Public Records in Gowanus pairs a Sound Room dancefloor with an upstairs listening lounge, kitchen and natural-wine bar inside an old social services building.
Tip: Friday and Saturday push to 04:00 in the Sound Room; the upstairs lounge is the easier walk-in for cocktails and listening on weeknights.
Address: 233 Butler Street, Brooklyn, NY 11217, New York City
Le Bain is the penthouse discothèque on the top floor of The Standard, High Line. A plunge pool sits on the dance floor and the rooftop sundeck opens in season.
Tip: Free entry early on weekends; arrive before 23:00 or expect a line. The rooftop crepe stand opens late if you need a snack.
The Lot Radio in Greenpoint broadcasts live DJ sets from a shipping container on a triangular vacant lot, with a coffee, beer and wine counter open through the day.
Tip: Open 10:00 to midnight every day with free entry; Saturday afternoons are when the best New York selectors swing through.
Elsewhere in Bushwick spreads across three stories and five rooms, with a 600-capacity Hall, smaller Zone One and a rooftop bar running indie and electronic bookings.
Tip: Buy advance tickets for the Hall headliners; Zone One and the rooftop often stay open free after the main show wraps.
Village Vanguard has run jazz from a triangular basement on Seventh Avenue South since 1935. Two sets a night, Tuesdays for the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra's standing date.
Tip: Two sets nightly at 20:00 and 22:00. The 22:00 set Tuesday through Thursday drops to $35 if seats remain by 21:00.
Birdland on West 44th runs jazz, big band and New Orleans sets across a downstairs club and an upstairs theater room. The Birdland Big Band plays its standing Friday slot.
Tip: Set covers run $35 to $56 with a $20 food or drink minimum. The 17:30 and 19:00 sets are the easier walk-ins.
Smalls in a West 10th Street basement is the no-frills jazz room that runs four sets a night and a 23:45 jam session through to 04:00 most nights of the week.
Tip: Buy at the door cash, or stream the late-night jam free on SmallsLIVE if you cannot get in. Capacity is tiny so arrive early.