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THE RESULTS! DJ Mag’s Top 100 Clubs poll, powered by Miller Genuine Draft, is back once again to give the definitive rundown of the world’s best places to party. But who will claim the top spot this time?

Words: BEN HINDLE, ADAM SAVILLE, CARL LOBEN, SARAH POLONSKY, ROB MCCALLUM, HELENE STOKES, FELICITY MARTIN, ERIN SHARONI, MARTIN GUTTRIDGE-HEWITT, KRISTAN CARYL, SIRIN KALE, EMILY FURFARO, DANI DEAHL, DAVE JENKINS, CHANDLER SHORTLIDGE, MARC ROWLANDS

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he results are in! The world’s biggest annual poll on venues is back once again, collecting virtually half a million votes from all four corners of the NINE OF 13 UK CLUBS T globe to find out where the best parties are for every taste. As per, our dedicated team of writers has profiled each spot — who’s played, how’s the sound, what’s the décor like etc — so ARE IN THE TOP 50 you can cherry-pick the right club when you’re off jet-setting. We’ve also analysed the results to discover exactly how different territories are faring, how regional economic, political or cultural issues are affecting clubs, how genre tastes are changing and more. PAGE 82 Clubland has seen turbulent times since our last poll, and A new club has unsurprisingly this year’s results reflect that — although perhaps taken the US crown, not in the way you’d expect. In the UK, for , the past 12 but where is it? months has seen a host of club closures, such as ’s Dance Tunnel and , while legendary institution was shut down for four months following two drug-related deaths, and the ’s largest venue, Studio 338, burned down, tragically killing a staff member. In the case of these last two, however, the public have rallied together, and both clubs have in fact risen in our poll — community spirit prevails! EDM continues to fail to break through in the UK, as the country sees an overall rise in underground clubs, with two new entries, the Highest Climber title, and only three out of 13 entries dropping places.

Similarly, across Europe underground music continues to dominate, with a host of ’s finest sanctuaries all gaining ground in the poll — well, is now officially recognised as a cultural , after all! The biggest shift in Europe comes from the battle for the Mediterranean, however. An overall drop in the rankings suggests ’s crown may be slipping. A series of police raids on venues and changes of ownership have clearly taken their toll on the White Isle, although Privilege has PAGE 66 seen a significant jump, one that could perhaps even increase Brazil has a new again next year, following ’s move to the venue this player landing season. Space Ibiza (literally) pulled the curtain on 27 years of straight in the top history back in October, too — it’s set to reopen as the 50… Ushuaïa Group-run Hï Ibiza this summer — but after claiming the top spot last year, can the club have one final hurrah in the Top 100? Meanwhile, Croatia is looking in fine form with six clubs (up from five), all of which have claimed places in the top 50. The nation has also scooped the award for Highest New Entry, and finally broken into the top 10. Offering Mediterranean sun, sea and sand, the country’s Zrce Beach is still on the rise; the area is particularly famous for club-based festivals, suggesting clubs and festivals LAS don’t always have to be at odds with one another, and joining forces may even be beneficial for both. Elsewhere, Greece’s ongoing economic struggles have taken their toll on popular party VEGAS spots in Mykonos. Moving further afield, the US scene is still going strong with 14 CLUBS clubs in this year’s list. The States also has a new No.1 club — and it’s not in Las Vegas! Sin City isn’t exactly backing down without a fight though, with the majority of its club spaces still climbing. MAKE EDM still rules supreme in North America; however, heading south, the tide is unarguably turning. Brazil gains one more entry this year (bringing its total to eight), with clubs specialising in house UP and techno trending upwards and EDM hotspots becoming, well… not so hot — a similar pattern can be recognised throughout the South American continent. 31% OF Globally, the biggest change comes in the seemingly exponential growth of Asia’s club scene. Seven new clubs — four from — join the ranks this year, bringing the grand total to 22 across RANKED the continent. As usual, the trend here is towards big money, with clubs focusing on the VIP experience, flashy visuals and EDM 3/7 superstars. Although Europe still reigns supreme with almost US half the total clubs in the list, the increasing Asian market and its differing tastes certainly provides an interesting juxtaposition. IBIZA CLUBS All in all, despite the naysayers, 2017’s Top 100 Clubs poll shows VENUES that clubland is still as strong as ever (if not stronger), so without ARE IN THE further ado, turn the page and begin the countdown. Drumroll please… TOP 10

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TOTALS BY CONTINENT: EUROPE — 49 NORTH AMERICA — 16 CROATIAN VENUES SOUTH AMERICA — 12 ASIA — 22 MAKE UP 6% OF THE OCEANIA — 1 TOP 100 CLUBS

PAGE 71 58% Which intimate OF TOP 50 ARE EUROPEAN London nightspot PAGE 85 has claimed the title Which Seoul staple of Highest Climber? has retained its place in the top five?

47% INCREASE IN RANKED ASIAN CLUBS

PAGE 68 Croatia’s Zrce Beach is a hotspot, but which club has nabbed Highest New PAGE 46 Entry? Which Sydney club is hanging on despite the terrible lockout laws? FIVE SOUTH AMERICAN COUNTRIES FEATURE THIS YEAR, OF WHICH BRAZILIAN CLUBS ACCOUNT FOR CHINESE CLUBS CONSTITUTE 7% OF TOP 66% 100 CLUBS 2017 djmag.com 045 Powered By

100 20 98 20 96 03 CHINESE LAUNDRY DRAGONFLY SPACE IBIZA SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA JAKARTA, , USA CAPACITY: 800 CAPACITY: 400 CAPACITY: 1400 CHINESELAUNDRYCLUB.COM.AU ISMAYA.COM/DRAGONFLY ARGUABLY one of the White Isle’s greatest exports, ORIGINALLY a gift given to Sydney businessman ONE of the longest-running clubs in Indonesia, the Space Ibiza franchise is a quarter-century old Justin Hemmes on his 18th birthday (not a bad Dragonfly threw open its doors in 2004 as a modern global clubbing institution. Sprawled across the corner present, right?), the long-running Chinese Laundry has Asian restaurant-cum-lounge, transforming into a of West 50th Street and 12th Avenue, Space Ibiza New consistently hosted top-drawer international DJs (Nina party hotspot to suit the growing Indonesian appetite York brings a bit of the Balearic island’s best vibes Kraviz, Stephan Bodzin and have all for nightlife. Having enjoyed a mega six-month re-fit to the city that never sleeps — and considering the played in the past year) and founded the careers of in 2015, the sophisticated venue swings musically from notorious length of Space parties, it seems a perfect much home-grown Aussie talent. commercial to underground to suit its local and ex-pat match. As any New Yorker will claim, a trek all the way Spread out over three rooms — The Laundry, The Cave crowd, with three resident DJs (Joyo, Hizkia, Devarra), over to ’s western-most avenue requires and The Sand Bar — the club also boasts a lush outdoor plus a host of renowned international guests (Steve justification, and this megaclub provides it: from courtyard for open-air shape-cutting. With a music Angello, and Giorgio Moroder have all European elite like , to EDM superstar Nicky policy that’s all about promoting fresh faces, Friday’s been booked over the course of Dragonfly’s 13 years of Romero and NYC native Victor Calderone, Space Ibiza’s popular BASSIC night is the place to be for all things existence). Big Apple outpost offers sounds to suit every palate , trap and . and the guarantee of a brand that’s survived the test of time. NEW NEW 97 ENTRY 99 ENTRY NON- SOS CLUB 95 MOVER HIDDEN HANGZHOU, CHINA MANCHESTER, UK CAPACITY: 2000 CODA CAPACITY: 700 CLUBSOSHZ.COM TORONTO, CANADA HIDDEN.CLUB CAPACITY: 550 ONE China’s most famous , Hangzhou’s SOS CODATORONTO.COM HIDDEN means serious business. A disused textile has been booming since 2005. Though it closed for a mill in one of the few central Manchester districts chunk of 2016 as it underwent a massive refurb, SOS THE successor to Toronto’s long-running afterhours, developers haven’t moved into, this is arguably reopened in September bigger than ever, boasting four Footwork, in late 2014 Coda took up residence on the North’s most reliable weekly spot for proper areas with 80 VIP seats and eight VIP rooms over 3,000 the corner of Bathurst & Bloor Street, converting an heavyweight names. In-house parties and external square meters, making it a genuine . old rock venue called The Wreckroom into one of the crews such as Project 13, High Hoops, Percolate and Since then, big name talent like W&W, Juicy M, city’s most popular underground spots. In just a few Hit & Run regularly call on the likes of Raresh, Denis , , Alan Walker, GTA and Zomboy have short years, the club has become a staple with a loyal Sulta, Mr. G, Blawan, Ben UFO, DJ Sprinkles and Helena graced its stage, pumping big room tunes to beautiful following, featuring residents Nathan Barato, Carlo Hauff. Spread over three floors, all rooms retain an international clubbers on its Fulcrum soundsystem. Lio and Jonathan Rosa alongside the biggest names intimate vibe whilst offering a big club experience, It’s champagne luxury in one of dance music’s fastest in techno and house. The 550-capacity club is packed with improvements still being made to perfect the growing regions. to the gills each week and a quick look at its line- dancefloor experience. Raw space, powerful systems, ups explain why – in the past year, Coda has hosted quality artists. everyone from Laurent Garnier to . 99

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built club that sprawls across two rooms, both decked that’s a feast for the senses. Not only is the box-style with high-end production technology. Joining the venue fitted with an on-point Adamson soundsystem, 39 94 premiership headline cast are the club’s faithful it’s also bedecked with LED screens on three of the residents Skyler, Deen, Mike Bond and Sasha Axe. The walls and the ceiling for full immersive experiences. club tell us they’re on a mission to really put Chengdu Flexing between a more chill lounge vibe during WOMB on the club world’s musical map. It’s working… the week and proper parties on the weekend — and TOYKO, tapping into a larger restaurant, dining and rooftop CAPACITY: 1200 lounge complex — Space One has only been running WOMB.CO.JP since last September but has already been smashed by NEW 92 ENTRY the likes of , Danny Avila and their own WHEN Womb opened its doors in 2000, no international resident, Utrecht’s Oliver Twizt. existed in Japan offering world-leading to ’s dance music fans. Womb was ONYX inspired by the North American club scene, and the BANGKOK, THAILAND 07 1200-capacity club is equipped with top-end lighting, CAPACITY: 2300 ONYXBANGKOK.COM 90 sound and staging equipment. Collaborations with international party brands like Fabric London and Space Ibiza added legitimacy, while artists such as DRY ice cannons, confetti bombs and the most X2 Arca, , Henrik Schwarz, Sven Väth and impressive laser assault in the city attack the senses JAKARTA, INDONESIA Joseph Capriati have played killer sets under the largest in the 2000-capacity, two-tiered main space of Onyx, CAPACITY: 3500 mirrorball in Asia. Monthly drum & bass party 06S and where some of the most popular DJs on the EDM and X2CLUB.NET techno party STERNE have also helped firmly establish commercial house circuit have played over the two Womb in the Asian club scene in the 17 years it’s been years since opening. Excellent security and bar staff, FREQUENTLY updating itself, this gigantic, 10-year- open, while residents such as DJ Aki and Takkyu Ishino plus table service and a wide range of VIP options old former restaurant, bowling alley and cinema have gone on to even bigger things. makes this an incredibly popular destination for a complex boasts an impressive array of lasers, matrix range of beautiful, young locals who have danced to lightings and more than adequate soundsystems the likes of Steve Aoki, , across its glitzy, gold and silver-themed main spaces and the extensive residents line-up over the D&B and significant VIP room. Of the areas open to us NEW 93 ENTRY soundsystem in the last 12 months. mere proles, Equinox is the only R&B/hip-hop club in Indonesia open five nights a week; the other, X2, has hosted popular local DJs alongside the likes of John SPACE CHENGDU Digweed, , , CHENGDU, CHINA NEW and W&W in the past year, with trance a key musical ENTRY CAPACITY: 1300 91 ingredient. CHINASPACECLUB.COM SPACE ONE FOR a venue that only opened in December 2015, the BEIJING, CHINA NEW amount of A-list DJs who have performed at Space CAPACITY: 500 ENTRY FACEBOOK.COM/SPACEONEBEIJING 89 Chengdu is astonishing. From Oakey to Aoki, Nervo to via , Redondo and Deorro and everyone in between, Space has gone all-out to import some of SITUATED in Beijing’s towering Topwin Center, ZIG ZAG the biggest names to play at their luxurious purpose- everyone’s a winner at Space One, a boutique club PARIS, CAPACITY: 1200 ZIGZAGCLUB.FR

90 ONE of the biggest clubs in Paris and a stone’s throw from the famous Champs-Élysées, Zig Zag’s central location might have you mistakenly thinking this is a tourist trap. But the 1200-capacity club, with its international line-up of mostly underground house and techno DJs, would soon prove you wrong. A relatively new addition to the Paris club scene (it opened in 2013), its Funktion One soundsystem is amongst the best in France. Clubbers pack out the single dancefloor or congregate on the large mezzanine, listening to DJs including Pan-Pot, Stimming, and Rodriguez Jr.

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NEW NEW 04 88 ENTRY 86 ENTRY 84 SKY GARDEN CLUB SECTOR KITTY SU KUTA, BALI SHENZHEN, CHINA NEW DELHI, INDIA CAPACITY: 5000 CAPACITY: 1000 CAPACITY: 1200 SKYGARDENBALI.COM CLUBSECTOR.COM KITTYSU.COM

SKY Garden began life as a humble rooftop garden, ONE of the newest clubs in the Top 100, Shenzhen’s A truly unique venue in the heart of chaotic New juice and sandwich bar in 2005 with decks and two Sector only launched in December 2016 but they’re Delhi, Kitty Su is one of a kind in every respect… small speakers. It’s now a four-storey, five-venue, fully already making waves with their simple-but-effective Conceptually, Kitty Su drawers influence from strong Funktion One-fitted complex that offers everything message: It’s all about the . A critical statement in females throughout history in both its décor, ethos and from all-you-can-eat BBQ to a festival-style mainstage China’s club landscape, where a great deal of focus is story. Socially it’s one of the Indian capital’s strongest by way of rooftop VIP lounges and an Irish bar. Talent- on status and size, Sector eschews all the fancy bells voices in the LGBT community, balancing the high-life wise, take your pick. In the last year the likes of Steve and whistles for something a little more underground spirit with an accessible party vibe. Physically it’s a Aoki, , , Nervo and many many more across its three rooms. With a penchant for bass maze of rooms and spaces to fit all manner of vibes, have played. There’s enough room for all the best DJs genres and techno, and a D&B Acoustics soundsystem parties and atmospheres. In the last year they’ve as every night is party night. Literally… the only day installed throughout, guests during its short-but- upgraded their soundsystem and production and Sky Garden is not open is Nyepi, the Balinese Day Of sweet life so far include Fabio, Herobust, , pride themselves on being the first club to import Silence. Fresh from a recent $2million refit, the sky Makoto, and Martin Jensen. The future’s international artists and showcase them to India’s really is the limit. bright for this new club. booming electronic music scene.

06 08 87 53 85 83 LIGHT NIGHTCLUB MAD CLUB ARMA 17 LAS VEGAS, USA LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND MOSCOW, RUSSIA CAPACITY: 2000 CAPACITY: 1600 CAPACITY: 800 THELIGHTVEGAS.COM MAD.CLUB ARMA17.RU IF Las Vegas is indeed Sin City, then its clubs are the HAVING first opened its doors way back in 1985, it’s ARMA 17 was perhaps the most discerning nightclub shepherds of after-dark debauchery. LIGHT Nightclub fair to say that MAD is a Swiss clubbing titan. Year in the whole of Russia — consistently booking quality brings some shimmer to that darkness — literally. In upon year the space aims to better itself, constantly underground artists from all over the world. However, true over-the-top Vegas fashion, the club boasts two- upgrading its equipment, furniture and decoration in recent months it appears that the venue has closed storey floor-to-ceiling screens featuring one of the over all five floors (four dancefloors and a restaurant). — falling foul of the authorities. Arma is trying to find most impressive visual effects and lighting displays in Musically a healthy split between EDM megastars such a new space, but at the time of writing has yet to open the world, constructed by none other than the genius as DJ Snake, Nervo and Steve Aoki, and and anywhere (hence a hefty drop in this poll, presumably), creative minds behind Cirque Du Soleil. 2017 residents house legends likes Louie Vega, and despite attempting to throw a couple of one-off parties include trap master Baauer, of ‘ Shake’ fame, David Morales has earned the club a 6,000-strong in alternative spaces during the intervening months. and hip-hop heavyweights like Ludacris, Tyga and membership and keeps the punters coming back every DJ Mag wishes them all the best in resurrecting a T-Pain. It should come as no surprise, then, that LIGHT week. Here’s to the next, errm… 32 years, we guess! venue in the Russian capital. Meanwhile, the label and is now a veteran of our Top 100 Clubs list, making its podcasts keep fans sated for the time being. fourth appearance in as many years. 84

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82 41 YALTA CLUB SOFIA, BULGARIA CAPACITY: 1200 YALTACLUB.COM

UPON entering, the immediate message you get depends on the club. Some scream sex, some money, some hedonism. Stark yet comfortable, two- roomed Sofia club Yalta screams passion. Passion for underground , passion for 79 presenting it properly. Undaunted by the loss, closed their main space for a 10-month revamp in 2016 (with The main dancefloor, Area, has a 2,400 capacity, but particular attention paid to acoustics and sound), besides that there’s an outdoor pool stage (Water), 10 before it re-opened with and Mark Knight in 80 a multi-purpose warehouse (Box), and in summer December. But while closed, this quarter-century-old you can hang out at the purpose-built beach. Getting club and residents Liubo Ursiny, Runo, Philip Chernikov to AgeHa requires a little commitment — located in and Diass still managed to host Keinemusik, Subb-an, CÉ LA VI Tokyo’s Bay Area, you can pick up a shuttle bus, but Franky Rizardo, Enzo Siragusa, Hot Since 82 and Âme in SINGAPORE don’t forget your ID. Inside, expect to hear techno and the second space, under the ‘Takeover’ banner, which CAPACITY: 900 electro, with the odd international headliner — Paul excels in offering debuts in Bulgaria. SG.CELAVI.COM van Dyk is booked for 2017, and the club’s hosted Berghain heavyweights and Marcel Dettman WHILE Cé La Vi run clubs across Asia, including in the past. Bangkok and Hong Kong, it’s the franchise’s Singapore 12 81 HQ that’s the real jewel in its crown. Boasting three areas — the Restaurant, Club Lounge and 360-degree NEW view SkyBar — a stream of one-off parties and the ENTRY ILLUZION venue’s regular Sunset Sessions series mean Cé La Vi’s 78 PHUKET, THAILAND decks have played host to artists ranging from EDM CAPACITY: 3000 kingpins to French underground favourite, PANAMA ILLUZIONPHUKET.COM Chloé. Although its location on the 57th floor may AMSTERDAM, THE mean Cé La Vi isn’t for the faint of heart, braving those CAPACITY: 1100 SET within a part of the world not best known as a dizzying heights is well worth the trip. PANAMA.NL clubbing hotspot — well, not that sort of clubbing, at least — Illuzion is located within the bustling nightlife THE Dutch capital is awash with quality nightspots, and district of Phuket’s Bangla Road. Once a shopping mall, Panama, located on the north-eastern edge of the city, RE- this 5000-square-metre auditorium today rests as one 79 ENTRY definitely ranks amongst the best. Situated within a of the most spellbinding clubbing encounters to be had century-old power station, two rooms boast top of the in the Far East. Ostentatiously geared towards its VIPs, range Pioneer sound, regularly rinsed by the likes of the club guarantees the world’s most titanic DJs — AGEHA , Industrialyzer, Carlo Lio, Mark Knight, Sven Väth is a regular here, and Nervo, Steve Aoki and TOKYO, JAPAN and Secret Cinema, giving some idea as R3HAB have all brought sets to an explosive main room CAPACITY: 2400+ to the variety of tunes getting dropped here. Opening offering professional dancers, hails of paper showers its doors back in 2002, it’s one of the longest-running and CO2 rockets. TOKYO’S biggest club, AgeHa offers three dancefloors, of all Amsterdam’s nocturnal jewels, and those who numerous bars and chillout areas and a world-class know recognise its status as a true house and techno soundsystem. It’s easy to get lost at AgeHa: but fans institution. of cavernous club spaces need look nowhere else. 78 77 50 SANKEYS IBIZA IBIZA CAPACITY: 2200 SANKEYSIBIZA.INFO

AS an institution, Sankeys is older than many of its punters. Once a Manchester mainstay, Sankeys decamped to Ibiza in 2011 and hasn’t looked back since. Weekend line-ups capture the spirit of the present in Ibiza, as resident and a succession of guest superstar DJs belt out big room house and techno over three rooms. Last summer saw its Dance 88/89 series look back to where it all came from, remembering its formation in the afterglow of the , as the likes of 808 State and Mr. C joined Alfredo and Bushwacka!, while Matt Jam Lamont and Todd Terry rounded out the rest of last summer’s residencies.

