Somewhere between the late nineties and now, Philly fell off majorly in the nightclub arena. I’m not talking the liquid lounges of Old City with designer martinis and plush sofas. I mean actual dark, smoky, sweaty, so-hot-you’re-about-to-pass-out nightclubs that played music you could dance actually dance to, rather then just bob your head from a VIP room coach. Rarely was there a Wednesday night in the 1999-2001 range where you couldn’t find me at Egypt, where my friends and I would indulge in Marlboro Lights and the house anthems of Amber, Deborah Cox and DJ Johnny Vicious. On occasion we went to Envy (now 27 Bank Street) and Shampoo for big parties with New York deejays. Good times. Somehow, though, the Philadelphia nightlife collective decided clubs were going extinct, and we swapped warehouses like Egypt for luxe lounges like 32 and Bleu Martini, and later, come-as-you are gastropubs. Some clubs endured—I think Shampoo is still open and Denim is still good—but Philly was no longer a clubby town. Three newcomers are changing that, ushering in a new era of nightlife that brings together the best of the luxe lounge and the best of the dance club.

Vango
Mr. Byblos, Dia Sawan, has turned the space next to his Middle Eastern restaurant into 8000-square-foot megaclub Vango, complete with suited doormen, a chef with pedigree (Michael Fee, of Nobu) and the Sky Bar, a roof deck that’ll no doubt be the place to see and be seen for the pretty young things of Rittenhouse Square. There are custom crushed velvet sofas and Wonderland-y flower pieces set into the walls, but the feature that has everyone gabbing is Vango’s German chandelier of color-changing crystals. Each night at Vango is color-coordinated, according to their Web site (“Vango Blue Monday with the new wave, house and electro of Carl Michael and Dev 79; Vango Red Tuesday with the hip hop, reggaeton and Latin flare of DJ Frosty and Rahsaan; Vango Green Wednesday with hot house legend Lee Jones; Vango Turquoise Thursday with DJ Manolo; Vango Black Friday with DJ Yanni; Vango's All Colors Saturday with DJ Niko; and the not-so-pure Vango White Sunday with Deep C, Christian James, and DJ Niko).

Triada
Kinda' sounds like Tria. Kinda sounds like Amada. It’s Triada, Old City’s newest confusingly named nightspot. The tapas-style menu is divided into “From the Market” (risotto and mozzarella balls, French onion soup crostini), “From the Farm” (lamb chop lollipops with mint chutney, ginger-chicken dumplings) and “From the Sea” (crab Rangoon, lobster man ‘n’ cheese), making this resto-lounge more resto in the earlier hours. Later in the evening, LED lights shift colors behind the bar, making neat rows of booze bottles glow like mysterious potions and exotic elixirs. Deejays spin such a varied soundtrack—everything from Benny Benassi to Jay-Z to Whitney Houston—you’ll wanna' dance with somebody too.

G
“Technologically injected pure bliss” is what’s on the menu at G, hidden below Davio’s and Rite Aid. Sixty-five-inch LCD screens around the 10,000-square-foot space display exotic landscapes that make you forget you’re in Rittenhouse Square, and electronic wallpaper covers the 55-foot back wall in the VIP section, changing from violet to indigo to lusty red by means of LED video technology. Davio’s is doing the food (cheesesteak spring rolls, chicken satay), and master mixologist Tony Abou-Ganim, who designed the entire cocktail program for Wynn Las Vegas, is doing the drinks. Expect flirty martinis, champagne cocktails and fresh ingredients like cinnamon, ginger and berries. Owner Mark Marek has included five VIP areas, including the Mogul Room, locked away behind three-foot-thick vault doors. According to the Web site, “memberships are not sold, rather they are offered.” Yo, Mark, hook a brother up.