and reputation here in Philadelphia on a global scale. Some of the artists we would like to bring in are Josh Wink, Dave Seaman, Cass, Tiesto, Saeed and Palash, Sasha and Digweed, and the list goes on.²

Automatic

Tuesdays, 10 p.m.-2 a.m., $5, 18 to enter, 21 to drink, New City Tavern, 10 S. 20th St., 215-561-6242.

All the ravey-gravy stuff: house, trance, Hi-NRG hardhouse, techno, progressive, breaks, drum 'n' bass and hip-hop.

The House Attix duo: RubixQube and DJ Trevitt. The former plays breaks, house, D&B and anything funk-driven. Trevitt rocks the 4/4 techno and funky house.

A mix of teenaged ravers in baggy pants do the hop-dance on the under-21 side, while local promoters and DJs congregate by the bar and wolf down cheap beer and shots. Qube says the night is geared for ³basically anyone that likes the beats funky and the drinks strong.²

RubixQube: ³To support and maintain quality living in Philadelphia's underground music scene.²

RubixQube: ³Once a bum came in off the street and started breakin' in the middle of the dancefloor. Mardi Gras was a close second with all the skin.²

Mud People

Booker/promoter/DJ Jugo Stevcic and resident DJs Argo, Edwin and Lorne. Anyone who knows eclectic electronic music knows DJ Jugo from his working the counters at Cue Records on Fourth Street to several weekly brain-sizzling nights at Fluid. Several months ago, Proto's owner Avram Hornik handed booking and promotions over to Jugo to build a better, more dangerous musical mousetrap.

The crowd seems to be a slightly older skew; 25- to 30-year-old club crowders who appreciate (or at least are open to) new underground music.

³We are doing this in order to expose the Philly club scene to a new sound that's taken over west London,² says Jugo of the soundtrack that's equal parts '80s electro, '70s soul, Oval-ian rhythmic stitches and sinewy but spartan post-bop melodies wrapped in a warm embryo of slow funk.

Best: The opening night party with Germany's mighty Fauna Flash (on the Compost label, the Sub Pop of the genre). Worst: Despite media hype and big-name talent, only 150 peeps showed. Jugo: ³Those were good numbers, but with all the press I figured it would be packed. Where were all these cool Philly cats that always complain there's nothing new going on in Philly? Remember, if you do not support the cause, nothing good can happen.²

Building. Buzz. Booking. Look for Brits like Bugz in the Attic, Seigo, Attica Blues and Charlie Dark and Philly pal Dego; Germans from Compost (Jazzanova, Minus 8, Less Gammas). Broken Beat locals Britt and Vikter.

The Goddess Theatre

Thursdays, 8 p.m.-2 a.m., $3-$5, Club Nostradamus, 17th and Green sts. (below Cuvee Notredame), 215-266-0618.

Local, original music by women of all genres: folk, rock, goth, blues, R&B, soul, world.

Robin Parry, who managed the 23rd Street Cafe for 10 years and its Tuesday-night jazz jam. ³Very briefly -- thank goddess! -- I managed Doc Watson's and, when the world was more glamorous, was the official hair teaser for Heaven's Edge and original photographer for Cinderella,² claims Parry.

Parry: ³Artists, musicians, record company execs, occasionally local journalists; modern-day visionaries who enjoy a cool vibe and great music,² says Parry. The night is geared for ³people not afraid to pick up one of my instruments hanging along the walls when the spirit moves them and start to play! I wanted to build a place where everyone feels like they are part of the scene and, with this night, give artists a venue to showcase themselves in a unique way to a new audience.²

Parry: ³This night will be dedicated to local women musicians and artists that are taking chances and making a difference --to honor women and their creativity, spirituality and sexuality. Does anyone have contact info for Camille Paglia?²

Parry: ³The second night we were opened, we featured Radio Eris, an experimental spoken-word band who brought in four exotic dancers and much pink cellophane. Coincidentally, there were four photographers in the house who just happened to have their cameras. They lost their minds and were crawling all over the floor shooting. It was like a funny version of the Vogue' video.²

On May 9, local Wiccan priestess Fran Toscani will hold drum circles, tarot readings and possibly a simple ritual. June brings blues goddess Deb Callahan and Margo Mangione, the star of the Maple Shade High School production of Annie Get Your Gun, and a Velvet Underground night starring Needles Jones as Nico.

The Upper Room

Every other Wednesday, 8 p.m.-midnight, $8, The Balcony (upstairs at the Troc), 1003 Arch St., 215-732-1998.