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76 08 MODO ULTRA CLUB BEIJING, CHINA CAPACITY: 2000 FACEBOOK.COM/CLUB-MODO

RETURNING for a second helping and jumping up eight places in the process, Beijing’s Modo is a shining example of the rise of China’s VIP club culture. Split over two floors and designed by famous Korean architects, Urbantainer, Modo is all about delivering the life of luxury to its elite clientele, while on the music front, big name EDM bookings are the order of the day, previously hosting DJs such as Will Sparks and teaming up with the likes of Ultra Korea to host warm- up events.

75 14 71 scene when it opened in 1999. The club closed in early 2013, only to reopen with a more subdued schedule RAZZMATAZZ 05 BARCELONA, two years later. But it’s still made our list every year CAPACITY: 4000 72 since — a testament to its stature as one of the best SALARAZZMATAZZ.COM clubs in Peru. These days it’s known primarily for the La Huaka Beach REX CLUB A former industrial building in downtown Barca, Fest, which in 2017 invited Nina Kraviz, Recondite, PARIS, FRANCE Razzmatazz first opened at the turn of the Millennium. Sonja Moonear, Tale Of Us, Djebali and Deaf Pillow. CAPACITY: 800 “We thought it’d be amazing to have a venue in the city With a line-up like that, it’s easy to see why it’s still so REXCLUB.COM with five different rooms, so people could see different popular. artists from different types of music,” the club tells DJ WHERE do you start with a place like Rex? The Mag. “In other words, to have a club with five clubs in building’s history stretches back to the 1950s, and it!” In the past year they’ve hosted the likes of Paranoid it has hosted an almost-constant calendar of parties 59 London, , Book Shade, 73 within its hallowed walls since then. Laurent Garnier’s and The Black , and their resident DJs are a notorious Wake Up sessions took place here as the talented bunch too. With top-notch soundsystems in European electronic revolution was gaining traction, all rooms and an on-point booking policy, no visit to PARADISE CLUB and the decades between then and now have firmly Barcelona is complete without a visit. MYKONOS, GREECE cemented its spot in the pantheons of underground CAPACITY: 5000 dance music. D’Julz, Jennifer Cardini, DJ Deep, Ivan PARADISECLUBMYKONOS.COM Smagghe, Chloé and Phil Weeks are amongst the luminaries currently holding down residencies here, 03 74 THIS lux tropical paradise is perched high up on a rock with the club’s single dancefloor easily amongst the on the sun-baked island of Mykonos. With three floors world’s best-loved. of pools and palm trees, and plenty of sunbeds and LA HUAKA lounging areas for those who like to feel like a VIP, it is LIMA, PERU a hotbed of big dance sounds, with brands like Ministry 11 CAPACITY: 1000 Of Sound and jocks like Nervo, Test and Afrojack all LAHUAKA.COM 71 playing regularly. Add in some big laser shows, a Funktion One soundsystem and plenty of keen locals LOCATED on Peru’s picturesque Asia Beach, the open- and you have a tidy recipe that brings plenty of locals FOUNDATION air La Huaka helped kick-start Peru’s nascent dance and tourists to the island. SEATTLE, USA CAPACITY: 550 FOUNDATION-NIGHTCLUB.COM 72 FOUNDATION has found itself on the Top 100 list several times, but over the past year it has evolved to become a truly integral part of Seattle’s dance music nightlife landscape. The intimate venue, previously home to several restaurants and former clubs, doesn’t boast Vegas-style square-footage, but it more than makes up for space with its unique, welcoming vibe and loyal following — the KV2 Audio system doesn’t hurt either. Looking for a party in Seattle mid- week? Foundation has you covered, with its popular SUBstance Wednesdays party kicking off the weekend early on hump-day. The past year has seen a steady stream of top tier talent, like , A-Track, Krewella, Excision, Flux Pavilion, Griz and more.

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All around it is lush jungle flora and fauna and the Main Stage is encased in no fewer than ten different cabins, which all house part of the soundsystem. On top of the natural beauty are unnaturally large bursts of CO2 and confetti, as well as a big LED ceiling panel that reacts to the music and adds another angle to fire your synapses. Line-ups mix a lot of homegrown stars with occasional big name international guests — Miguel Campbell, Gui Boratto, Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike, HNQO and more have all popped by — and themed parties often play out here, including the annual year ender, The White Party, with plenty more sunset-focused fiestas throughout the year.

68 02 DRAI’S 70 LAS VEGAS, USA CAPACITY: 4500 DRAISLV.COM upstairs +4Bar keeps house heads happy, and Tresor’s huge main room brings industrial vibes to every party. WITH 60,000 square-feet that feature eight pools, 07 70 Here’s to another 26 years. 7,000 square-feet of high definition LED video screens and four full service bars, Drai’s Beachclub in Las Vegas has everything a party-goer could want. Bringing in top names like Future, 50 Cent and Big Sean, this TRESOR 32 BERLIN, nightclub staple is exactly what you imagine when CAPACITY: 1500 69 thinking of a Vegas party. The rooftop pool is decked TRESORBERLIN.COM out with luxury cabanas, a sprawling view of the MATAHARI downtown strip and towering palm trees that give the THE club that put Detroit techno on the map in Berlin, SANTA CATARINA, BRAZIL essence of paradise. If the pool deck isn’t your scene, Tresor is one of the German capital’s oldest and most MATAHARI.COM.BR the main dancefloor with the 80-sided LED disco ball storied institutions, helping reunify the city through might be your go-to spot. music when it first opened in 1991. ONE thing that unites all Brazilian clubs is their Regardless of where you are, this multi-sensory In 2006, Tresor moved from its original bank vault locations; you don’t often come across a space that environment will take your night to the next level. venue to the gargantuan disused power station, is anything less than magical when raving in Latin Sitting atop The Cromwell boutique hotel, this Berlin. Though plenty of the club’s original America. Matahari certainly fits that category: it’s nightclub is situated in the busiest intersection of the spirit still runs through its many concrete halls. located on the site of a former farm up on the top of Las Vegas strip and has the views to prove it. This new Downstairs in Globus — the club’s pitch-black chamber a hill, with a sprawling layout that makes indoor and evolution of beach and nightlife is sure to exceed your — uncompromising techno reigns supreme, while the outdoor areas hard to differentiate from one another. wildest expectations.

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02 36 NEW 67 66 65 ENTRY MINT CLUB AIR STAGE (BH MALLORCA) , UK AMSTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS MAGALUF, MALLORCA CAPACITY: 550 CAPACITY: 1200 CAPACITY: 4500 MINTLEEDS.COM AIR.NL BHMALLORCA.COM

MINT Club is one of the most treasured jewels in Leeds’ LIKE a phoenix rising from the ashes, so AIR opened BH Mallorca is a vast hotel complex that doesn’t do clubbing crown. Its reputation is galvanised by the its doors on the grounds of legendary nightclub IT things by half. Alongside the obvious accommodation precision balance of forward-thinking, genre-melting back in 2010, and quickly established itself as a top- is a huge pool area; it has a massive white-knuckle line-ups, a history so rich that legendary Back To Basics notch spot for ravers of all musical persuasions. In the water slide for adults, and nestled in amongst it all is actually named the venue back in past year, AIR has focused even more on broadening STAGE, a big outdoor live music arena. Able to fit in 1998, and a tangible vibe that’s conjured by the open- its fanbase, bringing in techno in the form of local 4,500 people in all directions, the STAGE is bathed in minded, friendly northern UK crowd and maintained by promoters Excess The Movement, the sounds of the crazy lasers, and often drowned in confetti explosions the fact that it’s just one room. UK underground with Garage Nation and a keeping and blasts from an ice cannon. It is a multi-sensory Amplified and intensified by the low LED ceiling and house heads happy with the club’s own Frenzy and experience that offers a real alternative to Ibiza. pristine Funktion One system, Mint’s atmosphere Flow events, the latter of which is helmed by resident “Our Residents are Craig Crompton and Rashun Kerr. revolves around a feeling that everyone is in it DJ and Defected Records-affiliate, Franky Rizardo. They are very important for us because they know how together. The single-room dynamic also creates a real All this has meant the likes of Todd Terry, Tube & to set things up perfectly for our special guests,” says focus on the music, which ranges from to Berger, , and Shadow Child have Rob Seaman of STAGE. techno courtesy of nights such as System, Get Together, graced AIR’s VOID Acoustics soundsystem — while Open every Tuesday and Thursday night throughout Lord Of The Tings and its faithful residents Bobby the venue’s ongoing commitment to also providing June, July and August for the last couple of years, O’Donnell, Annie Errez, Tobias and Jimmy Switch. Mint more commercial sounds has seen , , only the world’s biggest stars line-up to play, and a headliners have never needed introduction since the Chuckie, Sam Feldt and more in the booth too. diverse spectrum of more popular and commercial club opened with Derrick Carter; but in the last year the While all that’s impressive, here at DJ Mag we’re firm dance sounds are covered at the hands of , venue has welcomed the very best across the game, believers that it’s the little things that really count, Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike, Disclosure, Craig David, from Villalobos to Oneman, to Move D, all however, and with smart touches like electronic lockers Rudimental, Chris Brown and others. relishing the opportunity to go back to their stripped- for punters to store their belongings and a focus on back, intimate, dark room roots with a crowd they know creating “an intimate atmosphere, whether there are will appreciate every selection they make. 19 years and 100 or 1,000 guests”, AIR certainly achieves in this still fresh: the clue’s in the title… area too! 67

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64 12 XOYO LONDON, UK CAPACITY: 800 XOYO.CO.UK

THE secret to XOYO’s success is that it keeps things simple. A dark basement, big system and concrete bookings put the East London institution at the top of every local’s list. It’s obvious the team (also responsible for Phonox and Sunfall) know the market inside-out, and it’s this that has earned XOYO a water-tight reputation. Quarterly Friday night residencies are given over to a DJ at the top of their game, performing mammoth all-night sets and bringing in acts they’ve selected. This format gives the artists the freedom and flexibility to explore the roots of their sound, as well as its trajectory. So far this year the two-floored club has boasted Andy 62 C playing alongside some of his favourite drum & bass heavyweights, while past residents include Bicep, Heidi and . From April, one of the most hyped DJs panelled terrace is heated in winter — allowing almost unheard of. But this year, Berlin’s Watergate in the game right now — The Black Madonna — takes people to dance outside in any weather on the biggest will celebrate its 15th anniversary — an incredible the reins. Saturday nights are given over to some of the smoking area in Paris. Management continue to strive accomplishment by any measure, but especially in a city biggest acts in house and techno, performing in this to improve the club — next up, they plan to create a so ripe with clubbing options on any given weekend. intimate sweatbox. As if that wasn’t enough, an eclectic new chill-out floor. Though a peruse through the club’s schedule paints calendar of leftfield artists keeps things exciting In the last year alone, it’s hosted an admirably a clearer picture. There were all-night sets from the midweek. A club for clubbers; you don’t go to be seen underground line-up of world-class house and techno Adana Twins, Monkey Safari and Pan-Pot; label parties here… it’s all about the music, maaan. DJs, including Ben Klock, DJ Harvey, Matthew Herbert, with Beste Modus, Diynamic, and Cocoon; headliners Move D and hot new label on the block, Giegling. like Nick Curly, and Andhim playing the Meet They’re also channelling legendary Berlin institutions series with just one other DJ on support; shows from with monthly Samedimance parties running from Sven Väth and Carl Cox — DJs who rarely play clubs 11 Saturday evening through to Monday morning, for the size of Watergate, but often return year after year; 63 clubbers that are true of heart. With nights dedicated and even groups like the Matthias Lindermayr Quintett to resident labels such as Perlon, Rush Hour and playing jazz fusion. CONCRETE [a:rpia:r], Concrete is a stellar, floating addition to That doesn’t quite tell the whole story, though. PARIS, FRANCE Paris’ increasingly competitive dance music scene. Many clubs can bring the big guns and still fail. But CAPACITY: 1200 Watergate knows how throw a party, with great sound, CONCRETEPARIS.FR incredible lighting, and action on both the legendary main floor and the downstairs Waterfloor, a room 06 BEFORE it was one of Paris’ leading clubs, Concrete overlooking the River Spree that’s perfect for sunrise 62 sessions. was just a barge — used for hosting your run-of-the- mill corporate events and the occasional wedding. It’s no wonder Watergate’s run has been so spectacular Now it’s the first dance music club in France officially WATERGATE for so long. If you’ve never been, put it on your bucket- licensed to run twenty-four hours a day, seven days a BERLIN, GERMANY list. week. CAPACITY: 500 The 1200-capacity club consists of a main room WATER-GATE.DE and a terrace, both equipped with Funktion One soundsystems. The main room is more minimalist NOBODY said the nightclub game was easy. Most fold and has a straightforward club feel, while the wood- within the first year or two, and lasting a decade is

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being , there is, of course, a Belgian beer bar too — and even an outdoor patio with a swimming 03 61 pool. It’s like a glamorous slice of Ibiza landed in Hasselt. And indeed, Spanish mega-brands Pacha and LUX FRAGIL have both held bashes at the club, bringing island LISBON, PORTUGAL favourites like UNER and to the party. But CAPACITY: 1500 even with all the stylish décor and lavish attention to LUXFRAGIL.COM detail, Versuz keeps door prices low, regularly holding student nights so the local crowd can get loose after IT’S hard not to have a soft spot for Lux Fragil. After finals. The venue caters to all different crowds, in all, it’s been in existence since way back in 1998, and fact, with hip-hop nights and club-friendly house has in that time put on some of the best parties with from headliners like , and the most discerning checklist of DJs and artists ever. Klingande on regular rotation. Even the tally from just the beginning of this year is Decadent escapism in posh surroundings without enough to make you weep — Omar S, Roman Flügel, forgetting the clubbers — works like a charm for Versuz. Joe Goddard, Robert Hood and Maceo Plex. Sigh. And when it’s a disco ball that’s the main feature of a dancefloor, it gets the biggest of thumbs up from us. 15 Stylish to , the venue has a determination to 59 stick to what it does best, presenting beautiful to an understanding, like-minded congregation. Yes congregation, because Lux Fragil is indeed a place GUENDALINA of worship. SANTA CESAREA TERME, And because spending time with family and friends, CAPACITY: 4000 socialising and eating amazing food is GUENDALINACLUB.COM on the mind of many a Lisbonian, you’ll be as well to arrive later than usual. By the way, Dixon’s playing this GUENDALINA might have been going since 1997, REBEKAH month, and if you want to get a flavour of some true but it never rests on its laurels: The last 12 months Portuguese vibes check out weekly residents DJ Al and have seen the club make small but significant PICKS HER FAVOURITES Tiago Miranda, producers of funky, carnival-kissed changes, especially to the Arena, which is at the heart music, who play anything from and disco to of the outdoor, open-air action. “We changed the SPAZIO 900, ROME techno and house. soundsystem and enlarged the console,” says the club’s “Spazio is situated in a neoclassical ‘30s building. It Danyel. “The rest of the magic is made by the trees and features beautiful white pillars and stunning marble nature that surrounds the club, as well as the sunlight throughout and is the jewel in Rome’s nightlife, and that beams down and gives us incredibly emotional is perfect for bigger techno rave parties.” 09 moments every morning.” 60 Initially set up to offer a haven for techno and tech- GASHOUDER, AMSTERDAM house in southern Italy, it is now very much known for “Set in the Western Gas Factory, the gas reserve is a VERSUZ just that. In the last year alone, it has played host to pretty unique place to party due to its cylindrical HASSELT, BELGIUM bigwigs such as Lil Louis and , Tale Of Us and dimensions. It definitely has the spirit of the ‘90s CAPACITY: 3000 Luciano, as well as housier guests like The Martinez techno parties still inhabiting deep within this VERSUZ.BE Brothers and Jamie Jones. industrial space.” Part of the allure of the club, apart from its natural AS far as nightclubs go, few are more modern and setting, is that it has a real family vibe and a friendly BERGHAIN, BERLIN palatial than Versuz, a 3000-capacity club that seems crowd of regulars who all very much feel a part of “This former power plant-turned-nightclub to go out of its way to make every clubber feel special. something special. “The most important thing for us is epitomises the modern techno experience. The It features a rustic-yet-sleek champagne and cigar bar, a direct relationship with people,” says Danyel. “Also, incredible sound and stunning interior makes this with leather couches that overlook the main action the resident DJ Gianni Sabato is fundamental to our venue hard to beat, and when all the elements downstairs, where crystal chandeliers hang high above club because he has an empathy with people and he come together this can be a truly amazing the VOID-powered dancefloor. The VIP area is big and knows them inside out. Everything starts with him.” experience.” exclusive, but right in the midst of things. And this

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ceiling is a huge, bespoke, circular lighting feature, and has a huge system as well as vast LED screens, all at times bordered by an array of lasers, which rivals of which plays host to the likes of Bob Sinclar, , 06 58 anything Dubai, Ibiza or even Las Vegas could offer. Amine Edge & DANCE, and Armin van With Afrojack, DVBBS, Diplo, , Bassjackers Buuren. All in all, then, it’s not hard to see why this and Ferry Corsten having joined residents Trilions, club has such a legacy. COLOSSEUM CLUB Dimention and LTN on the main room’s Funktion One JAKARTA, INDONESIA system in the last year, it’s clear trance, EDM and other CAPACITY: 2000 big room sounds rule here. But what’s perhaps more 09 COLOSSEUM.ID exciting is the potential its second space (currently 56 open only once a month for techno night, Enter The THOUGH it still has a way to go, Indonesia is trying Void) holds for showcasing both alternative sounds and to close the gap on the club culture located in other local talent, and advancing the city’s musical palette. ELEMENTS regions. Jakarta’s annual Djakarta Warehouse Project BEIJING, CHINA festival and Festival in Bali are proving CAPACITY: 1000 destination events for which many are willing to travel, ELEMENTCLUB.CN 48 but for the 10 million population of Jakarta the weekly 57 space leading the charge is Colosseum Club. OFTEN calling upon acts from the higher echelons Truly an impressive sight to behold, this 2000-capacity of our Top 100 DJs poll, Elements is known for its big club prides itself on many things, not least its décor SIRENA bookings. In the last year or so, R3HAB, , Axtone, and visuals. Hanging centrally from a 16-metre-high MARESIAS, BRAZIL Alan Walker, DVBBS and Ummet Ozcan have all passed CAPACITY: 4000 through the doors. In turn, the club tells us that so SIRENA.COM.BR have 60 percent more clubbers than last year. “Our music is mainly focused on EDM and tech-house,” IN Brazil, dance music has been on the rise for years. It they add, before explaining that in the last 12 months can now be heard on the streets and on the radio, and they have opened another intimate club room inside in an increasing number of clubs around the country. called ROOM 79, which only plays hip-hop. “It means New labels and producers continue to emerge, and the we are the only club in China that provides two scene is healthier than ever. Helping make that so is different concepts in one, which is well-received by our Sirena, a club that has been going for 23 years now. fans from all over the world.” Its secret? Location is certainly part of it: The club is Alongside a solid bed of residents who come from all hidden away off the backstreets of a beach community, over the world, including Korea, Brazil and Taiwan, and once inside you are led through a warren of Elements boasts a black and gold interior that walkways in a jungle plantation. Forest stretches out combines luxury with function. In terms of sound, the all around you, there are plenty of open-air areas with club packs a punch thanks to its Turbosound install, palm trees littering the sides of the site, and sunset as well as Funktion One’s most premium set up, the parties here often dominate. PSM318. There is, as is often the way in South America, a focus on high-end VIP culture and raised balconies for the wealthier to look down from. The main room is gigantic 56

FRED P PICKS HIS PLACES THE PICKLE FACTORY, LONDON “This club is a dream come true with great sound, an amazing crowd and the staff are awesome. I’m honoured to have a residency there where we make magic happen every session. It’s totally intimate and the vibes are powerful. It’s my home away from home.”

