A Born-Free Feeling

They know every sugarcoated croon and bootie-busting move from Britney Spears’ “Oops! ... I Did It Again” video. They look good in revealing, rhinestone-studded, belly-baring T-shirts and hip-hugging jeans. But the hit lovers flocking to Tigerbeat-the rollicking new dance club celebrating all things pop-aren’t the pre-pubescent. They have no Powerpuff backpacks, no Backstreet Boys posters and, most importantly, no curfew.

No, at this buoyant weekly bash at the 7969 club, the Britney, J-Lo and Janet fans dancing their hearts out are primarily gay men and female hipsters in their 20s. They’ve found a haven where no one is above liking the popular tunes of the moment.

Indeed, Tigerbeat, which opened only three months ago at the colorfully remodeled Club 7969, is the ultimate night-life guilty pleasure. The environment is so shamelessly exuberant, even the most commercial, over-saturated songs-Destiny’s Child’s “Survivor,” the Christina Aguilera, Pink, Mya and Lil’ Kim rendition of LaBelle’s “Lady Marmalade”-feel fresh and fun.

Of course, such chart-toppers are staples at mainstream hangouts, say, the dance floor of T.G.I. Fridays. In Hollywood clubs, though, most DJs would sooner turn in their turntable than spin a Jessica Simpson single. Even the diva ditties that surface in the pumpin’ all-gay clubs farther west on Santa Monica Boulevard have been put through the techno remixer until they have little left in common with pop radio or MTV’s “Total Request Live.”

“We want it to be like you’re turning a radio dial when you come to this club,” says promoter/DJ Jason Lavitt. He adds, with no trace of sarcasm, “Pop music is at an all-time high and there’s some really good, danceable stuff coming out right now.”

While some may disagree with Lavitt’s assertion, the success of Tigerbeat proves that in a night-life scene dominated by electronic, retro and rock-themed nights, there was room for something a little freer and fluffier.

“The original concept was to cover pop from the ‘60s to the present,” says Lavitt, whose other offerings include the ‘80s night Beat It. “We played everything from the Monkees to Donna Summer to New Kids on the Block.”

But when Lavitt and co-creators K-BIG FM/Ultra Suede DJs Ray Rhodes and Howie noticed that the older stuff didn’t get the reaction that the new songs did, they decided to focus on millennium-era hits. The name Tigerbeat was inspired by the teeny-bopper pinup magazine. The promoters have gotten inquiries from the publishers, however, and may have to change the name.

Maybe they could work a cross-promotion. Boy bands get as much play here as on any Tigerbeat cover, and the moves and grooves of lanky lads such as the Backstreet Boys often are emulated on the dance floor with agile perfection. One of the club’s most entertaining nights offered a boy band dance contest in which shirtless college studs gyrated to the sounds of ‘N Sync.

Another night marked Madonna’s birthday with lip-syncing performances from her current album, drawing lines around the block.

The combination of campy special events, a lively vibe and tested mega-hits to which everyone knows the words-whether they admit it or not-has drawn a crowd sprinkled with minor celebs (statuesque cross-dresser RuPaul, People magazine fashion scribe Steven Cojocaru, actor-performer Alexis Arquette), a tattooed/pierced contingent and fashionable gays and straights who never leave the dance floor.

Which leads to the question: Are the hordes of hotties packing the place each week seriously into these mainstream bubble gum beats, or is it a case of “so-bad-it’s-good” fascination?

Club regular Matthew Michel offers his perspective. “It’s really liberating to actively embrace music like this,” he declares. “The question of whether or not it’s cool is left at the door when you walk in.”

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Tigerbeat, Thursdays at Club 7969, 7969 Santa Monica Blvd. 10 p.m.-2 a.m.; over 18; $5. (323) 654-0280.