t 1 a.m. a small group loiters on the sidewalk, enjoying the warm weather of spring. Although they’re dressed for a Saturday night of clubbing, they probably don’t even realize they’re standing next to the doors of one of the last bastions of the techno/house scene in the city.

“We’re trying to keep it very underground,” says Sullivan Room owner Sergei Sklarenko.

This is a change from the club’s focus when it first opened, drawing in celebrities like Britney Spears. Now the Sullivan Room describes itself as a place for music aficionados who are interested in new, and often unproven, techno and house music.

Originally from the Ukraine, Sklarenko is bringing a European sensibility to the Sullivan Room by offering something edgier and untested. He also owns a DJ equipment business, TopDJGear.

“I’d like to educate people on good sound. Good music,” says Sklarenko.

Cover charge for the club seems to vary, depending on a formula known only to AK, the bouncer, and to Rob Walters, the head of security, who assess potential clubbers at the door and then shout as they enter: “Two $15s” (two 20-something men who asked what kind of music was playing), “$10s” (for a mixed group who had to show ID to convince AK they were old enough) and “these guys are okay” for a group of men who seemed to know everyone on their way in.

Inside the club is cozy, with the DJs perched above the crowd and a small bar. At 1 a.m. the crowd on the dance floor is just warming up, and several groups lounge in low chairs, drinking to the heartbeat rhythms provided by DJs Francis Harris and David Hollands.

ollands says the Sullivan Room does not attract the average clubber, a small miracle for a club situated near NYU and within stepping distance of Greenwich Village.

“This is more subtle,” he says. “I appreciate that and therefore it attracts a more discriminating mind. So, I appreciate playing here for them. Plus it’s a small area with a nice sound system, good thump.”

Both he and Harris recognize the New York techno scene is harder for new artists and new music, especially when compared to the European music scene where the fans are more attentive to new artists.

“They’re always interested in hearing new artists,” Harris says of his European experience. “So it’s good for someone like me. It’s incredible, it’s completely different.” He says he visits Europe about once a month to produce and spin in clubs.

Rix Berk, 22, first came to the Sullivan Room to dance but later got a job there. She now runs the coat check. She has a day job with the Tribeca Film Festival, and on weekends she works at the club until about 5 a.m.

Berk says she’s more of a grunge girl but enjoys the music. While she’s talking, a newcomer swipes someone else’s drink off the counter. Berk chases after him and gets it back without resistance. That’s never happened before; the crowd is generally friendly with “a strong Euro presence” and she says most people that come are in the club scene and know music.

At 3:30 a.m., the crowd is in full swing and there is only a short wait at the bar. Sklarenko says the numbers are a bit low for a Saturday night, mostly because they do so little promotion. DJ Harris says their email server went down which meant they did even less marketing for the night than usual.

Nonetheless, the crowd is clearly enjoying the music, many of them approaching the DJs to say hello, dance or just get closer to where the music’s at. With the dance floor getting fuller at every song, 5 a.m. starts to look like an early night.

Going underground at the Sullivan Club.

DJ David Hollands spins the night away.

Keeping it real 'til dawn.

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