REX CLUB, PARIS “Paris is on fire and at the centre of it the legendary Rex Club holds it down. My favourite party to play is Head On with the amazing Molly, as she curates a amazing program every show. A must-attend when you’re in Paris and looking for a good time.”

BERGHAIN/PANORAMA, BERLIN “This has been my favourite place to play on the planet for many years. The electricity of the crowd is unparalleled, the dedication of the staff is unmatched. I have had so many memorable moments there that have defined how I play and select music today.”

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HANNAH WANTS SELECTS HER SPACES THE RAINBOW VENUES, BIRMINGHAM “Obviously. It’s my hometown, and one of my favourite venues to play. I had my first residency at this club, I learned a lot about a lot, and it’s a club that’ll always have my heart.”

SUB CLUB, resident DJ Amilkar is making a name for himself on the sand throughout June, with the likes of Nicky Romero, “I played for the first time only a few Paraguayan scene and has been invited to play at Color , Duke Dumont and DVBBS. It seems months back and it blew my mind! The low ceilings, Paraguay this month. there’s something for everyone’s ears at Beachclub; the close intimate vibes and that ridiculous In January, Velvet returned to their summer villa in and even if your favourite DJ isn’t on the line-up, who soundsystem… They’re three KEY elements for San Bernardino, where they reopened the iconic José can say no to a bottle of champagne on a sparkling a proper rave, in my opinion! Throw in a mental Asunción Flore Amphitheatre for the month and for Canadian beach? Scottish crowd and well, you’re winning!” the third consecutive year. And as we all know there’s nothing quite like dancing under the stars with a whole bunch (several thousand) of like-minded peeps. , But as far as Velvet goes, to give you a rough idea, 08 MANCHESTER it’s got a cacophony of lights and lasers, and fancy 53 “To have played at WHP for the past three years as soundsystems — the whole shebang. And, of course, well as taking my brand there for the past two is a surrounding furnishings are made from, you’ve THE PALACE literal dream come true. The unique and rawness guessed it, velvet. MANILA, PHILIPPINES of the venue makes it, for me, one of the best CAPACITY: 4000 - 6000 rave places in the entire world! Sweat drips off THEPALACEMANILA.COM the underground car park walls, it’s one hell of an 08 atmosphere!” 54 WHOOSH! The Palace is the all-singing, all-dancing, light show fantastic, mega poolside kind of place that nods and beams and takes much of its inspiration from BEACHCLUB Vegas and . Wrapping its vast wingspan around MONTRÉAL, CANADA six venues, it’s got dibs on being Asia’s biggest nightlife CAPACITY: 5000 complex and can proudly say “we built this club from 28 55 BEACHCLUB.COM the ground up”. Huge. Asia has certainly got its claws sunk deep into the EDM landscape and The Palace pool MONTRÉAL natives know how to party, and how club was a pitstop for Macklemore, , DJ VELVET to appreciate the fleeting months of warmth they Snake and last year. ASUNCIÓN, PARAGUAY experience every calendar year by taking advantage of Keeping things magical and swiftly moving forward, CAPACITY: 1000 their lakefront beaches. That’s where Beachclub comes they’ve opened a smaller club called Revel that will VELVET.COM/PY in, a sprawling 5000-person outdoor venue that knows cater exclusively for those that like to be exclusively what les habitants want and need — and provides it, catered for — yep, that’ll be VIPs for you. And for the NOW that Velvet is firmly rooted as a happy place to from May to September. Situated on the sandy shores “younger crowd”, the ones that really like to let their be on a Saturday night in South America, what with of Pointe-Calumet, it possesses a distinctly Balearic hair down, Yes Please opens up with an electro, indie, its luxurious features and some carefully selected big vibe with its cabanas and casual, bikini-clad attendees. jump-around soundtrack, and duo, Louis The Child, names on the EDM circuit, they can rest up a little. Ha, Fittingly, Beachclub’s Ibiza festival is a popular appearing for the launch. Focusing on live performers just kidding. They’ve built a new VIP area that overlooks attraction. The club’s 2017 season kicks off with NYC in 2017, G-Eazy is lined up for an appearance in August the club and have modified their DJ booth to allow house icon , Carnage and Will Sparks, along with Yellow Claw, NGHTMRE and Brilz, who’ll be special guests the chance to party next to the DJ. Top while the following weekend gets a dose of heavy serving up on those trap duties. names they’ve been bragging about include Ummet techno with Drumcode boss Adam Beyer, Joseph Ozcan, Bassjackers and Guille Preda, and their own Capriati and Carlo Lio. Big names continue to hit the

djmag.com 061 The energy transmitted by our guests is the best way to measure our work and success.

We thank all the collaborators, essentials to this whole journey, and all the DJs that performed here, helping us write this beautiful history.

Lastly but not less important, thanks to all those who honored us with a vote and preference.

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ultraclub has reimagined entertainment by splitting the 20,000 square-foot space into a part lounge, 05 52 part show-experience, with performance artists and dancers to enhance the atmosphere. Featuring four 24- hour full service bars, this $40 million award-winning LOST BEACH destination is located in the heart of downtown, just MONTAÑITA, ECUADOR minutes from South Beach. Securing the industry’s CAPACITY: 5000 biggest names like Drake, The Chainsmokers, Diplo, FACEBOOK.COM/LOSTBEACHCLUBEC Zedd and , E11EVEN has something for each and every party-goer. E11EVEN aims to please LOST Beach continues to confound. A two-hour drive with their cirque-style performers, Funktion-One from Ecuadorian city Guayaquil, it carries on thriving Resolution 6 soundsystem and LED video walls. despite (or perhaps because of) its relatively remote E11EVEN is revolutionizing the local nightclub scene. location. Named after cult TV series Lost, it was forced You can expect to find their resident DJs pumping up into precautionary closure for a month last year the party every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, with after an earthquake, but was soon back firing on all guest DJs making appearances in the booth on the cylinders. Served by the amazing Dharma Beach Hotel weekends. This upscale and stylish destination is sure — named after the fictional research project in the TV to immerse each guest in an unforgettable experience. show — Lost Beach has resulted in a boom for the area, previously just a remote outpost for surfers. With psychedelic murals along some of the walls, the 06 semi-outdoor space at ground level is served by a pukka 50 Funktion One system. After 4am the action transfers inside to The Cave, a purpose-built amphitheatre peppered with fake fauna, and there’s a terrace room D-EDGE for early doors/after-hours sessions and now Kami’s SÃO PAULO, BRAZIL House — a raised level room with great views out to CAPACITY: 1000 SINISTARR sea. D-EDGE.COM.BR NAMES HIS FAVES Unlike a lot of clubs in South America, Lost Beach operates a ‘no EDM’ policy, as befitting the tastes “THE whole idea of D-Edge and the first D-Edge started of force-of-nature owner, Kami. A favoured place of in my hometown, Campo Grande,” founder Renato OHM, BERLIN Damian Lazarus, Lee Foss and Jamie Jones, Just Be Ratier tells DJ Mag. “I was involved with my radio show, “Ohm really takes notice of the bass-heavy ends of (aka Bushwacka!) has named a track after it, and Mr. C fashion accessories design, and started organising my dance music in the face of a predominantly house swears by it. DJ Mag editor Carl Loben has also named it first big parties and events, which eventually resulted and techno scene, not only in their curation of as one of his favourite clubs in the world. in D-Edge opening.” nights, but in the ‘no-frills’ décor of low ceilings, D-Edge is an impressive, futuristic-looking space full red lighting and tiled walls — and a superb to the brim with LED panels (designed by visual artist soundsystem to complement all of it.” Muti Randolph) — giving it a space-age feel. It has a 22 51 discerning booking policy, with international DJs such BEAM, BANGKOK as Hunter/Game, Joseph Capriati, Apollonia, Tale Of “Beam’s only a year old, but their musical Us, Xo Chic, Lauren Lane, and programming and ultra-modern design has turned E11EVEN Seth Troxler all guesting in the last year, along with them into heavyweights in Thailand’s electronic MIAMI, USA renowned Brazilian DJs such as Julio Torres, Anderson music scene.” CAPACITY: 1000 Noise and Renato Ratier himself. 11MIAMI.COM About to celebrate its 17th birthday, the exciting news HABITAT, CALGARY from D-Edge HQ is that they’re about to open a sister “An intimate atmosphere when it comes to playing WHEN you think of booming 24/7 clubs, your thoughts club in Rio de Janeiro. They’ve also been staging the gigs is something that I truly love, and Habitat has are typically directed to the iconic nightlife of Europe. odd event outside of the main D-Edge space to increase done well in achieving that theme and essentially That stereotype has been challenged in Miami with their impact, and have organised “a couple of solidarity building a solid community of club-goers in the E11EVEN; a swanky, top-of-the-line nightclub that is actions pointing out social problems, trying to do our process.” open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This one-of-a-kind part and make a contribution”.

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form or other this year? Of course, but it’s still a bit 26 hush-hush. 49 Before the terrible events of August, Studio 338 had only been up and running again for a few months, but boy, what a few months they were. They’d thrown some CULTURE CLUB REVELIN massive get-togethers, the kind that say, ‘Just ‘cause DUBROVNIK, CROATIA we’re in the rainy ol’ UK, it doesn’t mean we can’t have CAPACITY: 1500 fun and pretend like it’s somewhere more exotic’! They CLUBREVELIN.COM worked with the brands they loved, introducing London to Elrow and tINI & The Gang. So for the near future THE towns and cities of the Adriatic coast are steeped they’ll be getting involved with On Tour Space Ibiza: in history, and the area’s club and festival owners The Fiesta Lives On, in further flung, equally as exotic have been capitalising on that heavily in recent years. cities like Southampton and Birmingham. Gosh! Situated within the sandstone walls of a fort built in 1453, Revelin not only combines old and new (as in, ultra modern, state-of-the-art lighting and huge 09 120kW mAudio soundsystem-new), but has really been 47 reaping the benefits of doing so — climbing all the way into the top 50 just two years after first landing in our poll. CLUB SPACE Naturally, the venue’s impressive bookings help — MIAMI, , , R3hab, Sam Divine, Doorly, CAPACITY: 2500 Prok & Fitch, Weiss… the list goes on — along with CLUBSPACE.COM a full seven-day programme, including new night MashUp Masters, and DANCEElectric Residency, which WHEN one club door closes, another opens. The LENA WILLIKENS promotes underground talent. 2017 will bring over 50 legendary Space Ibiza shuttered its doors in 2016, but DJs to Revelin’s main stage, two five-day festivals, a (the unconnected) Club Space in Miami is poised to fill CHOOSES HER CHURCHES two-dayer, and performances from the club’s unique that gaping hole in ravers’ hearts. A long-time staple in SALON DES AMATEURS, dance group. Phew! Busy to say the least then, and the Miami scene — and our Top 100 list — Club Space is with no sign of stopping, it looks like Revelin is sure to under brand new ownership this year, and it’s starting DÜSSELDORF go down in history as a favourite for Croatian clubbers to feel a lot more like the Ibiza outpost we all knew “My home base. The perfect spot if you look for and touring ravers alike. and loved, than the somewhat menacing Miami haunt anarchy. Within the Salon it is all about sharing it was turning into. Space’s new parents are a trio of good music, making new discoveries and the locals who have been passionately upping Miami’s freedom to play whatever you want.” underground game for years. Davide Danese, Coloma 50 48 Kaboomsky and David Sinopoli are talent-booking, DE SCHOOL, AMSTERDAM party-throwing mavericks who are familiar with driving “The basement offers darkness in its most beautiful the world’s greatest underground and indie acts to form: No ambitious lights (strobe only), no visuals STUDIO 338 South Florida. Just six months into their tenure, — just lots of smoke. With the peaceful ambient LONDON, UK they’ve already brought that to Space, with everyone garden and the social gathering of the restaurant CAPACITY: 3000 from Jamie Jones and Richie Hawtin to Adam Beyer, as the perfect compliment.“ STUDIO338.CO.UK Pan-Pot, Luciano, tINI and scores more. Plus, there’s yoga on the clean dancefloor on Saturdays, a brand IT’S heartwarming to think that despite Studio 338’s new, state-of-the-art soundsystem immerses the club’s GOLDEN PUDEL CLUB, catastrophic 2016 — when, shortly after they’d added legendary terrace in body-shaking bass, and the venue HAMBURG the Beach area and a glass atrium terrace, tragedy has received a subtle, earthy makeover to soften the “The Pudel club as locals say is the heart of the struck, and it was destroyed by a massive fire, sadly heavy 24-hour-beats. Hamburg music scene and as with Salon, a place killing one of its employees — DJ Mag readers have of anarchy and freedom. On 14th February 2016 voted this striking club and venture into the Top 100 this Hamburg institution burnt down. Money for Clubs poll again. Thinking positively and looking on the restoration is still needed, you could donate here: bright side, surely the South London discotheque of pudel.com.” the best kind of debauchery will be back open in some

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entertaining Brazil’s increasingly house and 13 techno-orientated dance enthusiasts already 46 during its short lifetime. SUB CLUB GLASGOW, SCOTLAND 16 CAPACITY: 410 SUBCLUB.CO.UK 44

SET within what used to be a boiler room and MYST cellar for an old porno cinema, this den of iniquity SHANGHAI, CHINA is home to a very different form of hedonism CAPACITY: 2000 these days. After becoming a nightclub named MYSTSHANGHAI.COM Lucifer during the ‘80s, it wasn’t until it opened its doors as Sub Club — a regular Saturday night WHEN Myst books headline DJs they don’t do it promotion that eventually took over the premises by halves, they go hell for leather! Last July it was in 1987 — that this snug 410-capacity basement that took a Thursday night there to really came into its own. some kind of next level enormity. , Armin Today unrivalled as Glasgow’s most important van Burren, Diplo, Zedd and Nicky Romero have DAVIDE SQUILLACE place for underground clubbing, Sub Club — also all flown in and sprinkled their magic dust despite its relatively diminutive size — is one of over the eager, up-for-it crowd that gathers. And NAMES HIS DANCEFLOORS the sole reasons why Scotland’s industrial capital this January just past, DJ Mag’s very own Adam holds decent dance music as its lifeblood. Regular Saville smashed it there too. On all occasions it’s DC10, IBIZA nights like Subculture — run weekly since ‘94 their residents — either DJ L, TANK or Pink — that “DC10 is a temple of music and people. It hosts an by trusted residents Harri & Domenic — provide have warmed up and set the pace at this, one of amazing crowd and I’ve had some of my most the backbone not only of a club regarded as a China’s most iconic of clubs. memorable moments playing on their terrace.” national treasure by its locals and beyond, but To give you some sense of the layout, Myst has of the city’s cultural scene as a whole. Fabled two main rooms: downstairs is the lounge with a UBERHAUS, BEIRUT eclectic Sunday night party, , still gets more chilled, laidback kind of vibe, and scattered “I recently played here during the Better Lost Than spotted here on occasion and Jackmaster calls about there are an impressive seven private rooms Stupid tour. The venue is the perfect marriage of upon it as his spiritual home for Numbers, while to keep their VIPs happy. Up-and-coming local design and sound pressure.” Sensu — run by Junior & Barry Price — hosts Chinese talent have a platform here to showcase Fridays. All these promotions ensure the bookings themselves to the growing scene in Shanghai. COCORICÒ, ITALY are always on-point, with the likes of The Black Which can only be a good thing. 2016 saw a rise “This venue is an architecturally timeless space with Madonna, Henrik Schwarz, and recent in the popularity of trap music within the scene in its incredible high glass ceiling and vast dancefloor, DJ Mag cover-star Mr. G all making appearances China and their forthcoming line-ups reflect this and Italy, of course, has the best crowds.” already in 2017. However, it’s not just the music — or is it the ‘three-dimensional mirror walls’? policy that makes this one of Europe’s most prized clubs: it’s the room’s pressure-cooker energy, brought to boiling point every time thanks to its 45 huge, absorbing Bodysonic soundsystem, low overhead ceilings and Subby’s always-mad-for-it Weeji crowd.

