Best niche dance parties

Unlike L.A.’s cookie-cutter club kids, Bay Area party people take very seriously whatever odd beat they’re feeling, thereby creating a big menu of narrow-minded (thank goodness) parties. These are the ones that best cater to the least common denominator.

At Metal Mondays at Milk, in the Upper Haight, DJs spin crowd favorites, from Black Sabbath to Napalm Death, while zombie flicks and skate videos fill the flat-screens. There’s no dancing, but nobody cares. The drink specials, meanwhile—like Bud for a buck—guarantee that your week starts with a (head)bang. 1840 Haight St., milksf.com/calendar.php

Gypsy rock is hot. But if you like your sounds straight-up, rather than filtered through the hipster machine, check out Kafana Balkan, a recurring benefit for Kosovo refugees, where DJs play the finest in Roma rock to Balkan rock. There’s a live band and a phantasmagoric clown show, and the tunes—a combo of New Orleans brass-band virtuosity and Middle Eastern melodies—might single-handedly spring the term world music from its milquetoast prison. people.tribe.net/kafanabalkan

The bimonthly mashup Bootie brings the funk, along with genre-bending, dance floor–filling musical blends, like the aural equivalent of Frankenstein’s monster. The event is always packed by 11 p.m., and now they’ve taken it on the road to Boston, Munich, Paris, and L.A. For the uninitiated: Take a syrupy-sweet Journey ballad and mix it with Afrika Bambaataa’s electro-rap beats. The progeny? The unholy yet eminently danceable “Don’t Stop Believin’ in Planet Rock.” bootiesf.com

Has punk lost its edge? Well, you can buy Black Flag T-shirts at Hot Topic these days. But after five years, DJs Tragic and the Duchess of Hazard are still kicking out the anti­establishment jams every week during the Punk Rock Sideshow at the Hemlock Tavern. So, no, punk is not dead. 1131 Polk St., hemlocktavern.com, myspace.com/punkrocksideshow

Hundreds swarm Hayes Valley’s Rick­shaw Stop each month for Non-Stop Bhangra, where DJs play traditional Punjabi music mixed with reggae, house, and hip-hop. The massive full-service party, which also features dance lessons and live bands, might be the city’s most diverse, with everyone from the local skinny-jean set to South Bay engineers getting in on the act. 155 Fell St., rickshawstop.com, nonstopbhangra.blogspot.com

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