BASEMENT

The tunnel descending from Flushing Avenue

Walking down the concrete tunnel of the Knockdown Center in Maspeth means leaving behind a Queens industrial park and entering a dance floor designed for techno. BASEMENT occupies the basement of a former glass and door frame factory: a network of industrial brick catacombs that originally heated the building, which was constructed as a glass factory in 1903. On May 10, 2019, Téa Abashidze and GeGa Japaridze—who arrived from Georgia and trained as programmers at Output and Elsewhere—opened the club with Tyler Myers. The first night was closed by Rebekah. It wasn't a touring brand: it was a physical venue, with its own entrance, under the main hall of the Knockdown Center.

Concrete booth and Funktion-One on both sides

The main room revolves around a concrete booth with a 32-inch subwoofer under the DJ and a custom Funktion-One system, the same one that covers STUDIO, the second dance floor. There, the program opens up to house, disco, and queer dance lineages, with residents like Massimiliano Pagliara and Gabrielle Kwarteng. The space retains factory columns, arches, and doors without makeup, low ceilings, fog, and minimal lighting. There are no tables or bottle service. The coat check operates year-round and is mandatory for coats and large bags. The bathrooms are gender-neutral. The venue is accessible.

The door decides who enters to dance

The door policy seeks an audience that comes for the artists: access is not guaranteed even with a purchased ticket. Inside, stickers on cameras, prohibition of photos and videos, no talking on the dance floor, and comfortable clothing, without heels or formality. Fridays and Saturdays mix international lineups with the local scene. Wrecked has a home here. Among the current residents are Lydo, Newa, and Freddy K, the first DJ to play all night long. Parties like Fist or Herrensauna have anchored European queer communities in Queens.

Sunrise in the industrial park

After the 2020 closure, the club established itself starting in 2021 as a New York underground reference. Comparisons to Berghain circulate; the team insists that each room has its own history. Today it remains open every weekend, with official sound archives and, on special dates, an overflow into The Ruins, the Knockdown Center patio. On Flushing Avenue, the industrial park wakes up empty; downstairs, the usual closing time is 07:00.