CLUB : Trendy Meets Friendly at Dragonfly’s club FREAK

This is the first in a weekly look at the local club scene.

Usually the word trendy, when applied to a nightclub, is enough to keep many people at home on a Friday night. Safe in your room, no one’s going to judge you for what you are or what you lack. That’s precisely why Dragonfly’s club FREAK makes for a surprisingly pleasant romp.

After only its second week, word around town is that the Hollywood club is the place to be on Fridays. Any images of hipper-than-thous begging scary ponytailed doormen to allow them to enter, however, vanish upon arrival.

The employees are friendly, the club-goers choose flannels over spandex, and the unpretentious atmosphere makes people feel welcome. The pocketbook-friendly policy of offering guests free drinks between 9:30 and 10:30 p.m. is a nice touch too.

The wildly eclectic music is the club’s key draw. The main room’s deejay, Mike Messex, keeps the dance floor more crowded than the bars. His flair for mixing more obscure songs with traditional disco hits gives the club a distinctive edge over its competition.

Favoring obscure groups from indie labels such as Nervous Records and Mo’ Wax, Messex keeps listeners curious as they try to decipher his hip-hop set.

His selections of ripe disco hits--from Thelma Houston’s “Don’t Leave Me This Way” to Evelyn (Champagne) King’s “Shame”--are the highlight of the evening.

After you’ve worked up a disco-inspired sweat, the venue’s spacious outdoor patio offers a welcome respite.

Once you find a seat, the view of the club from the patio gives “trendy” a not so bad image.

* club FREAK, 6510 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood; (213) 466-6111; cover charge: $10; $5 if you call in advance to be put on the guest list.