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THOUGH THE CONCEPT is similar to the nightclub APT in New York, modeled after a swanky upscale apartment, House seems home to barely legals whose parents have been out of town too long. South metro suburbanites mix with the occasional frat-boy type while staffers, young women in hot pink sheer lingerie, wander through the crowd. Above the fireplace, a dancer in thigh-high boots, hoisted to the mantle by the tallest bouncer, begins her duties. The heaviest crowds hit at 1 a.m., when 30 or so people were drinking and lounging, and about 15 or so were dancing in front of the DJ booth.

SCENE: House boasts all the amenities of a home away from home, albeit one that would make the Queer Eye guys shriek in horror. The lower floor has an open layout featuring a "living room" with sofas for lounging, a "kitchen" serving as a bar and a "front porch" complete with artificial grass. Flat-screen TVs, hanging on the walls, play loops of silhouetted nude dancers. Upstairs, the frilly bedrooms (with copies of Playboys scattered about) are deemed VIP but on this night served as a dressing room for dancers and their personal guests.

JESSICA MCGOWAN/SPECIAL (ENLARGE)
Partygoers chill out in one of the mock bedrooms, complete with silhouetted dancers on the flat screen looming above.
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MUSIC: With bass loud enough to make the floor and sternums vibrate, the DJ began the night with hip-hop, mixing 50 Cent and Ludacris, eventually segueing into old-school Michael Jackson and Prince. He pulled songs from the past three decades, all with great beats.

DRINKS: While some took slugs from beer bottles, most sipped colorful cocktails mixed by the scantily clad bartenders. After midnight, the female staffers wander about selling gelatin shots. Beers run about $4-$6, shooters $4.

THE BOTTOM LINE: House is desperate to be sexy and the overall concept is a fun one, but it seems cheaply executed. Underground's late alcohol rules and the DJ'ing are not enough to forgive the holes in the ceiling. Or the full ashtrays left over from the night before. Or the faux leather coming off the lounge sofas. Or the mop and bucket left in plain sight.

• THE 411: No cover. $3 Underground parking. MARTA accessible. Reportedly a bus makes runs to and from Midtown, but contact club for details. Open 9 p.m.-4 a.m. Sundays-Fridays, 10 p.m.-2:30 a.m. Saturdays. 50 Upper Alabama S., at Underground Atlanta. 678-528-7732, www.thehousenightclub.com.