NEW 45 ENTRY LAROC CLUB SÃO PAULO, BRAZIL CAPACITY: 5000 LAROC.CLUB

OPENING a total of 18 times a year, since it opened about ago, the ferocious buzz around Laroc in Brazil has been reflected in its whopping new entry placement at No.46 in the poll this year. One brief visit — or even a glimpse of the photos, for that — is enough to reveal why. A stylishly constructed, wooden open- air structure under a dome-like roof slap-bang in the middle of an open 50,000-square-metre stretch of rustic tropical countryside, this state- of-the-art, 5000-capacity arena certainly takes cues from giants like Green Valley and Ushuaïa, yet Laroc’s identity is well and truly its own. A sunset club, set within a nation known best for its sun — and, of course, its tropical rain — the experience here — an explosion of confetti, CO2 cannons and flaming pyrotechnics — is about much, much more than the music; which, pumped from meaty, crystal-clear speaker- stacks, is equally impressive, with the likes of James Zabiela, Claptone and all

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43 04 42 08 41 10 FABRIK ENCORE & SURRENDER DIGITAL NEWCASTLE MADRID, SPAIN LAS VEGAS, USA NEWCASTLE, UK CAPACITY: 3550 CAPACITY: 2600 CAPACITY: 1500 GRUPO-KAPITAL.COM/FABRIK ENCOREBEACHCLUB.COM YOURFUTUREISDIGITAL.COM

COMPARISONS are a mainstay of clubland BOTH Encore Beach Club and Surrender are at Encore WHEN DJ Mag travelled up to Newcastle for the chatter, with DJs, music, sound, events and venues in Las Vegas, and although they’re connected for a opening night of Digital over a decade ago (opened by undoubtedly receiving the most consideration. But, day-to-night experience (the first of its kind on the 2ManyDJs, who we flew up with from isolated on the outskirts of the city, there is simply strip), offer amazingly different settings. The Beach in a helicopter, no less), we immediately dubbed it ‘the nothing in Madrid comparable to the gargantuan Club is an upscale adult-only pool reminiscent of an Fabric of the north’. And it’s continued to live up to the Fabrik. If there was any comparison to be made it oasis (but with an Ibizan twist), with 40-foot palm hype, booking a plethora of quality DJs over the years would surely be to the sights and atmosphere attained trees surrounding tiered pools, and oversized lily pads. to play in its cool futuristic environs. en masse at a festival, Fabrik’s vast lighting rigs and Around the water’s edge, there are luxury cabanas Opened by the Tokyo Industries company (who also LED screens servicing over 3,500, largely inside its two and, if you want something even more upscale, private now have a stake in Church in Leeds), Digital has won main, hangar-like rooms. But, of course, unlike an bungalows with every amenity (seriously, you get a succession of awards over the years — including Best annual festival, Fabrik’s Tecnare soundsystems can be private security, a private restroom, and even access to Large Club at DJ Mag’s Best Of British awards in 2010 — experienced each weekend. an intimate infinity pool). and consistently placed well in this Top 100 Clubs poll. Despite the lack of any close competitor, the purpose- Connected to the Beach Club is the much sultrier Its sister club in may be no more (it’s now built, 13-year-old space constantly tries to improve the Surrender, which is marked by a signature 90-foot ), but the original north-east blueprint is experience on offer, and in the past year a new outdoor snake sculpture that winds across the wall of the back still thriving. Local boy made good, Patrick Topping stage has been added beside the water feature and bar. John Lyons Systems developed the sound, tailored hosts his regular Motion party at Digital, and recent palm trees on its outdoor terrace area. to deliver rich, crisp audio no matter if you’re indoors guests have included legends such as Todd Terry and The biggest and best on the circuit play here. The likes or out, and artists booked include everyone from Sven Väth. In addition, DJ Mag is hosting an Apollonia of Sven Väth, , Carl Cox, Underworld, Alison Wonderland to Dillon Francis and RL . Yes, special on Friday 5th May, with the acclaimed French Jeff Mills, Laurent Garnier, Jamie Jones, Seth Troxler, everything about the two venues screams opulence and trio ably supported by the Willers Brothers and the DJ Solomun, Rødhåd and Maceo Plex have dropped by to chi-chi elegance, but the calendar here is packed with Mag Allstars. join residents Raul Ortiz, Cesar Almena and Nuke in the booty-shakers, making it a wonderfully beautiful dive last 12 months with techno night CODE, classics night into sin. La Resistencia and Elrow being some of its key nights.

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HIGHEST KLUTE NEW NEW ENTRY ENTRY DROPS HIS HOTSPOTS 40 39 FABRIC, LONDON “The big daddy. They weren’t going to lie down and TOBACCO DOCK KALYPSO take it and fought back and won, and for that LONDON, UK ZRCE BEACH, CROATIA reason and too many amazing memories to list CAPACITY: 5000 CAPACITY: 3000 they’re my No.1.” TOBACCODOCKLONDON.COM KALYPSO-ZRCE.COM PHOENIX LANDING, IN a crowded London club landscape, Tobacco Dock WHILE Croatian jewels are relatively fresh faces on “This small Irish bar in Cambridge, Massachusetts, manages to stand out. With its 5,000 capacity putting Europe’s hedonistic map compared with Balearic or where everybody knows your name has been on my it head-and-shoulders above other venues when it Greek islands — many of the most essential events are circuit for 15-plus years and it’s still as amazing as comes to size, Tobacco Dock is primarily known for two still under a decade old — Kalypso is already at veteran the first time I played there. The best people ever.” behemoth events in the London clubbing calendar: status. The oldest venue on Pag’s Zcre Beach was doing Drumcode Halloween and LWE NYE. Hosting six shows open-air sessions long before its neighbours knew CROSS CLUB, PRAGUE a year, LWE has been Tobacco Dock’s primary promoter what the phrase meant. And the three decades since “Sometimes you play a venue and think to yourself since 2014. As befits a venue of its size, Tobacco Dock revellers first landed here have seen everything from how lucky some people are to have this place on hosts dance music titans. The last year has seen a the Balkan war, constitutional and economic reform, their doorstep. Amazing crowds and amazing selection of artists from Carl Cox to Bonobo, Eats the breakup of Yugoslavia and establishment of an décor. Has to be seen to be believed.​” Everything to Mella Dee, Dusky (live) and Basement independent Croatia, to the onset of mass tourism. Jaxx. The venue itself — which is listed as a heritage Plenty has changed about the club too, which began location — consists of three contrasting rooms. The life far more humble than it is today. The main Great Gallery — with criss-crossing beams above your dancefloor, split level layout, and chic chillout areas head, a high ceiling and glass perimeter — somehow took years to come to fruition, and more improvements manages to be a large space that feels intimate. For arrived during a 2015 refurb. Nevertheless, Kalypso 14 fans of smaller spaces, the Little Gallery is the place to still keeps it real, representing local talent as much as 38 go — particularly if you were there for Seth Troxler’s possible, although that doesn’t mean a lack of touring Acid Future rave, with 250 mirrorballs specially brought international faces. As one of the main spots for epic in for the event. Adriatic marathons like Hideout Festival, Sonus and PRIVILEGE With an open-air walkway connecting all three rooms Barrakud, names ranging from Elrow to Ellen Allien SAN ANTONIO, IBIZA that makes it perfect for daytime parties, Tobacco Dock have all added to its rich legacy, with the coming CAPACITY: 10,000 is a firm fixture in the London club scene — and one summer’s 30th anniversary season set to be the PRIVILEGEIBIZA.COM with a growing legion of fans. biggest yet. IF you were looking for a dictionary definition of a superclub, Privilege is pretty much it. The hedonistic venue is integral to the story of the White Isle — having humbly started out in the seventies as Ku Club, a community swimming pool with a teeny bar, Privilege has expanded and is now (so Guinness says) the largest club in the world. It now boasts a main room like an aircraft hangar — think confetti and CO2 cannons exploding under 25-metre-high ceilings — a grand total of 14 bars and a glass-encased second room, Vista, where you can enjoy a full peep of those Ibizan dawns. Privilege boasts names as huge as its capacity, too (Carl Cox is bringing his Pure Carl Cox night to two slots at the San Antoni club this season), and in 2017 its Resistance nights will soon see Sasha and John Digweed take charge of selections back-to-back. While their ever popular SupermartXé and Paint Party nights drew a huge variety of selectors through the doors of the Ibizan institution during 2016, and there’s little doubt that the coming season will see much more of 39 the same.

068 djmag.com Reservation + - - Address 中国 ·成都339 ·4F 424 Space(四川电视塔） 4F,ShoppingMall 339,chengdu,China www.chinaspaceclub.com

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37 15 CAVO PARADISO MYKONOS, GREECE CAPACITY: 3000 CAVOPARADISO.GR

IT’S says something special about a club when it books dance music royalty from across the spectrum. But Cavo Paradiso in Mykonos is a place like few others in the world, born out of a farmer’s old single-room hut on the edge of a rocky cliff overlooking the Aegean sea. Owner Nikos Daktylides was smart to see its potential, launching Cavo as an after-hours venue in 1993 that catered almost exclusively to underground house stars like David Morales, Frankie Knuckles and . Because today it’s easily one of the most loved venues in dance music, developing into a multi-level, open-air venue that packs in as many as 4000 clubbers a night through the summer. Fireworks boom overhead as bikini-clad clubbers dance by the pool to acts as varied as Marco Carola, Armin van Buuren, Black Coffee, Kygo, Richie Hawtin, Skrillex, Sven Väth, Adam Beyer, Nina Kraviz, and The Chainsmokers — all of whom played the cavernous main room in the past year, a place that glows opal Magician. Lest you think they take themselves too as the sun rises over the back of the dancefloor come seriously, four distinctly separate areas allow you to 13 morning. Cavo’s come a long way from its sleepy choose your vibe for the evening. While the main room origins, but after 24 years it’s still a slice of Greek 35 has a dark and raw vibe, the Panther Room sports sexy cliffside paradise. ‘70s disco décor complete with fireplace, Halcyon is a OUTPUT speakeasy bar and record shop, and deck is NEW YORK CITY, USA multi-level with panoramic views of the city… and a CAPACITY: 450 slushie bar. The past year has seen massive upgrades: 18 36 OUTPUTCLUB.COM the main room underwent a complete renovation with a rebuilt DJ booth that turns into a stage, an expanded A 700-square-foot former warehouse, Output might dancefloor, and improvements to their Funktion be small, but it is mighty. The perfect haven for any One soundsystem. Combine all that with Output’s LONDON, UK club-goer looking for an experience outside of the standing policy of encouraging “respect, discretion and CAPACITY: 1000 oontz-oontz and flashy LEDs of more typical arenas, dancing”, and this all makes for the ideal location to EGGLONDON.CO.UK Output sports a more industrial vibe, with residents let the likes of Brodinksi, Hot Chip and Richie Hawtin like Seth Troxler, Bonobo, Horse Meat Disco and The soundtrack your evening. EGG London’s ongoing renaissance has been reflected in another leapfrog in this poll. Since entering at No.99 in 2014, the club’s rise has been largely down to a couple of clear-as-day reasons. Firstly, its increasingly strengthening booking policy is one of the most professional London — one of the world’s most competitive scenes — has to offer. The past 12 months have seen the venue entertain an extensive list of the globe’s most heavyweight underground talent. Pan- Pot, Sven Väth, Solomun and Chris Liebing are just a few names that sent Egg’s techno-obsessed mentalists off their nugget in 2016, while megastar names such as and Idris Elba rocked the Friday night masses to the rafters. Secondly, the club’s constant transformation — from garden to warehouse and back again — alongside its quest for the perfect, most powerful custom-built soundsystem (Flipside) has also marked it out as one of the capital’s finest places to party. Egg London also regularly serves as the London home for our DJ Mag Sessions parties and hosted our Best of British Awards party last December, where DJ EZ, Solardo and Alan Fitzpatrick all performed while the UK dance industry’s leading figures (Carl Cox, Norman Jay, Night Czar Amy Lamé et al) rubbed shoulders. Not only is Egg London one of the world’s favourite clubs, it’s one of ours too.

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JOYCE MUNIZ PICKS THREE FLOORS GRELLE FORELLE, VIENNA 09 55 HIGHEST “Being originally from Vienna, Grelle Forelle is, for 33 32 CLIMBER me, one of the most interesting clubs in Europe. It’s like a dark hole with incredibly massive bass.” AVALON PHONOX , USA LONDON, UK BEAM, BANGKOK CAPACITY: 1500 CAPACITY: 550 “A new club in Bangkok where I graced the decks AVALONHOLLYWOOD.COM PHONOX.CO.UK during New Year’s Eve. Beam has a great soundsystem and light projections. It looks like a ONE of Hollywood’s most historic landmarks, Avalon HERE at DJ Mag, we get an extra warm feeling in our little warehouse in the centre of BKK.” has played host to everything from The Beatles’ first hearts knowing that a London club is officially the West Coast performance in 1964, to Sasha’s first West highest climber in this year’s poll. Take that, naysayers! WARUNG BEACH CLUB, Coast residency. It’s seen many titles since initially London lives on! In all seriousness though, Phonox’s ITAJAÍ, BRAZIL opening in 1927 (The Hollywood Playhouse, The WPA ascension is testament to the hard work and business “Most people know Warung as the temple. The club Federal Theatre, El Capitan Theatre, etc), but officially acumen of the Columbo Group, who own a host of is next to the beach in the middle of the jungle. The became Avalon in September of 2002. Since then, it’s London venues, including XOYO, which charted at No. soundsystem sounds tight on both floors.” become a must-attend venue for Hollywood, hosting 64. Previously known as Plan B, the Brixton venue got a Rolling Stone Grammy parties, movie premiere events, makeover from its new owners, switching the booth to and groundbreaking residencies from the likes of a more appropriate place and adding some minimal but Sasha, Matthew Dear and Erick Morillo. Aside from snazzy horizontal lasers. Downstairs also got a refurb, 05 that, they also host long-running club-night Control, giving it a proper seating area, and, since our last Top 34 which focuses on bringing up-and-coming talent into 100 Clubs (where Phonox first entered in 87th place), the spotlight and has helped launch names like Skrillex upstairs has also gained some space for R&R, neatly and , and sport the Bardot terrace hidden behind a decorative screen. This frees up the BARBARELLA’S directly above for a more intimate feeling away from club’s small stages for ravers to dance on high — and DISCOTHEQUE main room hubbub. A venue with such a grand history with the line-ups on offer, it’s impossible not to. Young PIROVAC, CROATIA needs a grand stage, and this all happens on a state-of- star HAAi has been dominating Saturdays with her CAPACITY: 1500 the-art system with massive 40-inch , the ongoing residency, while the past few months alone THEGARDEN.HR largest ever installed in a club. So, if you’re in the mood have seen Best Of British winner Denis Sulta, electro to dabble in both a bit of chart-topping goodness and whizz Helena Hauff, dubstep dons Mala and Khan & OVER the last few years, this rectangular, open-air something new and unexpected, Avalon might just be Neek, and celebrated former resident, Jasper James, and beach-side club has picked up an international one of the grandest stages you could hope for. take to the booth. South London’s number one… reputation, with DJs everywhere clamouring to play it. And it’s not hard to work out why Barbarella’s — which is surrounded by Croatian pine trees and hosts Love International, Soundwave, Dekmantel Selectors, Suncebeat, Beats, Beer and Boogaloo and more festivals like it — is special. “A lot of the older heads say it’s reminiscent of Ibiza’s early days,” says the venue’s Nick Colgan. “Dancing away all night toward the sun coming up, and you’re in this beautiful pine-shaded area, the sky turning from deep black to blue as dawn breaks. It’s an intimate experience and a form of escapism.” Little has changed at the club in the last 12 months after some big moves to sharpen up the soundsystem in recent years (including laying a huge wall of stone blocks to keep the sound in), but the quality of the guests who play has remained constant. There are no residents, but Craig Richards and Ben UFO played back- to-back to great acclaim last summer, and DJ Harvey’s closing set for the last ever Garden Festival will live long in the memory. 32

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square feet, with a main room housing a 40-foot LED 29 DJ booth and projection stage, the lavish Library room for an intimate lounge experience, and the lower level Boom Box Room with dazzling views of the strip, all in addition to the Dome. This year, the resident list is stacked, with , DJ Mustard, Galantis, R3hab and more playing until 5am in one of Sin City’s landmark clubs.

06 29 LONDON, UK CAPACITY: 1555 CLUB.MINISTRYOFSOUND.COM

THIS former bus garage revolutionised London clubland when it opened in the early 1990s. With its amazing soundsystem and attention to detail, Ministry played a big part in the ‘90s house music explosion by booking a load of the top US jocks to fly over to the UK and creating line-ups around them. They were a timely home for UK garage for a while, too, and a bit of drum & bass, but as other top London clubs like Fabric and The End put on cooler underground nights, Ministry line- ups started looking a little tired and largely catering for tourists. Not any more, though. only nightclub on the strip dedicated specifically In the last few years, there’s been a real turnaround. 13 to EDM, and though it’s a banner they still proudly DJ Harvey playing all night long last summer has now 31 wave, bookings have also expanded, seeing the likes morphed into a quarterly residency for the iconic of both Kygo, but also The Weeknd. One of the key spinner. Adam Beyer has come onboard for some things that continues to set it apart is the Marquee events, as has Dixon, and couple those top names with ANZUCLUB Dayclub Dome — the only winter daytime pool party their Glitterbox residency and a smattering of DJ Mag SÃO PAULO, BRAZIL in Las Vegas. Heated to 85 degrees every Saturday events in recent years — plus the introduction of the CAPACITY: 3000 (and select Sundays), the Dome spans 22,000 square pioneering Dolby Atmos surround-sound system in ANZUCLUB.COM feet, boasting two pools, several bars and a gaming the main room (The Box) — and Ministry is back in the area. Of course, there’s no need to pop on a bathing game. After all, who wouldn’t want to play on one of A mainstay in this poll, Anzuclub — located in Itu, suit to enjoy Marquee — in total it takes up 60,000 the best soundsystems in the world? just an hour’s drive from São Paulo — has undergone some pretty impressive developments since the voting closed earlier in 2016. Two weeks after carnival last year, this warehouse — which once also housed a Japanese restaurant — reopened its doors with a newly stacked JBL Vertec soundsystem and raised video-mapped, pod-like booths placed on the side wall to create extra space for ravers within the club’s gargantuan main room. Since, amidst a sea of raised hands and iPhones flashing, this industrial monolith has enjoyed its biggest 12 months yet — both in terms of size and big-room energy. Bob Sinclar, Boris Brejcha, Shiba San (Dirtybird showcase), Kolombo and local superstar have all been booked to rock the main room in recent months, and the outdoor terrace (Pistinha) continues to bring naughty house and techno beats until sunrise. With Brazil’s scene for 120bpm dance music stronger than ever, Anzu remains one of the nation’s leading lights.

