CLUB REVIEW : It’s the Room With Music and Mirrors

Good thing the Room is simply called the Room, because the year-old Hollywood night spot is really not much else. It’s just another black-and-red space in a town that’s filled with them--many concentrated within a quarter-mile radius of the Room.

Entering the club through a back alley gives a sense of something unusual or different to come, but once inside, not even the dozens of mirrors that hang on the walls can conjure the illusion of something interesting.

The size of the Room--small even by Hollywood standards--probably limits the potential for live music, but even the smallest space should allow room for a proper deejay setup.

The music here is spun from turntables placed on two bar stools. On a recent night, the deejay sifted through records strewn to the right of the bar area, carefully placing recent records from Gang Starr and A Tribe Called Quest on the rickety setup. The deejay’s halfhearted attempt to enliven the crowd by mixing old Santana with contemporary hip-hop, which was met with a lukewarm response, made the whole experience seem pretty depressing.

* The Room, 1626 N . Cahuenga Blvd., Hollywood . Enter through back alley . (213) 462-7196.