Rebel VIPs can kick back in the Liquid Lounge.

Rebel might as well be called Maze: Filled with staircases and corridors, the 11,000-square-foot club aesthetically fits the underground quality of its bookings. And it resembles the crown jewel venue of the family that owns it.

Formerly rock venue Downtime, Rebel now belongs to the Ballinger Brothers, who have kept venerable New York club/concert hall Webster Hall alive and kicking since they bought it in 1992.

But the DJ-cool Rebel is different from the tourist-heavy Webster. Like its big sis, the dark, three-story “entertainment complex” features four dancefloors, a VIP lounge, and combo sound system. But, says general manager Melody Bleak, the similarities end there.

“This really is a total departure from Webster Hall,” says Bleak. “[Owner Steve Ballinger] obviously could have used his same business template for this place, but he really chose not to, and that also is part of the name Rebel. He’s rebelling against his former success and doing something totally different. I think we’re a lot edgier than Webster Hall. They do really successful big rock shows for instance, but our live performance hall is more like up-and-coming, undiscovered, unsigned artists. We tend to do less mainstream, kind of like edgier stuff.”

What’s Your Flavor?
With a capacity of 400, Rebel’s biggest individual space is the Performance Hall, a skinny rectangle located on the main level. Bleak calls its look “industrial-esque. We sort of left everything the way it was.” The room definitely does have a dungeon element, but when swept with light from High End Systems Trackspots and Martin Atomic 3000 strobes (installed by onsite tech Scott Karlsberg), its real purpose becomes clear: This is a place to party, at all decibel levels.

This room is also where the club best shows its hybrid nature. American DJ 64B LED Pro par cans light two steel go-go cages – mainstays of any industrial New York dance club – along one wall. But they face an elevated stage, where bands perform until around midnight, soon followed by a DJ.

“[Steve Ballinger] wanted this to be a very alternative entertainment complex, with rock ‘n’ roll kids hanging out with club kids, and we’ve really been able to achieve that,” says Bleak. “Because we’re so big and we do such a variety of events, the demographic is all over the board. We do rock shows. We do theatrical performances. We do a lot of house music and just club stuff. So it’s a trendy demographic of people who are sick of the Lower East Side and want to have a big club experience.”

The second-floor dance room, recently renamed The Loft.

Stage sound is run through a 32-channel APB-DynaSonics Spectra-T console and custom Rapco snake system, spec-ed and installed by veteran New York sound man Paul Bell, of PBell Sound. While other rooms in Rebel recycled some of Downtime’s gear, Bell says that everything in the Performance Hall is new. He used a combination of McCauley and BASSMAXX X3C TRIP subwoofers, as well as McCauley’s IN.LINE two-way line array system, which is tailored especially for installations.

Next door is The Gallery, recently renamed The Chandelier Room after its huge, glittering crystal pieces. The space boasts cathedral ceilings, floor-to-ceiling red velvet curtains, and an elevated DJ booth accessed by an eye-catching staircase. Just like Webster Hall’s red velvet-swathed basement room, hip-hop is the focus here, as well. “It’s really stark walking from here in the Performance Hall, where it’s more raw,” says Bleak.

A half-level up, the Mezzanine acts as a mezzanine should, but also has its own “upscale living room” vibe, with velvet couches, candlelit tables, wallpapered walls, and even tabletop and floor lamps.

The second-floor dance room, recently renamed The Loft (from the more dated “Disco Room”), is where headlining DJs like Steve Lawler do their thing. Further demonstrating Rebel’s dance/rock soul, the room features a 16-foot circular truss bearing 100 pinspots, ten High End Systems Trackspots, and a Diversitronics strobe. Sound comes via another McCauley/BASSMAXX cocktail. Next door is the VIP Liquid Lounge, “where we do bottle service,” says Bleak. “It’s our more upscale room.”

Prime Real Estate
Apart from the ability to morph from live venue to dance club, and to have four different parties rocking at once in separate rooms, Rebel has something else going for it: Location, location, location. The club is a couple of blocks away from Madison Square and Penn Station, New York’s gateway to the suburbs, and also a subway hub.

“We’ll do after-parties from [events at] Madison Square Garden, and things like that,” says Bleak. “If there’s a big concert or event there, we’ll tailor our event.”

So far, Rebel is affecting the local market by taking bookings off the hands of “small room” fixtures Sullivan Room and Cielo. DJs like Max Graham, Colette, and Keoki, all of whom have long histories at the other venues, are booked at Rebel into the fall.

“We feel like every day we’re getting a lot more attention. Our website hits go up every day,” says Bleak. “And we’ve really been able to keep it congruent with our original plan: We haven’t had to go back to the drawing board too much, so to speak. It’s fun getting to sit back and watch the party happen. All of our work has paid off.”

www.rebelnyc.com

Back To Top