30 05 MARQUEE LAS VEGAS LAS VEGAS, USA CAPACITY: 5000 MARQUEELASVEGAS.COM

TAO Group’s Marquee Nightclub & Dayclub debuted on New Year’s Eve of 2010 with the opening of The 30 Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas. At the time, it was the

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12 06 23 28 27 26 EL FORTIN EXCHANGE WHITE DUBAI PORT BELO, BRAZIL LOS ANGELES, USA DUBAI, UAE CAPACITY: 10,000 CAPACITY: 1500 CAPACITY: 2000 ELFORTINCLUB.COM.BR EXCHANGELA.COM WHITEDUBAI.COM

SINCE starting in 2000, El Fortin has cemented its EXCHANGE sits in the historic core of downtown Los THIS sky-high, tech-savvy, shiny, futuristic rooftop place as one of Brazil’s best-loved clubs despite rabid Angeles, in what was formerly the Los Angeles Stock venue can boast of a list of main players as long as your competition. It’s constantly growing too, doubling its Exchange building. Brokers vacated in 1986 when arm, from Armin van Buuren to Nervo, that have played capacity since last year’s poll and shooting up 12 places the Pacific Coast Stock Exchange shut down, and the there recently. And top dogs from the R&B and hip-hop as a result since 2016. Another of Brazil’s space remained empty until 2008, when a two-year world also head directly to this multi-levelled, palatial benefitting from the stunning surrounds of lush, green renovation began to turn it into Exchange nightclub. playground. In the past 12 months they’ve introduced rainforest, El Fortin’s red-blooded rabble rave across It currently spans 25,000 square feet over four floors, a weekly EDM event on Thursdays called White Noise, three dancefloors underneath a big angular wooden with care towards preserving as much of the original where the DJ booth morphs centre stage into the hut made of beams. Inside, the beats — as is the trend interior as possible. While the architecture might hark middle of the club. Wow factor projection-mapped for much of Brazil’s leading places to dance — are back to a different time, the tech and music within video content sets the scene, dancers defy gravity from equally solid, leaning towards the more credible end are future-forward. Exchange sports a Funktion One zip lines and there’s plenty of laser and smoke effects of club music rather than the garish noise of EDM, with system with new EVO6 speaker cabinets, over 300 LED action going on. techno and house royalty such as Green Velvet, Boris lighting fixtures, four lasers, and a massive floor-to- White are super-proud of their resident DJs, and rightly Brejcha, Justin Martin, Claptone and Amine Edge & ceiling video wall. They’ve also been live-streaming so. DJAD, Devon Kosoko & Danny Neville and Anthony DANCE all working their magic within this huge fully about half of all their events as of late, using a dynamic Bassoulou are the constants on the Middle Eastern kitted-out shack in the middle of the jungle in recent 8-HD camera set-up that feeds both into Facebook and DJ circuit, furnishing the scene and cosying-up the months. One to also support the enormous wealth of app Grooveo (we recommend tuning in on Facebook, dancefloor each and every week. Over the coming local talent currently dominating Brazil’s club scene where you can experience the events in 360-degree months you should keep ‘em peeled for some White these days — Vintage Culture, Victor Ruiz and Gustavo video live). They book a spectrum of acts, from AC Experience Pop Ups in other decadent destinations Mota are just a few to bring their distinctive sounds Slater to to MSTRKRFT, and play host to — Ibiza, Hong Kong, Barcelona, Monaco and India over the past 12 months. Insomniac’s Awakening Fridays and Bassrush DTLA, — because dancing under the stars is one of their meaning there’s a sound and night for every taste. specialities and it’s only fair to share. 26

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DJ BARELY LEGAL FABRIC, LONDON “Fabric is the first superclub I ever got booked at and it will always have a special space in my heart for giving new artists, like myself at the time, the opportunity to play there and take risks with their line-ups. Fabric isn’t just a clubbing institution, it’s a family.” THE WAREHOUSE PROJECT, MANCHESTER “The Warehouse Project goes above and beyond with their line-ups every year, creating a calibre of artists playing in one night you’d expect to see at festival. The crowd is always sick — big up Manchester — and the team look after you so well, which is so important!”

DC-10, IBIZA and techno long before 120bpm four-fours were the again this year. As it continues to gain on fellow Zrce “DC-10 was where house and techno first clicked for sound du jour for this nation of obsessive clubbers. Beach institutions Papaya and Noa, the question is, will me. I found those genres quite hard to get into Since 2002 in fact. Aquarius steal the top spot as Croatia’s No.1 club? Only for years, coming from a background of grime, Programmed by D-Edge owner and famed DJ, Renato time will tell... but after a few solitary trips to DC-10, catching Ratier, the likes of Dixon, The Martinez Brothers and DJs like Black Coffee and Nina Kraviz play in this Solomun are all regulars here, contributions to a music club environment, it all made sense. The crowd policy that’s almost single-handedly cultivated the core 06 is all there for the music and the soundsystem is essentials of any club scene worth its salt, all within a banging.” spectacular superclub setting. 23 BAUM BOGOTÁ, COLOMBIA 21 CAPACITY: 900 24 BAUMCLUB.COM 04 25 AQUARIUS ZRCE THE future of electronic music is alive and well, ZRCE BEACH, CROATIA and thriving in Colombia, and all eyes are on a club WARUNG BEACH CLUB CAPACITY: 4000 nuzzled in centre of Bogatá. “Baum has been, for the ITAJAÍ, BRAZIL AQUARIUS.HR last four years, a musical reference in the Colombian CAPACITY: 2500 scene, basing its music in house and techno,” they say WARUNGCLUB.COM.BR ZRCE Beach has firmly established itself as one of the themselves. A club that doesn’t just book any old big- places to be when it comes to Croatian clubbing, and name DJ. Not even half way into the year and Baum’s IN recent years the EDM wave has withdrawn slowly that’s in no small part thanks to Aquarius. Located on back-schedule is a thing of wonderment — creating from Brazilian soil, as clubs struggled to sustain the the island of Pag, the venue sports two dancefloors a recipe guaranteed to amaze and delight their loyal extortionate fees demanded by Top 100 DJs in the face and pool, opening its doors for a three-month summer followers with appearances from high-end techno of economic constraints, revealing a strong local scene season that sees it play host to a number of the taskmasters Heidi, wAFF, Coyu and Rodriguez Jnr. rife with house DJs. Turns out they preferred house country’s most popular destination festivals, including However, all eyes are on Baum Festival this year. It’s music all along: hardly surprising when you consider Hideout and Sonus. While the space has been open for their third one in a row, taking place on May 20th with it’s the rhythm of samba — not the screech of EDM a grand total of 15 years, the last 12 months have seen fistfuls of first-rate DJs and artists headlining — DJ synths — that naturally pumps through the veins of its a new main stage and backstage area constructed to Hell, Green Velvet, Joris Voorn, Pleasurekraft, Chris vibrant people. cater for the seriously heavyweight DJs that grace the Liebing and , for starters. Housed in the While the biggest, most commercially facing set-ups decks there. Who exactly, you ask? Well, how about city’s 8000-capacity Multiparque site, revellers will be in South America’s super-nation, such as Green Valley Axwell, Chuckie, Fedde Le Grand, Robin Schulz and looking at a fully satisfying 14-hour dance off. And of and Anzu, are drawing upon Brazil’s megastar names R3hab, for starters? Combine that with JBL, EAW and course there will be a drug-testing area in the Echele of accessible /pop like Vintage Culture L-Acoustics soundsystems and it’s fair to say a good Cabeza tent, a chill-out area, a barber shop (naturally) and Alok to bring in huge crowds, one club has been experience is had by all, which goes some way to and plenty of crazy fun times to be had. importing the crème de la crème of underground house explaining why Aquarius has leapt up the league table

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22 REDLIGHT REELS OFF THREE areas to an alfresco garden gathering, private rooms and a café, all bases are covered in this complex, state- THE RAINBOW VENUES, 10 22 of-the-art hedonistic utopia. BIRMINGHAM Respect goes to resident DJs Goldfish and Blink, BATE, “I’ve been playing around this area since the days Cza and T-Bone, Ken Master, Luqe, Radz and a whole of Custard Factory and Air, but when The Rainbow OMNIA lot more for paving the way and warming up the rooms started it changed everything... Everytime I play LAS VEGAS, USA for the likes of international gallivanters , there, in any of the many different warehouses and CAPACITY: 4400 Doorn, Ferry Corsten and . Next month car parks, it’s always amazing.” OMNIANIGHTCLUB.COM Zouk KL welcomes Trance MY, closely followed in August by Malaysia’s first ‘multi-genre indoor MOTION, BRISTOL THIS massive 75,000 square-foot playground was series’, Zoukin. In a nutshell, Zouk Singapore should be “The ever-evolving Motion just keeps notching up created to offer luxury and five-star VIP service, all super-proud of her sibling venture. to new levels. I love playing either in the main room anchored around a grandiose kinetic chandelier or the Marble Factory, so many memories from weighing 22,000 pounds and comprised of eight great parties being held there and hopefully many concentric circles. Yup, this thing also moves, and more to come…” 01 production elements of the rings include lighting effects, video projections and LED strips, meaning it’s 20 STEALTH, NOTTINGHAM an ever-changing display. As if that wasn’t enough, “Just always such a good crowd and soundsystem, 65 feet above, a massive, ornately designed operatic MOTION once you start playing you never wanna get off. domed roof encloses the entire main club. Wander BRISTOL, UK This has always been a firm favourite for me, either away from the central area and you’ll find an array of CAPACITY: 700 - 3000 room... absolutely tidy.” rooms to slink among. There’s the sleek ultra-lounge MOTIONBRISTOL.COM Heart of Omnia with highly-textured details, the open-air terrace with tiered cabanas and architectural LOOKING out over Bristol’s River Avon on a site that LED strips, and the balcony level, influenced by the dates back over 100 years to the city’s rich industrial Line-up-wise, in the last year Motion have welcomed grand opera houses of the world with decadent boxes past, Motion delivers industrial strength events across everyone from to Tale Of Us, Laurent Garnier to to overlook the dancefloor below. The sounds are every genre — and has done so for over 10 years. Bad Company, via renowned Bristol parties such as Just provided by an expansive roster with A-listers like Previously doubling-up as a skatepark during the Jack, The Blast, Bitch Please and Shall Not Fade. Tech- Kaskade, Zedd, , Afrojack and more, day, Motion now exclusively operates as a club, but wise it’s equally as on-point thanks to the Funktion leaving revelers treated to the ultimate experience has maintained all the street charm and roughness One system, fine-tuned by the owner and his brother from every angle. To top it all off, Omina incorporates it’s always had (just with even better production that who both come from an audio background. Expect even aerialist routines, and are constantly updating doesn’t have to be moved for skaters every morning). more on the production-front this year too as Motion the lighting and technology used to make sure the Its maze-like layout not only guarantees that essential have increased their in-house production team, so it’s experience is always fresh and dazzling. dizzying feel as you acclimatise to the club, but also now complete with a lighting designer, ensuring their creates a flexibility for each night depending on size, events remain industrial strength for a long time to line-up or day of the week. come. 01 21 21 ZOUK KL KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA CAPACITY: 5000 ZOUKCLUB.COM.MY

WHEN you first rock up to Zouk KL you’ll be blown away by the building’s impressive, reflective, angular design, and once you’re inside it the heady, sensory experience goes up another notch. Funktion One soundsystems and millions of LED bulbs ping and persuade you onto the dancefloor. Now into its 13th year, this is without a doubt ‘Asia’s largest superclub’. It’s twice the size of its previous venue and is an ever-evolving beast. Like an onion, there are layers upon layers and the club holds eleven conceptual rooms within it. From members

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19 05 GUABA BEACH BAR LIMASSOL, CYPRUS CAPACITY: 2000 GUABABEACHBAR.COM

GUABA Beach Bar may have begun life as “more of a hut than a venue”, but today it offers Cyprus’ foremost clubbing experience, bringing the likes of Top 100 DJs winner Martin Garrix, Dutch hand-putter-upper Fedde 19 Le Grand and trance heavyweight Paul van Dyk to entertain 2000-strong crowds on the sunny shores of the Mediterranean. the city’s scene would soon change forever. history since 2006, the team behind the Warehouse But what keeps Guaba so fresh year after year? Well, A little later and ‘slightly illegal’ morning started Project (WHP) have a sterling reputation for finding such as in Ibiza, the club is seasonal, and utilises the gaining momentum here, until authorities shut the awesome rave-den venues (in the past they’ve used yearly refresh to make improvements and change parties down in November 2012. Months of inactivity an old brewery and factory) and locking them down the decorations. When the space relaunches on 30th followed, until again the shutters were raised to exclusively with the best promoters and artists to April with its annual Opening Fiesta, it’ll be sporting welcome clubbers for evening bashes, with the sunrise curate line-ups that genuinely reflect the very best of some fancy new features. Along with a new DJ booth starts that are now the lynchpin of Elrow eventually the exciting hotbed of underground talent we all enjoy. design, Guaba is currently installing a new, custom returning on monthly Sundays, this time within the The residents say it all: joining weekly DJs Greg Lord soundsystem and two new bars — one specialising law. Cause for celebration; around 280kg of confetti and Krysko are regulars such as , in cocktails and one boasting some playground-style will be thrown at revellers during an average season, Jackmaster, The Black Madonna, Jasper James and swings to relax in. wild décor changes theme every four weeks — from Moxie depending on the style of night. Last year events It’s not just the club that gets in the spirit either Bollywood to Brazil — and tens of thousands have included Bugged Out, Circus, Ram Jam, Metropolis, — having started as a “party among friends”, the now lost themselves inside and outside to high-energy Elrow, Drumcode, Ninja Tune and Circoloco, while artist ‘Guabians’ keep the community vibe, showing their sounds from the likes of Seth Troxler, Pan-Pot, Joris curators included Four Tet, Flume, Skepta and Hannah loyalty at popular events such as the venue’s Birthday Voorn, Eats Everything and Marco Carola; not to Wants. Party, Summer Carnival and Red Party, where you can mention revered ressies such as De La Swing, Tony find a sea of scarlet clubbers! Fancy a change from the Varga and Marc Maya. White Isle this summer? Cyprus is calling…

11 18 17 18 THE WAREHOUSE ELROW/ROW 14 PROJECT BARCELONA, SPAIN (STORE STREET) CAPACITY: 4500 MANCHESTER, UK ELROW.ES CAPACITY: 2000 THEWAREHOUSEPROJECT.COM OVER the years this spot, close to Barcelona’s airport, has been home to a farmhouse, a restaurant, and the IT used to be an air raid shelter… Now the DJs drop legendary Fricht late-night session. Things set out on bombs inside it. A car park for nine months of the year, a different path, mind, when Juan Arnau Duran took a between September and December it boasts some of hugely expensive punt and almost bankrupted himself the most eclectic and discerning line-ups you’ll find in to completely renovate the space. Row 14 was born, the UK. It’s got to be Manchester’s Warehouse Project. with Laurent Garnier booked for the opening night, and A consistency in the city’s illustrious nightlife 18 ANNA CHOOSES A TRIO

WARUNG BEACH CLUB, ITAJAÍ “You have to go at least once to understand the energy at Warung, words cannot describe it. The crowd, the sunrise in the background, and the passion people have for the club make it unique.” D-EDGE, SÃO PAULO “The incredible design and the perfect soundsystem is what I love the most at D-Edge. It is a reference for quality in Brazil and worldwide.” PACHA, IBIZA “It was where I had my favourite gig last year, so it has to be on my list.”

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PATRICK TOPPING 02 06 NAMES HIS TOP SPOTS 15 14 BOOTHAUS NOA BEACH CLUB REVOLVER, MELBOURNE COLOGNE, GERMANY ZRCE BEACH, CROATIA “My last set was 10 hours. The crowd love any style, CAPACITY: 1600 CAPACITY: 4000 it’s open Friday to Monday, has Banksys on the wall BOOTHAUS.TV NOA-BEACH.COM and the DJ booth is a cage on floor level.” RETAINING its place as Germany’s No.1 nightclub AS Croatia has become more and more of a hotspot DIGITAL, NEWCASTLE outside of Berlin, Boothaus claws its way a couple more for clubbers, so its clubs have continued to evolve to “Been resident for seven years, and every time it’s spots up the Top 100 Clubs poll this year. The brainchild accommodate them. One that has been standing out been amazing! The main room is unreal, the crowd of promoters and DJs U Lee and Sascha — the pair for years now is Noa, which is built from a series of is ballistic and I’m not just saying that because it’s behind the country’s top alternative clubbing night, interconnected platforms floating on the Adriatic in my hometown.” Loonyland (which is also a key event in the Boothaus a natural, wood-heavy style. It is a luxury space with schedule) — the venue combines an industrial feel sunbeds, VIP service, many pools and secluded private DC-10, IBIZA with all the latest mod cons. The space breaks down lounges as well as a main floor, an after-beach area “It’s so exciting playing at DC10, the soundsystem into three rooms: the large, multi-level main room and a chillout zone — all supplied with sound by a D&B and lighting is outrageous. It’s just really cool, and packs flamethrowers, robots and CO2 cannons, giving Audiotechnik system. every time I connect with the crowd.” it a festival-like feel; meanwhile, room two (otherwise “There’s certainly a special feeling in being a guest at known as BLCKBX) offers a trendy club vibe with rows our open-air club,” says Tom from the club. “At Noa you of LED-lit ceiling fans; and finally, the third room, can literally meet the new dawn while partying away, DREHEREI, is a pitch-black sweatbox, exclusively all surrounded by a clear-blue sea.” reserved for the grittiest of techno. Having three As for the soundtrack, maximal EDM stars like Steve 09 16 equally impressive if considerably different spaces Aoki and Skrillex have headlined this year, but Noa also enables the club to capitalise on the EDM explosion, places lots of focus on residents Aldo Morro, Robert while still offering something for the underground MKC and Miss DJ Kay Dee. “With them we created a HAKKASAN headz. Bookings in the past year alone have included sense of familiarity with our guests that makes the ‘Noa LAS VEGAS, USA Oliver Heldens, Diplo, DJ Snake, Paul van Dyk, Speedy J experience’ a fulfilling one. Shortly put, they’re very CAPACITY: 7000+ and , to name but a few. Berlin who? important to us since our visitors and residents are all HAKKASANLV.COM one big family.”

OPENED in April of 2013, this massive space is a five- level culinary and nightlife mecca, and has become 14 one of the most revered names in the game. Thursday through Sunday, the venue provides guests with an unmatched atmosphere and immersive events. Parties like About Last Night with Lil Jon and Cash Is King with Cash Cash all use interactive environments with special photo ops and props to create unique, creative spaces — just another level of escapism for an already lavish establishment. Speaking of lavish, Hakkasan’s five levels include a prestigious restaurant, the 10,000-square-foot Ling Ling Club, the more intimate Ling Ling lounge — with custom-carved marble lattice work — the main nightclub — with a custom DJ booth and suspended performance area — a pavilion that includes a two-story water feature, and the mezzanine, which provides a more private, VIP environment. Got all that? Not only do you have your pick of atmosphere, but your pick of talent — the venue plays host to names like Calvin Harris, Nervo, Questlove and Party Favor, so you can mix and match to curate the exact type of outing you desire.