Aja Graydon and Fatin Dantzler, the soul-powered husband-and-wife team better known as Kindred. (By the way, their second baby is due in June and the debut album is out in July.)

Music-lovers 21 and up, former Black Lily and Kindred die-hard friends, family and fans. ³The Upper Room is geared toward the urban-contemporary crowd who enjoy soul music, Kindred fans and up-and-coming artists,² says Dantzler. ³Our event is for anyone that enjoys good wholesome hearty music from the past and today; hitting a target group of 21 to 50 years of age.²

Graydon: ³To have fun, reminisce, enjoy and support one another as artists in a small, down-home intimate environment.²

Graydon: ³Definitely one of the funniest moments of the Upper Room was Fatin's Don Cornelius impression. Fatin hosted the entire first edition as Don Cornelius with a big Afro wig on.²

Dantzler: ³Our future plans are to continue to give artists a new platform to hang out and perform their favorite songs and hopefully discover the next big talent.²

Slipstate

Third Thursdays (moving to third Wednesdays beginning in May), 10 p.m.-2 a.m., $3, 21+, Aqualounge, 323 W. Girard St., 215-769-5114.

Primarily illbient, featuring live performances and DJ sets of dark trip-hop, abstract hip-hop, turntablism, dub, experimental and ambient.

Lovers of abstract downtempo beats and cacophonic experimental electronic music.

Dev79: ³Slipstate is the place where experimental electronics and underground hip-hop meet. There is nothing else like this in Philly and not much else like this on the East Coast. This is the fucking scene you don't know you need.²

Dev79: ³I hate bitches who request commercial hip-hop beatboxin' to Pink and the crowd bringing bongos!²

Dev79: ³Expansion -- bigger, better, you know, what everyone wants to do. May 15 will see Derrick May debuting new material at Slipstate, and, while a lot of people find this surprising, his live PA of experimental tracks will turn heads. I'm taking the illbient ethic that Slipstate is built on and running a new night called Arythmetic at Atlas, which has a more dub 'n' ragga vibe as well as experimental and hip-hop.²

101 Sessions

Scott Melker, with occasional help from Mark Pappas. Melker runs 101 magazine and is a regular Bash DJ who initially gained recognition playing frequently at Shampoo.

A mixed crowd, ranging from Aqua regulars to typical clubbers -- like Wednesdays at Fluid. Melker says the night is geared for ³there for the music, not for the pretense² types.

Melker: ³Last month at Pappas' birthday bash, I was literally holding him up from under his armpits as he was spinning records because he was so drunk, and I didn't care.²

Melker: ³We have a lot of talent coming through -- super-secret guests. I'll also be booking your mom and your girlfriend for dates.²

The Groove Open-Mic Jam Session

Because it is an open mic, it is whatever you, the band and the collective dream up. But mostly, it's funk, soul, hip-hop and jazz

Stephanie Renée, the official VibeMistress; Bernard Collins, the insane genius; musical flow from dB (Decibel) led by Damon ³Mr. Dizzy Fingers² Bennett of Jay-Z MTV Unplugged fame. Think of Renée as the soul scene's Oprah -- a benevolent mistress who runs more than a handful of the city's best poetry/prose events. Soul Sanctuary continues Renée's alliance with Zanzibar Blue's Bynum brothers as she holds the keys to Philly's newest funkiest spot, opened this week.

Renée: ³A swarthy assortment of folks; from party animal coeds to beatnik-era horn players to thugs to spoken word/R&B bohos.²

Most open-mic sessions are forced to play politics, because of club management or because of the organization hosting it. The Groove is open. ³There's no lists, no agendas, no BS. Sometimes that means we get some very interesting' artistic statements,² jokes Renée. ³But for the most part, The Groove has become a cool place for aspiring artists to be heard and commune with folks who appreciate what they do. Poets, musicians, vocalists and MCs get equal billing. We teach performers to play fair.²

It started on Wednesdays at South Street Blues in spring 2001, ³after Okayplayer moved down to Delaware Ave.,² says Renée. ³Lots of fun, but we outgrew the space, so I'm looking forward to exercising some necessary elbow room and testing the limits of the bigger stage and better sound system at the Sanctuary.²

Renée: ³When the band gets a bright idea and just runs with it, the vibe is pure magic. And if there is an MC or vocalist who pushes the envelope, there's no telling where it can go. Folks like Rick Tate (Musiq's saxman), Eric Tribbett (Jill Scott's Fatback Taffy band), Tony Whitfield and Steve McKie (Bilal's band) just drop in. We've had '80s pop retrospectives, dancehall reggae jamming, old-school hip-hop sets, Latin jazz fusion. Every night is something new and special.²