Lean and ripped DJ Brett Henrichsen isn’t just looking harder these days, he’s sounding harder. The mixmaster once labeled “the happy fluffy tea-dance DJ” is noticeably becoming more afterhours.

“I’m playing a little harder music than I did when I first started,” Henrichsen confirms. “I still like happy vocal music, but I don’t want to be pigeonholed into only playing those parties. I like playing late nights too, and I like harder, tribal sounds.”

He’s quick to add that he’s not becoming a pots and pans DJ. “I hate monotonous or boring driving beats. Anything I play has to have musical quality. Even when I play darker music, I still like it to have some vocals here and there.”

Henrichsen’s sound is probably influenced by his newest residency at New York’s Roxy. Acquiring Roxy was a major accomplishment for the young DJ. Many of the nation’s top gay DJs were vying for the opening left by Peter Rauhoffer; some in the club industry were surprised when Roxy announced they were giving the plum spot to Henrichsen.

While Henrichsen has been a staple in the L.A. scene and popular in Miami and Orlando where he regularly appears at circuit events like Gay Disney and White Party, New York had always evaded him. For years he battled resistance from Gotham club owners and goers who believed his sound was too bubbly for East Coast tastes.

“I couldn’t break in,” explains Henrichsen about his attempts to play New York. “[Club] owners would express interest in booking me but then, at the last minute, they’d reconsider. My publicists were finally able to get me through the door.”

Henrichsen’s publicists, Len Evans and Jeff Dorta of Project Publicity, also handle the public relations of Roxy. They were able to convince the owners and promoters to give Henrichsen his chance.

“We knew he deserved it,” says Evans, “but we also knew a lot of people wanted him to fail. We warned Brett that failure was not an option. He needed to pack the house and turn it upside down, which is exactly what he did.”

In addition to DJing, Henrichsen is also winning praise for the compilation CDs that he releases through his Masterbeat label. His last CD, Spring Break, was the best-reviewed CD compilation of the past season. He humbly admits that he’s not surprised by the album’s success. “It’s one of the best Masterbeat albums yet. It’s a nonstop mix of dance hits. Four of the songs even became number one Billboard hits. I’m really excited by how it’s been received.”

Henrichsen has proven to have a keen sense in finding tomorrow’s hits. He’s betting his newest release, the official Gay Games Chicago mix CD, will be another smash. “Pretty much any Masterbeat CD is always a collection of my favorite tracks of the moment,” he explains. “I don’t like producing CDs with filler. I want every song to be a hit.”

The same applies to his dance floor. “Yes, I’ve been mixing more tribal into my vocal tracks lately, but those beats are used to enhance my overall sound. Ultimately, my goal remains, and always will remain, a packed dance floor with hands in the air.”

Brett Henrichsen headlines San Diego Pride’s “Pride Ball,” Friday, July 28, at 4th & B (345 B St.). For more information, visit www.sdpride.org.