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11 08 SAN ANTONIO, IBIZA CAPACITY: 4800 AMNESIA-IBIZA.COM

THE building where legendary Ibiza clubbing institution Amnesia stands dates back to the end of the 18th century, but it wasn’t until 1974 when Amnesia became the first club of its kind in Ibiza. Now the 4800-capacity venue is firmly established in the global party scene. People go to Amnesia to lose themselves — to forget — but it’s impossible to forget how deeply Amnesia is tied into the Balearic island’s 13 cultural legacy. There are two rooms: the main room and the terrace, but it’s the terrace that’s the real draw — famous for concrete cathedral like techno demi-gods. The blacked holding extended sets, with a high roof that allows the out room is a notorious time vortex — once you’re Ibizan sun to shine through in the early hours of the 01 13 sucked in, you forget anything else exists. morning, illuminating all below. The upstairs Panorama Bar is a house lover’s dream, As befits a club of its stature and size, Amnesia pulls where mainstays like Nick Höppner, Steffi and Virginia in predictably big names. The last year has seen stars DC-10 play three-hour or more sets to an adoring and including Sven Väth, Adam Beyer, Chase & Status, PLAYA D’EN BOSSA, IBIZA knowledgeable crowd. On Sunday afternoons — the , Fatboy Slim, Marco Carola and Pan-Pot CAPACITY: 1500 preferred time to party for regulars — shadows cast play. Most people associate Amnesia with classic nights FACEBOOK.COM/DC10IBIZAOFFCIAL an ethereal glow on the white-tiled room as sunlight Cocoon and , but international party brand streams through the shuttered windows, opened Elrow’s Saturday parties have rapidly stolen the crown AS it approaches its 20th year, DC-10 finds itself on usually once a weekend and always at the perfect from more historic offerings. Expect glitter cannons, a White Isle in a huge state of flux after the 2016 moment. spectacular set design, beautiful people, fancy dress, season. But through its two long-standing residencies, Some decry the club’s strict and subjective door and even more beautiful people. Circoloco and Paradise, the converted airport hangar policy, but it clearly works. The vibe is always diverse, remains Ibiza’s most iconic underground nightspot. hedonistic and welcoming once you’re inside. Having helped incubate the minimal scene through Ultimately, Berghain is not for everyone. But for those the noughties, the Playa D’en Bossa club continues who love it, it’s the best club in the world. to nurture the careers of discerning selectors from across the house and techno spectrum, with the club’s roll call of residents and regular guests boasting the likes of Seth Troxler, Apollonia, The Martinez Brothers 12 and Luciano. It also welcomes a third night in 2017, as Disclosure bring their Wild Life concept to DC-10 for four Fridays through July and August. Split into three dancefloors, including its large outdoor sun terrace, there are few experiences in global clubbing like the chaos of DC-10 in full swing. The space, which lies off the end of Ibiza’s airport, also boasts one of the best soundsystems on the White Isle, and as the increasing VIP culture continues to suffocate parts of Ibiza, DC-10 remains a defiant antithesis to the island’s cavernous superclubs — a bastion for the true magic of the world’s most revered party island.

12 04 BERGHAIN & PANORAMA BAR BERLIN, GERMANY CAPACITY: 1,500 BERGHAIN.DE

THERE’S no club more ensconced in clubbing lore than Berlin’s Berghain. Even the head doorman is famous. And while the club’s hype is undeniable, anyone who’s partied there knows just how well-deserved its global reputation is. The Berghain floor is nothing but techno, pumped pure out of the room’s expertly tuned Funktion One system for 30-plus hours every Saturday by residents like Ben Klock and Marcel Dettmann; DJs who preside over the

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NON- 10 MOVER BCM PLANET DANCE MAGALUF, MALLORCA CAPACITY: 7000 BCMPLANETDANCE.COM

PLANET Dance: the clue is in the title with Mallorca’s most famous dance venue. And with three floors, three rooms, 15 bars and a capacity to fit 7000 clubbers, it genuinely is in a world of its own. Purpose-built as a superclub in 1988, BCM is a year off its 30th birthday but remains as innovative as ever, with annual décor refreshes on all three rooms and the most up-to-date tech, such as the 65,000w Funktion One system, festival-level lighting and special effects. DJ-wise it’s quicker to list the A-list DJs who haven’t played BCM in recent years. Premiership headliners to perform at one of the venue’s regular parties such as Cream, Danny Howard’s Nothing Else Matters, MTV, Mistajam’s Speakerbox, DJ Sammy’s Supermartxe include… , Skrillex, Hardwell, Martin Garrix, Above & Beyond, Calvin Harris, Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike, , Chase & Status, Loco Dice. Even Snoop Dogg has performed there as DJ Snoopadelic. Adding a real legitimacy to Magaluf’s gradually shifting reputation as a holiday destination for real music lovers, BCM has flown the flag like no other in Mallorca. And as it gears up to its 30th year, you get the 10 impression the plan is to expand even more.

some new features on their shell-like main stage, fans and the technical demands of DJs and live acts. improvements to lights and sound, and some cheeky Created as a nightclub/concert venue hybrid, the tweaks to their already wondrous VIP and pool area. So building was initially chosen for the large main room 02 09 this year is the big reveal. And Hideout, DJ Mag Beach, and unobstructed sightlines — the perfect canvas Sonus and Armada Croatia aren’t even half of the line- for creating an unparalleled immersive environment. ups on the cards for the summer ahead. But let’s not Currently, they have a D&B V-Series audio system, PAPAYA forget the local DJs that make up the backbone of clubs a 14 by 40-foot LED screen, cryo jets, intelligent ZRCE BEACH, CROATIA like this. Kosta Radman, Marzz, Superfine and Jurki lighting and confetti cannons, which combine to give CAPACITY: 3500 host resident nights alongside the likes of Deep, Elrow, a performance-centric production that mimics an PAPAYA.COM.HR Cocoon, Revealed and yours truly, DJ Mag. outdoor festival experience. While that’s always been their ethos, they’ve focused on upping the ante over ONE of Papaya’s main attractions is its huge ‘after the past year, expanding their LED panels and number beach’ parties that take place throughout the entire of lasers. 05 festival season. We’re talking every day from 3pm to 08 It’s no wonder they host the best of the best — the past 8pm from late May to early September. Just a quick year has seen , DJ Snake, Armin van Buuren shimmy-shimmy away from the sea, this open-air and Diplo come through their doors — and why they’re club is the perfect hotspot for lovers of warm, sunny one of the most coveted locations on the East Coast. Croatian climes mixed and blended in with some quality WASHINGTON, D.C., USA Essentially, Echostage caters to the festival snob, the non-stop festival action. Glancing back to last year, CAPACITY: 3000 club snob, and the music snob, so no matter where you Paul Kalkbrenner, MK, Marco Carola, Loco Dice and ECHOSTAGE.COM lean on the entertainment scale, you’re sure to fall in W&W were amongst the heady list of artists and DJs love with this venue. that lit up Zrce beach. THE team behind GLOW, D.C.’s longest-running EDM With a determination to keep things fresh and promotions company, opened Echostage in September sparkling, renovations have been taking place — of 2012 to satisfy both the increasing number of EDM

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06 07 03 PACHA IBIZA TOWN, IBIZA CAPACITY: 3382 PACHAIBIZA.COM

PUT simply, for many people this place is Ibiza. Founded on the island in 1967, whilst the iconic cherries have since spread globally Pacha only has one true home. Hence its status as an annual fixture in the upper echelons of the Top 100 Clubs. The definition of a super-venue in terms of style, size, lighting, and soundsystems, its rich history is the envy of almost every other spot on the island — outlasting many and beginning its story well before the majority. But that reputation would be nothing without a constant stream of events to position the address as a go-to haunt for contemporary hedonists in search of today’s top tunes. the year. We couldn’t imagine this poll without it, nor under the glare of the Balearic sun. It’s a formula that Last summer saw weeklies from Maceo Plex, Nic would we ever want to. means they’ve consistently been able to blow their Fanciulli, Hot Since 82, Luciano, MK, Bob Sinclar and competition out of the water, and the Playa d’en Bossa Solomun, amongst others, with a dedicated crew of venue is a staple on the checklist of any serious Ibizan residents backing up the international names, and partygoer. 02 Monday’s Flower Power events harking back to the 06 Over the past year Ushuaïa has seen EDM heavy-hitters hippy values the brand was originally built on when such as Steve Aoki, NERVO, Martin Garrix, Hardwell founder Ricardo Urgell first decided to open a meeting and David Guetta (‘presents BIG’) return time and time place for like-minded ravers. USHUAÏA IBIZA again to its punchy system and famed pool. Though its This is also where Balearic clubbers will find David PLAYA D’EN BOSSA, IBIZA flashy guests and state-of-the-art LED screens aren’t Guetta’s notorious F***ck Me I’m Famous sessions, CAPACITY: 5000 matched by the club décor itself, which is actually fairly revealing the club’s more commercial music policy USHUAIAIBIZA.COM pared-back and minimal. when compared with many of its neighbours. Placing This coming season, ANTS — Ushuaïa’s most popular emphasis very much on big tunes and even bigger USHUAÏA Ibiza is a party spot that needs little in the residency by far, counting artists such as Joris Voorn, vibes, Pacha is the only major dancing destination on way of introduction. A five-star luxury beach hotel Kölsch and head-honcho Andrea Oliva as regulars the White Isle that keeps its doors open all year round by day, and clubbing paradise by night, the seven- — are letting their colony run riot from June until — hosting daily parties between May and October, and year-old venue boasts heart-stopping views of the September. While the Ushuaïa Entertainment group then welcoming weekend-only warriors during winter, Mediterranean, while championing some of the biggest have just unveiled an exciting new chapter — Hï Ibiza. with New Year’s Eve in this place the thing of myth, DJ names on the planet. Since its inception in 2011, Set in what was formerly Space, it’s set to be one of the legend, and hazy but treasured memories. Although Ushuaïa has been unique in its ability to throw day biggest talking points of the summer ahead, and could has now been sold off for €350 million, parties, too — since there aren’t many other places even prove a future rival to the company’s flagship thankfully parties are still scheduled for throughout where you can catch acts whilst gradually bronzing venue.

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NON- 05 MOVER CLUB OCTAGON SEOUL, CAPACITY: 2500 OCTAGONSEOUL.COM

SEOUL’S number one nightspot retains its place smack-bang in the middle of the top 10 for another year. Having rocketed up the chart after first entering in 2012, Club Octagon has consistently performed, and it’s no wonder, given that the space attracts an average of 7,000 punters every week — and that’s just when it’s local talent in the booth. With EDM titans such as Marshmello, Bassjackers and Quintino regularly gracing the decks, that number is certainly subject to change! “Due to the demands of EDM festival music, there has been a new breed of people requesting more EDM- oriented music,” say the club. “We have been working on a balance, and although our main genre is EDM, we play tech-house, techno, trap and hip-hop as well.” Although boasting 78 VIP tables and nine private rooms, Octagon’s design leans toward the industrial, aiming to recreate some of the original feeling of rave’s grubby, warehouse-based past. Converted from an old basement karaoke bar beneath the New Hilltop Hotel (just south of the Han River), exposed piping and concrete and metallic décor deliver classic vibes, 05 while state-of-the-art lighting, a large LED screen mounted behind the DJ, an in-club elevator between Independent Consultants, the same team behind before it by visionary owner Mr Cheng’s epic legacy. floors, and (most importantly) the Funktion One the Jiak Kim Street residence, the new-look Zouk is And while the location and lay-out might be different, system ensures the club is still well and truly situated a stylish array of metallic panels, stoney matt black the DJs are still of the highest calibre you’d expect in the present. Plus everything from the lights to surfaces and brickwork crossed with a swathe of from this Far Eastern juggernaut, with the likes of the tables is octagon-shaped for that unique, extra- various light-box structures, industrial lamps and Sven Väth, Dave Clarke, Tiësto and Aly & Fila already special edge. modern neon heliocentric patterns. Spanning across featuring in 2017 alone. Also responsible for ZoukOut, With a list of residents far too extensive to post two storeys with an overlooking balcony, three bars, East Asia’s leading dance festival set up in 2000, and in these pages, plus a steady stream of big name VIP pods and a DJ booth with a massive LED backdrop, the always impressive Kuala Lumpur sister venue, the bookings and a loyal customer-base to boot, it seems and with a total capacity of 4,200, the Zouk brand Zouk brand is as formidable as ever. Club Octagon will remain one of the brightest jewels has more than lived up to the huge expectations laid in Asia’s ever-expanding crown of superclubs for a long time to come.

04 02 ZOUK SINGAPORE SINGAPORE, MALAYSIA CAPACITY: 4200 ZOUKCLUB.COM

WHEN the lease for Zouk Singapore’s iconic Jiak Kim Street location — the huge converted warehouse it had occupied since 1991 — expired at the end of 2016, Singapore’s only internationally established superclub brand re-opened at Clarke Quay, a historic stretch of land next to the Singapore River, on 4th March. The move had taken over a year to plan and following a campaign to save one of the world’s most famous clubs backed by the likes of Hardwell and Laidback Luke, and a series of massive closing parties, Zouk Singapore was reborn within its new incarnation in a glorious hail of confetti — and they haven’t looked back since. Retaining Zouk as its main room concept, reserved for heavyweight EDM bookings, and Phuture for deeper, more underground sounds, two new layout features — the lounge-y Capital and Red Tail for pre- party cocktails and shots — have been introduced to keep with the warped, mind-bending essence 04 of the original labyrinthine version. Designed by

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the deaths of two teenagers from drug-related causes 02 during the summer last year, pretty much the whole of clubland united behind Fabric’s #saveourculture campaign to have their license reinstated. The situation also had a wider impact on clubbing culture, acting as a catalyst to open up the conversation about policing, planning and licensing venues in the UK. And since reopening in January, the Farringdon venue has welcomed a huge array of artists back to EC1, including regulars like Seth Troxler and Ben UFO, as well as Ricardo Villalobos, who Fabric’s promotion manager Andy Blackett describes as an “honorary resident” when speaking to DJ Mag about Fabric’s year. “He was returning home,” he explains. “A sight we never thought we would see again and it was emotional for all of us, Ricardo included.” Fabric won Best Large Club at DJ Mag’s Best Of British awards in December, as well as boasting Best Resident in Craig Richards, who Blackett says remains vital to the club after 17 years as musical director alongside Terry Francis. “They have both totally mastered their craft. The new generation can learn a thing or two from these guys. We all can, it’s like an education every week. You really are watching masters at work when you see them play.” Changes were made to the club’s operations before Fabric could reopen, which included raising the age restriction to 19, the addition of ID scanners, harsher punishments for those caught with drugs and extra lighting in particularly dark corners. The Farringdon venue also switched programming on Fridays, taking 01 14 FabricLive fortnightly in order to make room for artist- 03 02 led nights that see Rødhåd, , Daphne and more all head up parties this year. The result is a GREEN VALLEY FABRIC definitive victory for clubland, whilst re-establishing CAMBORIÚ, BRAZIL LONDON, UK Fabric as the beating heart of London club culture. CAPACITY: 10,000 CAPACITY: 1600 Their springboarding up the poll this year is a victory GREENVALLEYBR.COM FABRICLONDON.COM not just for their triumph over the authorities, but for doing things in their own innovative and inimitable GREEN Valley has been in the top three of this poll for THE story of Fabric’s 2016 will go down in dance music way. the past few years, and shows no sign of fading away. folklore. After famously being shuttered following This magnificent electronic music playground didn’t exist ten years ago — in 2007 it was nothing more than a makeshift tent in the middle of an open airfield, 03 set up to host a local rave. Carl Cox headlined that first event, entertaining thousands in his inimitable, infectious way, and the Green Valley partners set about transforming the space into a festival-style jungle superclub. Set in the south of Brazil, in the region that’s been dubbed ‘Brazil’s Ibiza’, it’s a wonderful place to party. When the sun comes up on the club in the morning, the beautiful natural surroundings are fully revealed — a green valley setting, no less. The main stage is the first arena you come to on entering — after you pass the merchandise shop and trophy cabinet — and pretty much every big name you can think of has plied their wares here. In the last year they’ve staged everyone from David Guetta to Claude VonStroke, Hardwell to Mark Knight, and the appearance of their two biggest Brazilian residents in the Top 100 DJs poll — Vintage Culture and Alok — has a lot to do with their big shows at Green Valley. While the main stage boasts all the latest tech wizardry — LED panels, CO2 shots, lasers synchronised through timecode technology, etc — the second stage, The Underline_, is darker and more immersive. It still has a pukka soundsystem, of course, and a great view over the artificial lake constructed as GV was developing. And on special occasions, such as the recent DJ Mag Carnival fiesta, a third stage — resembling another festival stage — is opened for more underground sounds. Green Valley really is one of the global dance community’s greatest success stories of recent years, and there’s even talk of them setting off on a world tour to further publicise what’s great about their brand.

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then again in 2016, and now one final, fitting in the early ‘90s. Contemporary stars such as Tale time in 2017. Of Us, Steve Bug and Edu Imbernon also got in on the action, and with that you have one of the NON- Now it is gone for good. If you didn't make it many reasons why Space was such an enduringly you never will, if you did, you will never forget. popular club — because of its ability to stay true MOVER To be lost on one of the open-air terraces (a real to its roots, whilst simultaneously evolving and 01 rarity in Ibiza) as roaring airliners flew overhead adapting to the times. Clubbing history was and with the club’s custom-made Funktion made that night, then: It was the sort of moment One pummelling you as Italians, Spaniards, that’ll have millions more people than could ever SPACE IBIZA Americans, Brits and countless other nationalities actually fit into the club claiming they were there stood shoulder to shoulder, beaming from ear for years to come. IBIZA, SPAIN to ear, was one of dance music’s most essential experiences. The former Space building and site is now under CAPACITY: 5000 the charge of the Matutes Group, who own It went out with a bang befitting such a clubbing Ushuaïa and much of the surrounding land in SPACE-IBIZA.COM behemoth, but not before Carl Cox — who had Playa D’en Bossa. After rumours that it might be been resident at the club for 15 years — played a pulled down to make way for a shopping centre, special all-vinyl set for the first time in a decade. it was confirmed that it will re-open under a ALL good things must come to an end, and boy That was for the grand finale of his Music Is different name in 2017 (Hi Ibiza), while Carl was Space Ibiza a good thing. For 27 years from Revolution party and was streamed on BE-AT.TV Cox has suggested Space itself will also re-open 1989 to 2017, Pepe Rosello’s club ruled over the to millions of people around the world. The last elsewhere on the island in a couple of years. dance world with pioneering authority. It was ever party came in October with a marathon set Whatever happens, we shall always have the one of the main reasons many ravers made their from Cox that started with Ridney’s ‘At Night’ memories, because most clubs don’t go out in the first pilgrimages to the White Isle, and was a and ended with plenty of tears and Angie Stone’s sort of style that this place did last summer. But place plenty of DJs dreamed of playing because ‘Wish I Didn’t Miss You’ at 12pm on Monday. then again, Space Ibiza was never just another everything about it was super-sized, from the “There’s been no other club on this planet that club... club itself — with its five different arenas and has been as significant as this one,” the Intec bathroom areas, three VIP spaces and 600,000 boss said at the time. visitors a year — to its festival-sized line-ups. It was also the only place we thought fitting to host More than 40 guests playing with him included our own 25th birthday event, and you officially regulars over the years like Josh Wink and David voted it to the top spot of our annual poll firstly Morales, plus Brits Alex P and Brandon Block, who in 2007, then consecutively from 2011 to 2014, were among the first people to play the club back

djmag.com 087 Untitled-1 1 16/03/2017 16:27 Despite a succession of club closures during 2016, the UK scene has remained bullish. In London, Fabric has been saved to everyone’s relief and a series of new venues have opened their doors — including a gargantuan ex-printing press in Canada Water — and we now have an official Night Czar serving to preserve the capital’s club culture on a political footing. Manchester, Leeds, Brighton and Wolverhampton have also welcomed impressive additions to their clubbing solar systems, so things are looking up!

t hasn’t been the easiest few years for the UK scene — to put things mildly. From Sankeys and The Roadhouse in Manchester, to Dance Tunnel, Plastic People and Shapes in London, The Club in Paisley to Glasgow’s legendaryI Arches, the list of fatalities is long and distinguished. Thankfully, though, there have been some glimmers of hope, too. Fabric is open again after an admirable fight for survival, and firing on full cylinders like it never went away. Meanwhile, Salford’s Islington Mill, a key northern hub for everything from topless techno to LGBT events, THE recently came out on top following a major license battle. The good news doesn’t end here, either. BRIDGE Green shoots can be seen across the land if you Location: London look properly, with a horde of fresh spaces kicking Capacity: 500 into life whilst most of the mainstream press have thebridgelondon.com been lamenting (or in some cases rejoicing) the death of British rave. With that in mind, here are NOT QUITE CLEAN as a eight key spots that prove that the fat lady can whistle, nevertheless The fuck right off... Bridge is Cockney through and through. Born within the sound of Bow Bells, chances are you’ll never hear them once inside thanks to the stunning VOID acoustics this place has installed. Since the first needles hit the first grooves the likes of Elrow, Art Of Dark and Records have helped pull the crowds in, and things are going from good to even better, with Marcel Fengler, Objekt, John Dimas and Josh Wink all cracking their respective whips here in the last month or so.

