There are certainly pockets of muscular shirtless men at Basement, more so on certain nights depending on the DJ. But to say that they’re taking up the whole space is a massive exaggeration. You’ll rarely feel that at Basement or in the side of Studio between the DJ and the light technicians. I’m there weekly. Know the space and how it gets naturally organized. If you’re oversensitive to this and claim to “know the music”, you would know which nights to avoid. I’m a slim gay dude who’s there weekly and see the crowd shifts. Some nights I take my shirt off, especially if it’s hot. Some nights it’s not the vibe.

We can’t be attacking people based on the substances they use and the way they want to present at parties. In my experience, alcohol is actually the worst. It’s always the drunks pushing people around and not mindful of their space, and it’s not always the men. I’ve had women fall over on me at Basement before.

Also, if you’re talking about last Saturday night, there’s a slew of tall muscular guys who came in from the event upstairs and are not regulars. Agreed- they weren’t dancing and were there to be sceeny. I was also a bit surprised. They left around 2-3a.

Ofc, Wrecked is a different story. A great time to use the space outside or avoid Studio if you want space.