It's easy to get swept away when the catalysts behind a new club start waxing grandiose about their endeavor. Ambitious booking philosophies, extravagant customer-service promises, 50,000-watt sound systems... soon you're gagging for them to open the damned doors already.

The principals behind the swanky new venue Element--Jason Brotman, Nathaniel Blue, and Nils Swanson--want to elevate their brainchild to stratospheric heights more often seen in Las Vegas, New York, and Los Angeles than in Seattle's modest environs. They're hoping to provide a splashier bang-for-buck ratio than large local joints like Medusa, Premier, and the Fenix. Rehabilitating the boxy building that used to house Polly Esther's at 332 Fifth Avenue (across from EMP), the young entrepreneurs radiate giddy enthusiasm about their project amid sawdust, exposed wires, and two-by-fours three weeks before Element's September 10 debut.

…Seattle is ready for something that's not just the same old thing," Brotman declares. "As we talk to people around town, the same answer I get is, 'Wow, we need something like that.' That's what we're trying to create."

Element is striving to create an upscale clubbing experience that pampers its patrons. This won't come cheap (covers range from $10-$30). There'll be five VIP booths with private bartenders and bottle service that big ballas can reserve; happy hour and gourmet bar food from 4:00-9:00 p.m.; 14,000 square feet of unconventional, Kari Swanson-designed beauty; an ultra-lounge called Heaven; room for 1,200 people to dance and network; 14 satellite speakers; two spacious DJ booths; and two dance floors.

"We're working with Curt Hare from Point Source Audio, who did the sound system at EMP's Sky Church with me," says Blue. "It's a unique, digital process sound system. It can hear itself and adjust itself to a room." Blue hails Element's flexibility, which allows different types of music to be presented on the same night.

And what will issue forth from this potent sound system? Opening night finds mega Dutch trance DJ Armin van Buuren manning the decks, supported by residents Mea and Eva. Future headliners include Tall Paul, Josh Wink, D:Fuse, and many other progressive-house/trance purveyors. Wednesdays and Saturdays play host to commercial dance styles, Thursdays to old-school hiphop (with residents Blesone and Chinky Eye), Fridays to various electronica strains (with Brandy Westmore, Mea, and Eva), and Sundays to mainstream hiphop (with Victor Menegaux and Kippy). Partnerships with God's Kitchen, Slinky, and Spundae will bring in globetrotting DJs. When the schedule expands to seven days next year, Element may book some underground/experimental producers and DJs.

"Whatever your musical taste is, you'll have a night here that will meet [it]," says Blue. "A lot of clubs have dropped their electronic-music nights; we're more than happy to fill that niche. We're excited because the market is seemingly ready for [a bigger venue]."

While Element's size demands mostly popular artists, showing more adventurousness even with their initial bookings would be welcome. As is the case with any new Seattle club, the most audacious décor in the world can't compensate for a steady diet of bland sonic offerings--it's all about who you pack in there. DAVE SEGAL