PROVING THAT SHOREDITCH still has Max Graef Band, DMX Krew, Paleman KAMIO more to offer than self-facilitating and Jerome Hill amongst the names Location: London media nodes, Kamio provides a space attendees have caught. This is also one Capacity: 600+ for creatives to be creative, drinkers of the venues being used for Sunfall www.iamkam.io to drink, and dancers to dance. Events Festival’s after-dark programme, to date have included both gigs and which got off to a critically and all-night repetitive loops, with BBS, publicly acclaimed start last year.

djmag.com 089 THE WHITE HOTEL Location: Salford Capacity: 250 thewhitehotel.club

SALFORD has always been in the shadow of Manchester’s ever-taller skyline, but this also means The Other City is home to the best underground parties. Nowhere fits that bill better than The White Hotel. Even Google Maps won’t get you here without several wrong turns, but this former mechanic’s garage is worth the effort to find. Once inside, the bar is a hole in the ground, the staff are here for the tunes, and weekly events focus on thundering techno, experimental electronics and general goodness — Rolando, Raime, Pessimist, Gwennan, Ben Sims, The Zenker Brothers, Fit Siegal and more have graced the booth. Void of passing , the North West’s die-hard have made this place their own for longer than we’ve known about it, starting out as an elusive rave spot, and since becoming (just about) on the map.

MANGLE Location: London Capacity: 720 wringerandmangle.com/mangle

CLEANING PROFESSIONALS once did laundry here on an industrial scale, but now Mangle is all about rinsing out a different vibe. Comprising a basement room, canteen bar, and workshops for artists and musicians to fine-tune wares, it’s a welcome addition to East London’s vibrant landscape, and not just because the area has suffered significant losses of late. From the minimalism of Raresh, to hip-hop with Shortee Blitz, Cassy’s heads-down house to experimentalism from Machinedrum, adding this one to your London list should be a priority.

STARWORKS WAREHOUSE Location: Wolverhampton Capacity: 2400 www.starworkswarehouse.co.uk

Still very much a work in progress, activity at this re-purposed car factory has been sporadic to date, but momentum is growing. Hosting a range of events including anything but music, sonic tones have already referenced a wildly varied list of names. PJ Harvey stopped by on her recent UK tour, Example did the live do and followed with a DJ set, with Low Steppa, Blonde and Solardo adding to that list. In the coming months, maximum capacity is set to reach 4000; although the layout is such that parties are planned for as few as 350 headz. In short, then, watch this Wolves space.

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PRINTWORKS Location: London Capacity: 5000 printworkslondon.co.uk

PRINTWORKS IS DIFFERENT to everywhere else featured here. For one thing, this isn’t a club, but a multi-purpose arts and cultural venue spread across a labyrinthine space that once churned out copies of London’s Evening Standard newspaper. Secondly, the club series that DJ Mag has been excited about for the last few months only runs in the daytime. Since kicking off in February, titans of underground electronic beats have played weekend afternoons to consistently packed rooms, with highlights including Drumcode techno king Adam Beyer all- day long; Floating Points, Joy Orbison, and Gold Panda; and the Melt Festival showcase featuring Chris Liebing, Ellen Allien, Tommy Four Seven and Inigo Kennedy. The season finishes this month (30th April) with the ground-shaking rhythms of Ben Klock, Marcel Dettmann, Dax J, Planetary Assault Systems, Ben Sims and Etapp Kyle, but we’re expecting huge things for the future. CHURCH Location: Leeds Capacity: 1230 churchleeds.com

GOD BLESS DAVE BEER, for he knows how to re- energise a city. Anybody who studied in Leeds a few MONO years back will remember Location: Brighton this consecrated ground as Capacity: 200 Halo, where the unwashed monobrighton.com came for cheesy tunes on sticky floors. Thankfully, ’S COOLEST seaside that garish soundtrack and resort isn’t lacking after- cheap ambience are buried dark destinations, but clubs in the graveyard, with the programming truly forward- man behind Back To Basics thinking line-ups have often been spending a fortune to re- inconsistent. Enter Mono — an open the venue as Church. intimate, understated haunt We put it through its paces where party people can leave the towards the end of 2016, dancefloor, located in an archway and the hype was not for on the beach under the city’s nought. A stunning main main promenade, and be on the room involves dancing on pier staring wild-eyed at innocent balconies once home to tourists within minutes. choirs (probably), and the Needless to say, though, that’s DJ booth sits in a pulpit, not why we’ve picked this place to meaning the great and good recommend. The dedicated team of house and techno take have worked tirelessly to create on the form of preachers. an ideal setting for getting down Meanwhile, the outside and dirty, installing a serious courtyard isn’t an after- soundsystem and spending thought, with comfy seating most of the rest of their budget and a terrace vibe, with two on black paint to keep things smaller floors resplendent in dark. Perfect for extended sets, original features. Salvation is the freshest talent and strong at hand. veterans alike have appeared in the first year — think Throwing Snow, Hodge, Kowton, Mella Dee, Ben Pearce, , Jane Fitz and Luke Solomon.

djmag.com 091 Untitled-1 1 14/11/2016 14:37 ALL NIGHT LONG In 2017, there seems to be something in the air — more so than for a long time. There’s definitely a penchant just now for DJs playing longer sets. Why is this, and what benefits does it bring to clubbers? DJ Mag talks to a few leading DJs — and a promoter — about why they like to play all night long (all night)…

Words: KRISTAN J.CARYL Pics: WJOSHUA HANDOFR & NADINE FRACKOWSKI

xtended sets are nothing new. In fact, the birth of DJ culture saw many of the pioneering selectors we celebrate as heroes all play from the moment the club opened until the second the lights came on 12 hours or so later. There were no E guests, just one host who was brave enough to take crowds down as well as up, and to journey well outside their comfort zones. The most famous of these was arguably the late Loft owner David Mancuso, while his extroverted prodigy was much the same when he opened The Gallery: these guys freewheeled through every conceivable style of dance music, teasing and titillating, testing and travelling with every new selection. The next generation — the likes of Danny Tenaglia, Roger Sanchez, Chus & Ceballos and so on — also tended to play the whole night when they started out. But gradually over the years, as promoters have looked to stuff their line-ups with talent, the tendency for DJs to play long sets has faded. With the rise of podcasts, long festival line-ups, brief Boiler Room sets and online radio shows over the last decade, those roots seem to have been forgotten in place of high impact, smash-and-grab sets that last little more than an hour or two. But clubs like XOYO and Phonox in London, Wire in Leeds, and promotions like A Night With… have begun to buck those trends and offer much longer musical showcases from a wide variety of artists. Here we quiz some of them, and a promoter, about why longer sets are back…

or 50,000. I genuinely always take the offer. There are sometimes ANDY C circumstances where I’d have to The Ram Records boss and decline if it’s not appropriate, but d&b legend is in the middle of more often than not I say yes — if a 12-week residency playing you can keep the flow going, why long sets at XOYO in London… wouldn’t you!? The longest set I’ve ever played was at “Long sets are the best thing by a for seven hours. I was definitely mile! You get to express yourself bamboozled by the end, and [one much more and play more tunes. thing you need on your rider] is Sometimes when you’re only playing luminous sticky-tape on the floor for an hour, you get to the end and to light the way to the bathroom — you feel like you’ve just warmed up nothing worse than getting lost! and could keep going. Personally “The beauty of XOYO is that I’ve I don’t feel the challenges are in never done anything like this before. the longer sets. I’ve been in some Rather than being a guest artist, I’ve terrible states with flu, illness or got some people who are coming whatever and those long DJ sets have along every week — so it’s always a cured me! different set mix. When you headline “The mental problems don’t come a festival, there’s an expectation to into it, I’m in my happy place. It’s play certain tunes, but this has given all down to how you keep the crowd. me the chance to play something When the vibe dips, and it naturally completely different every week. does, those longer sets are easier to “It’s a huge challenge, I can’t believe bring the vibe up, whereas it’s more the amount of effort and mixing of a struggle with the shorter sets as I’m doing each week. I think by the you scramble to bring it back up. The end I’m going to know every d&b planning is in learning the tunes and track ever made — I think I’ve played knowing them inside out. The more 1000 different tunes so far since I tunes you know, the less you revert started at XOYO. The sets are freer, back to songs from your comfort but you always want to play a great zone. I’m cool wherever I play longer set, so there’s a lot of special mixes sets. I played all night at Ally Pally in and moments added in. It’s a wicked front of 10,000 — it doesn’t matter challenge, and after all these years whether you’re playing for 50 people it’s refreshing.”

djmag.com 093 longer on bigger stages, even ROMAN though festivals usually ask for two-hour sets because FLUGEL there’s a lot of other DJs on The eclectic German the bill. But I have to say that master releases on you learn how to play longer labels like Dial and sets at clubs, especially if most recently Phonica, you have a residency and the and his DJ sets are as owner expects you to play all wide-ranging as his night long anyway. I don’t studio productions… do it too often. It should still remain special. All night long “I like longer sets simply sets can be very intense, and because I can present a wider the next day or gig can be a range of music. I like to start hard one. pretty slow and maybe even “I prefer to play both long and without beats, usually, and short. There’s also a beauty then speed things up to a in a two-hour set where you more common tempo. It all just push some energy in the happens in the moment. room and then hand it over to As soon I start playing, I’m the next one. As long as I’m trying not to think too much having a great time and go but go with the flow — even with the flow, playing a longer though this sounds a bit set can be very enjoyable. A cliché. The challenge is to long set definitely contains keep a certain amount of more breaks and breakdowns, energy and attention in the mood changes and so on than room, and that normally a short one. Therefore it can happens when I’m playing a be a great musical experience set that contains tracks that for those who are patient. define a new level of intensity “I guess the longest I played here and there. That’s how it might have been some party is, basically. The fun begins at Robert Johnson and it when I stop planning too would have been around nine much and leave room for some or 10 hours. If a night goes improvisation and risk. well like this, I feel exhausted “I think it’s possible to play but happy afterwards.”

dancefloor are happy. You’ve been there MARK KNIGHT from the start, but people might be As he embarks on his own All coming in late, or bringing their own Knight Long tour, the Toolroom expectations, and sometimes there can boss talks about the challenges be thousands of people in front of you, such sets present… so creating a vibe that can be shared and enjoyed by everyone over such a long “I like the challenge a long set presents period of time is, for sure, something that and the fact that you’re entirely doesn’t just happen overnight. responsible for how the night goes. It’s “For Knight Long tour we’ve not necessarily about showing off, but specifically chosen venues smaller than you absolutely have to dig a little deeper I would usually play because we wanted and you have to be prepared for a lot of something a little more intimate and different eventualities. personal. That’s not to say you can’t do “Before I start a marathon set I tend the same in huge spaces: some of the best to look at it in hour sections: so you extended sets were by Danny Tenaglia who obviously don’t plan record by record, used to play to thousands of people in but you might have an idea of the kind of Miami, and the way he took everyone on things you’ll play in the first hour, second the same journey was something I’ll never hour and so on. But you also have to be forget. able to think on your feet. After a couple “The industry has got into a habit of of hours the vibe might be that you have wanting as many names on the bill as to go harder, or deeper than you thought, possible, but it usually means you only so having knowledge about your records get to play for a couple of hours at the and confidence that you can take people most. There’s absolutely a time and place where you both want to go is essential. for that, but it does mean that you almost “As soon as I’m locked into a marathon have to hunt out those opportunities to set, fatigue just doesn’t come into it. I have a single DJ soundtrack a night. But think the longest I’ve played was around there‘s also fun in shorter sets. If you’re 14 hours in Miami, and I could have kept headlining a festival and everyone just going. Once you hit the magic hours of wants a full-on party for a couple of hours, midday, 1, 2pm in the afternoon, I have sometimes it’s great to get on there for to be told to stop. Of course, as soon as I an hour-and-a-half and bang out all your came off the decks it all hit me and I was huge records. The art of DJing all night absolutely knackered! is a completely different experience “One of the most challenging things requiring a different set of skills, and it’s is making sure as many people on the something we should preserve.”

094 djmag.com usually have four playlists: warm- up, main bit, mad random tunes, PATRICK and last couple of hours. I’d say nearly half the sets I do are two TOPPING hours. One of the mint things about South America is I always seem to This new school star loves play at least three hours, usually longer sets, and reckons more, every time. I don’t think I’ve South American clubs always ever turned down the opportunity like to offer them… to play longer, unless I’ve had to “I much prefer longer sets. My leave to go somewhere else. rider states minimum of two hours, “It’s a bit weird when you play for a though that’s not even that long promoter and you’re the only guest and some American festivals still booked, and they try to give you give you one hour. Three or four one-and-a-half or even two hours. I hours is probably my favourite to understand though, it’s not always play. Eight-hour sets can be better, possible to give three or four hours but they always get messy. The best due to the hours that some clubs thing about it is the chance to play operate, or maybe they like or need a few styles and mix it up more than to push residents too. But when I usual and also just the enjoyment, was promoting before my career as you get so into it. Also, preparing took off and we booked one guest, for longer sets helps organise my we would always give them at least music better and discover how three hours and not try to make it good some of the tracks I usually about ourselves. But I respect there overlook really are. are different approaches. “The main thing for me during “Short sets can be really fun too, longer sets is getting hungry! Any though they tend to be at massive longer than four hours and you festivals, so there is an extra definitely need some protein bars or excitement, as there are so many milkshakes. Think the longest I’ve people. It’s fun to condense a few played sober was at Heart Miami styles within an hour or an hour- 4pm - 11am and I had a couple and-a-half, but that’s a different of cookies and three milkshakes type of art too. Sometimes, a (laughs)! Normally, though, just shorter set can need a lot of fucking loads of drink and that. planning as you have limited time, “If I’m playing all night long, I so you have to really think about it.”

arrange. Some DJs jump at the HAMISH opportunity and some take a little more convincing. I’ve found that the DJs that are COLEmore up for it are the ones that This Leeds-based have played at the club before, promoter runs Butter because they get the vibe and Side Up and manages intimacy of the venue. I do local clubs Wire and Hi understand why some don’t Fi, often inviting DJs to want to commit to playing six play all night long, so he or seven hours straight away if gives us the inside scoop they haven’t experienced the on how such parties come club before. together, and why… “I find that an all night long booking brings the crowd down “We wanted to start a new night to the club a lot earlier, as and concept for Wire, so me people are intrigued to see what and Kyle [venue manager at the records are gonna be played time] thought it would be a cool early. Even with the One Night idea to have one DJ playing the With gigs, the DJs have played whole night as that’s something well past official closing hours that we’d like to see personally. because people are still dancing We did it at my own club-night and wanting to carry on at the Butter Side Up a few years back end. These bookings usually with Hunee and it went down attract more of a pure music really well, so it kind of came lover than a normal club-night from there. Having just one DJ because they’re buying a ticket gives the artist time to stretch to see a particular DJ, not for their legs and play a wider the brand. range of sounds. Normally you “Agents often expect more for see people playing a couple of DJs coming to play all night, hours at a time — you see them however the financial side never playing peak time, but you don’t really came into our minds when get to see what else they have in we came up with the concept. their bag. That’s where the real They’ve all been successful inspiration came from. though, so it’s been paying off “It can be quite difficult to so far.”

djmag.com 095 party animal Barry Ashworth from the Dub Pistols The fourth installment of the Brighton Music Conference — this one is sure to be unmissable just on its (BMC) takes place on the south coast of England this month. own! The UK’s answer to ADE, it’s an unmissable event for anyone As well as presenting a Q&A with Prok & Fitch, who wants to break into — or climb further up the greasy Mark Knight, Josh Butler and more, Toolroom pole of — our beloved electronic dance music industry... are bringing their world-famous Academy to Brighton’s shores. Having already signed three Words: DECLAN MCGLYNN artists through their educational events, it’s he Internet has brought dance music view of the electronic music machine. your chance to get your demos heard and your fans many great things — the ability For BMC founders Billy Mauseth, it’s been a questions answered. Toolroom Director Stuart to collaborate with other artists across challenging first few years: “The industry is Knight gave us a glimpse at the ethos behind the the globe, the chance to find our new constantly changing, so keeping the event Academy. favourite records while lost in a YouTube rabbit relevant with interesting speakers and panels is “One thing I always wanted Toolroom to be hole, and the unique opportunity to argue with a constant challenge. Luckily we have a decent was approachable. In fact, Mark [Knight] and I User87752 over superior audio formats (FLAC advisory group around us that give constant set the label up to release his music, primarily forever). input to keep it fresh — this year sees one of the because we couldn’t get through to the labels we But after spending a decade clicking around best schedules to date.” wanted to sign his records. There seemed to be an online, electronic music lovers are realising invisible wall between those on the outside and that, in fact, our world is built on personal Education has also become a key part of the those on the inside! What we’re doing with the connections, communities and common ground. conference, with Toolroom Academy taking over Toolroom Academy is breaking down that wall — Nothing matches face-to-face discussion with one of the Dome’s large rooms with their roster offering the most committed and most talented like-minded strangers, hands-on demoing of the of DJs and producers offering studio tips and new producers out there the chance to learn from latest DJ and studio equipment and the chance to techniques. Elsewhere, workshops and demos us.” ask questions to our favourite artists in the flesh. give the next generation of music producers a It’s not just a meet-and-greet – there’s plenty The result is an explosion of conferences, talks chance to get hands-on with the latest studio kit. of real-world advice and tips for beyond the and networking events as we crave the return of “The industry has become much more studio. “We have our artists come and give a human element to electronic music. In the UK, professional in recent years, and we’ve seen live production demos, we offer detailed A&R Brighton Music Conference is leading the pack. a big change with manufacturers recognising feedback on tracks and we give talks about the education and workshops as a key route to industry as a whole, and how to build a career in Founded in 2014, BMC has quickly grown to marketing their products,” says Billy. it,” Stuart continues. “I don’t think anyone else is become one of the country’s most exciting doing events like these, the feedback we’ve had electronic music gatherings. Combining from attendees has been amazing so we’re really seminars, workshops, interviews, panels and looking forward to doing more.” of course parties, it aims to bring together It’s been a fairly turbulent 12 months for the Make sure to bring your demos — last year’s BMC everything that defines dance music culture dance music scene, and this year’s panels and was a huge success for some choice Academy under one domed roof. workshops reflect the uncertain but exciting attendees. “We signed a couple of tracks from In previous years, artists like Dave Clarke, Above future for dance music in the UK and beyond. BMC 2016 that went on to feature on our flagship & Beyond and Jon Rundell have all graced the Kicking off on 27th April, this year’s conference album series. This year, we have an all-star A&R stage at Brighton’s iconic Dome offering advice addresses everything from streaming versus panel in Mark Knight and Prok & Fitch, and the and insight into their music-making and DJing radio, how to build a brand, ghostwriting and best 10 demos of the day will get live feedback techniques, while influential tech companies like interpreting a brief. DJ Mag will also be on hand from them. But everyone will get detailed written Ableton, Native Instruments and Pioneer have all to host a forward-thinking panel on the future of feedback after the day, which I really hope results been on-hand with workshops and demos of their dance music including our reliance on nostalgia, in some new signings to Toolroom.” latest industry-standard equipment. Institutions VR clubbing and much more. DJ Mag is also Toolroom Academy requires an extra ticket to the like PRS, AFEM, BPI and of course DJ Mag have hosting another panel intriguingly entitled How main BMC conference. You can buy them on the rounded off proceedings with a look behind the To Stay Professional In An Industry Awash With BMC website and as you can imagine, they’re very curtain, offering punters a complete 360-degree Temptations, with guests including renowned limited so get cracking.

