LIKE SIPPING CLEAN water and getting laid, owning it weekly at an intimate garage club is an essential part of a healthy lifestyle. Garage – an open-ended house genre that grew from disco and danceable R&B – is one of the few dance styles that never fades in its philosophical relevance and cosmic ass-shaking force. West End Records songs from the '80s like "Is It All over My Face" and "Heartbeat" feel just as pertinent on today's dance floors as Ten City's 1992 "My Piece of Heaven" or any of Joe Claussell's current releases. And that's because timeless songwriting is at the core of garage.

Elements of garage bleed into most house, 2-step, broken beat, and nu jazz scenes, but only a handful of local DJs promote the style regularly, including David Harness, Ruben Mancias, Kevin Koga, Lamont Young, Anita Lofton, and Patrick Wilson. Like David Harness's Taboo at Liquid (Tuesdays), Joy recently has become an established night for the warm and sexy garage sound and rump-to-the-ground dancing vibe. DJed by Mancias and Koga, the predominantly gay dance floor is merrily physical, historically informed (or at least receptive), and 100 percent cheese-free. Like any good garage club, there are hands in the air and lots of happy woo-wooing – none of that barely nodding one's head or crouching around the DJ to see what he'll drop next. Static club antics have no place here, because kinetic booty love and feeling free are the ultimate garage sensations.

Mancias, who's a resident at Fag Fridays and promotes Devotion (Sundays at the Endup), can relax the tempo and expand his creativity at Liquid, a smaller venue where the pressure to get hundreds up and bumping is not as great. Expect a deeper sound that sometimes digs far into the past – a necessary component to the true presentation of garage. Funk-challenged folks who complain about garage's gospel and soul vocals need to look inward and ask themselves this: what's wrong with feeling like the world is a beautiful place, even if it only lasts from 10 to 3?

Joy. Mondays, 10 p.m.-3 a.m., Liquid, 2925 16th St., S.F. $4. (415) 289-6833.