096 djmag.com Barry Ashworth Seth Troxler

Patrick Topping

LEVELZ

What Fabric’s closure demonstrated was just weekend’s highlights. Elsewhere, professional how important our places of music, dance, trolls Wunderground will be hosting the first ever One of the highlights from day one will no doubt networking and culture are to so many. It was DJ Blind Date on Brighton Pier where groups of be the Night Time Industry Association’s (NTIA) a painful and difficult time in many ways but it DJs will battle it out for the love of their favourite panel Save Nightlife, hosted by Sister Radio’s was also inspiring and uplifting to see so many promoter. We’re not sure if they’ll end up playing Carly Wilford. step forward. It’s a testimony to the people that for or dating the promoter, but we’ll definitely be “Making the music industry, its leading figures emailed, signed, called, donated and had their there to find out. Free entry for anyone dressed and the knowledge that it holds accessible for voices heard that the outcome was as it was. The as Cilla Black, and a fiver for the rest of us. people trying to break into the industry is why fans and the public are the heroes.” If romantic comedies aren’t for you, rights any conference is important,” Carly told DJ Mag An crucial talk no doubt — if you can’t make it society PRS will be hosting a networking party in advance of the talk. on the day, you can do your part to help Save at BLOCK to give attendees a chance to meet NTIA Chairman Alan Miller agreed. “It’s really Nightlife by singing the petition at SaveNightlife. more like-minded musicians, producers, DJs and important for the industry to be able to network, com, where you’ll also find more info on how you industry veterans. share insights and experiences and provide a can get involved in this vital campaign. foundation for excellence,” he says. “Conferences Friday also sees BMC’s official afterparty at such as BMC provide a much-needed opportunity Friday’s topics are equally essential with Patterns, headlined by award-winning grime, for many of us that work independently, often discussions on how to get paid as a producer, d&b and rap hybrid LEVELZ. The impressive live quite isolated, to come together and discuss legal advice on sampling and promoting diversity show features Biome, Black Josh, Chunky, Sparkz the latest developments, opportunities and in music, while Q&As with producers like Darius and many more. Brapp will also present their challenges.” Syrossian, High Contrast and Orbital’s Paul own ’64-bar MC Showcase’ featuring hand- Nothing defined the challenges nightlife has Hartnoll are taking place in the Academy Theatre. picked emerging talent and legendary artists faced in the past 12 months more than the Hardware and software wizards Native who’ll be showcasing their skills with a one-take closure and subsequent ‘saving’ of London’s Instruments will also be bringing their world- live appearance hosted by Foregin Beggars iconic Fabric nightclub. NTIA chairman Alan renowned Sessions to the — no frontman Orifice Vulgatron. It’s the perfect Miller will host an interview with Fabric co- word yet on the schedule but expect hands-on way to celebrate the UK’s talent and round-off founder Keith Reilly to found out exactly what Maschine and Traktor workshops, sound design BMC’s second day. And then on the Saturday, happened, how the club was saved and what’s panels and demos from big-name artists. Keep an Drumcode-affiliated duo Dense & Pika headline next for the dance music institution. Alan gave us eye on the BMC website for more. The Arch for the event closer, in association with an insight into what to expect on the day and why Astrx — “a series of nights promoting pioneering he’s looking forward to the interview. Of course, you can’t just talk about dance music electronic artists using sound and visuals in “It’s a privilege to be able to interview Keith – you have to live it. BMC 2017 is continuing intimate spaces along the south coast”. Reilly at a one-on-one stage event. to grow on the success of last year’s evening parties and is taking over some key venues across Whether you’re a producer, DJ or artist, keen to Billy ‘BMC’ Mauseth Brighton. get into PR, run your own events or you just want Native Instruments will be bringing their to party by the sea, BMC represents the whole infamous Cookery School to the southern shores electronic music scene. The coming together of with DJs and industry figureheads whipping up minds often leads to great things — be it the their favourite dishes for the unworthy public. signing of your new record to Toolroom, learning It’s still a mystery who’ll be donning the Traktor how to mix the perfect kick-drum or getting apron, but anyone who’s been to the Cookery inspired by your favourite artists’ story. Founder School at ADE will know it’s not one to miss. Billy Mauseth has high hopes for the future of Toolroom Academy will also be hosting their the conference: “We would love to see the event own networking drinks event for Academy ticket continue to grow both locally and internationally. holders at Dead Wax Social round the corner from It would also be fantastic to see some of the the Dome — mix and mingle with your fellow students that have attended the Academy students and of course the Toolroom team and conference become major players in the industry. roster. “The UK needs a conference where both industry seniors and the new kids on the block can come together as one to discuss and shape the community of tomorrow.” Later in the evening, Hot Creation-ist and Elrow resident Patrick Topping is hitting Brighton’s The • To get more info and tickets for this year’s Arch for a one-off party, bound to be one of the BMC, head to BrightonMusicConference.co.uk

djmag.com 097 EXIT Celebrating 50 years since the summer of love in ‘67, ’s EXIT Festival is going all out with three additional sister events in 2017, so we recall some of the fondest memories of Eastern Europe’s biggest and most famous festival... Words: CARL LOBEN

ne of the best festivals in the world, EXIT Festival in Serbia has a rich history. Started at the turn of the century by a bunch of students as a reaction to the oppressive OMiloševicć regime, it moved into the iconic Petrovaradin Fortress by the River Danube in 2001 — and has taken place every year since, getting bigger and better each time. The first EXIT lasted a mammoth 100 days! While subsequent events have had more of a standard time-frame, the enthusiasm with which it’s been greeted — and the dedication of the team — has been equally immense. Over the years EXIT has put on many of music’s biggest names — from Massive Attack to the Beastie Boys, to The Prodigy — as well as a small country’s-worth of DJs such as Fatboy Slim, , Dave Clarke, Derrick May, Groove Armada, Nina Kraviz, , Seth Troxler and a stack more. This year, EXIT’s theme is celebrating 50 Years Since The Summer Of Love — when peace and love spread across the globe in 1967 — and to mark this they are offering a joint ticket to three other festivals in the region. The takes place in Croatia on 26th - 27th May, the hits on 2nd - 3rd June, and then the hits on 13th July, a week after the main EXIT event at Novi Sad, Serbia. Jamie Jones, Hardwell, Foreign Beggars, Rag N’ Bone Man, , Hot Since 82 and Solomun b2b Dixon have already been announced, as well as rockers like Liam Gallagher and The Killers, with plenty more names to follow. Bow down to the EXIT! DJ Mag asked some of the festival team and some DJs to tell us their favourite EXIT moments...

R:EVOLUTION.EXIT, 2013

“That year was so special, more than ever inspired by Exit’s political roots, an important part of the festival’s history. I remember that last morning, 6am, and as I walked down the upper part of the Fortress, I saw all stages, big and small, still packed with fans enjoying and dancing. Celebrating life like the evening is starting. As I thought about the past and present, I felt it was a very special moment. And it was. That year’s edition of the festival was crowned with the award of the Best Major European festival.” - DUŠAN KOVACEVIC, CO-FOUNDER/CEO

098 djmag.com “Back in those days, I was still NO SLEEP STAGE, 2006 DJing a lot. It was 2006 and one of my tracks peaked at the No.2 spot on the national radio’s popular dance chart, together with some of the leading international acts at the time. Rastko, today’s main booker for the Dance Arena, made me play the prime-time slot at what is today the No Sleep Novi Sad stage. I thought my set would be totally unattended due to Umek playing the same slot at the Dance Arena, but I was very wrong! When I finally spun the track, the feedback from 3000 punters in front of me got very loud and a bright bengal torch got lit with people dancing around it like it was the tribal fire! At the same time, the sun had risen above the trench and the whole experience had got absolutely mad!” SAGOR MEŠKOVIC, CHIEF COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER , 2002 “At the same time I started my job as a journalist and reporter on TV, EXIT was born. I guess both festival organisers and myself had no idea what we were doing, but as kids with an abundance of enthusiasm we found our way to create magic. I will never forget coming back from my first EXIT with 109 interviews to edit. Later on, I was creating music TV shows which were part of EXIT’s in-house production and broadcasted on national television. My most treasured memories are those around my work at the time. Not everyone gets a chance to interview that many inspiring music characters — I did everything from Johnny Rotten to Tony Allen, Roisin Murphy to Richie Hawtin, and everyone in between. “My EXIT festival routine was going to Dance Arena after we’re “It’s difficult to depict that moment. You done with interviewing rock and pop acts. The late hours were can see it only in movies, I think. Darren reserved for DJs and electronic music heroes. Dance Arena has is at the peak of his set, preparing for the always been a spectacular experience whether you’re in the culmination, and at the same time the break crowd blending with 10,000 people into one dancing body or in starts, the lightning strikes and rain starts one of the best DJ booths in the world — or for us at the pouring! The music stops for a minute, time filming all that. The raver in me remembers one but after the speakers were secured, it legendary moment in 2002. It was the break of continued. People went completely crazy! dawn at Dance Arena, a place that tends to be The euphoria of the crowd who witnessed dusty in the morning. The Serbian summer a miracle of nature — this special light heat was accelerating with the pulsation of effect — was indescribable. You had music and movements in the crowd. People to be there. It felt like a moment of were in a state of trance while Darren Emerson liberation.” DUŠAN KOVACEVICĆ was playing. And then the magic happened — as the night was turning into day and skies were becoming light blue, we could hear the sound of Lil Louis’s ‘French Kiss’. The track was building up MARRIAGE and the weather had started changing. During PROPOSAL, 2015 the moaning, slow-down sexual breakdown we could feel the raindrops on our skin. As the “It was the last night of the festival. track was slowing to the climax, the rain became Capital Cities were playing ‘Safe and heavier and heavier and the night had completely Sound’, one of their greatest hits, as a transformed into day. By the time we heard the kick tribute for the 15th birthday of Exit. I again, 10,000 people had a collective orgasm under arranged for the whole festival team to heavy rain. It was that one moment every DJ and join them on the stage and celebrate raver dreams about, that spiritual experience when together. We went up, and I just waited everything becomes one. Music, people, nature and for the perfect moment to propose to the the DJ were in simultaneous dynamics — a real state mother of my two beautiful boys. These of trance. This experience at the mighty Dance are moments in life that you cherish Arena was a life-changing event for me. I finally forever. Her ‘Yes’ was followed by tens of understood what a collective music experience thousands of fans applauding, and the sky really is, and it has set my standards really high.” above the main festival stage coloured TIJANA T, SERBIAN DJ by fireworks in the shape of a red heart.” DUŠAN KOVACEVICĆ ‘FRENCH KISS’, 2002

djmag.com 099 COXY B2B GREEN VELVET “ONE of my best experiences was playing with Green Velvet in the Dance Arena. It was great to see so many people dancing their asses of at 8am in the morning to the music we DANCE ARENA, 2008 were basically “MY truly favourite moment happened in working on. 2008. The tradition of my closing sets at EXIT’s The people stunning Dance Arena got spoiled for the first could feel time by very grey, cloudy weather and the that energy overall energy was very down at first. But then — it was the strangest thing happened. I got one of the amazing!” unreleased tracks from my Recon Light label. CARL COX It was Danilo Tomic ‘Cowgirl (Marko Nastic & Tomy DeClerque )’, which has a minute- long uplifting break in the middle. As soon as the break started, the sun started showing itself fast and by the end of the break it got THE PRODIGY, 2016 completely sunny! When the beat dropped, the party got insane — I can feel those goosebumps all over again!” MARKO NASTIC, SERBIAN DJ

“WATCHING The Prodigy perform at Exit 2016 was a sight that will stay with me forever. 55,000 “THIS moment stands out for me as people jammed into the main stage arena and worked into a heaving, frenzied mob, letting off I got to give dance music legend Karl flares left, right and centre. I was told at the time that Serbians have a special place in their hearts Hyde from Underworld a tour of the for The Prodge, since they were one of very few acts to play the country back in the dark days of festival site after their sound-check. the 1990s. Even without knowing that, the natives’ love for the group is undeniable and unlike As we were walking round and talking anything I’ve experienced before or since.” BEN HINDLE, DJ MAG CLUBS EDITOR about the festival, he turned to me and said that he felt it was such an honour to play at the festival and that he felt quite emotional being part of “ONE of the last an event that brought about social tracks that Solomun change in Serbia and the downfall of played was ‘Riders the communist regime. It was then On The Storm’, the that it really dawned on me how legendary song by special and unique EXIT was — and The Doors — one of still is.” my favourite bands NIKKI MCNEILL, EXIT TEAM MEMBER from the ‘60s. It was a surreal moment. That

connection of their 2005 UNDERWORLD, sound and modern beats brought by Solomun — in the incredible setting of the sun rising on the horizon and a packed Dance Arena with thousands of festival fans from all around the world — was truly emotional.” DUŠAN KOVACEVIC SOLOMUN, DANCE ARENA, 2016

100 djmag.com Untitled-1 1 16/03/2017 16:49 hen people think about electro, they and edits, with a circulating John Carpenter-style bass might think it’s a certain sound, a bit keeping things moving. Though he points out that generic, but it’s nice to inject some other breaks have never really disappeared from dance stuff into the same thing,” says Keith music, he’s glad to hear they’re back at the Tenniswood, the producer known best as Radioactive forefront again, with everyone from Skream “WMan. “There’s no rules, whether that be adding live to Mr G, Special Request to Alan Fitzpatrick bass, a junglist break, some ravey sounds, I’m happy to getting in on the act. go with it.” “I think it became a rude word for a That’s something of an understatement from an bit, the thing about was artist who has consistently revolutionised the genre. it was a bit boring, that two-step Since 1999, Keith has subjected American electro to thing,” Keith says. “Rather than dangerous levels of radiation and cross-pollination, using actual it became throwing in heavy sub-bass, hardcore breakbeats and chopping it into quantised bits, and samples to create mutant, UK strains of the sound. I think when a breakbeat works best Classic records like 2003’s ‘Booby Trap’ or 2008’s is actually using the groove of the ‘Growl’ showcase his malleable take on the style, while breakbeat. People like Luke Vibert collaborations with as Two Lone have been doing that for years, the Swordsmen have yielded six albums of wide-ranging, whole Bang Face thing. It seems to compelling beats. have come back, but it never really did go away — whether it’s jungly stuff or Though Keith now works as a mastering engineer at the slow acid stuff that Luke does, I’m a London’s Curved Pressings, making music remains a big fan of that sound.” compulsion, and the new album ‘Luxury Sky Garden’, One thing you won’t hear on ‘Luxury out through his own Asking For Trouble imprint, Sky Garden’ is four-to-the-floor continues an immaculate run of releases. Typically house or techno. Though he has playful and subtly innovative, Keith invests his take occasionally dabbled with 4/4, on electro with plenty of outside influences. ‘Bonnet the lion’s share of Radioactive Bee’ is a metallic clank of tough beats, surging chords Man’s material avoids it. Keith finds a lot and fluid, funked-up bass, while ‘Deep Space Habitat’ of it dull. is a cruising ambient cut of horizon-chasing pads and “It does bore me a little,” he says. “There’s reflective melody, inspired by a particular Detroit- way too much of it already, I want to bring derived favourite. something a bit different to the whole thing. “It’s kind of got this Krautrock-y beat to it, this Even though people might turn around and relentless kick-drum beat,” Keith says. “Also, the say, ‘The beats you do are the same sort of double-pack that just got re-released on , The pattern and style, so Other People Place’s ‘Lifestyles Of The Laptop Café’ by it’s not like James Stinson from Drexciya. I was listening to that record at the time. He nailed that sound, it’s such a pleasant record to listen to.”

BREAKS Breakbeats have remained a big feature throughout Radioactive Man’s material, and the first track ‘Steve Chop’ is a funky excursion into sliced-up beats

RADIOACTIVITY!Keith Tenniswood has reignited his Radioactive Man moniker for another wildly experimental and blistering take on electro — in his own inimitable way. DJ Mag catches up with him to talk electro, dub, and — as the album title ‘Luxury Sky Garden’ indicates — being priced out of living in cities... Words: BEN MURPHY

102 djmag.com anything that much more inventive’. But I that context, but I’m happy to listen to it at home. still do like some of it, it’s just been going “I’ve always collected and ,” he on for so long that I’m like, ‘Come on continues. “I went to Sounds Of The Universe recently, guys, let’s try and do something else which is probably one of my favourite record shops in here’. That’s my personal opinion.” London, and I spent four hours going through seven- inches. Some of the new stuff is absolutely stunning, A lesser-known aspect of Keith’s it’s not all about the ’70s stuff, there’s some really good musical taste is his passion for dub music out there. I’ve been cutting records, it’s what I and reggae. So far, he’s released do for a living, and we get a lot of reggae stuff through two EPs in the ‘Dub Vault’ series, here. It’s the biggest selling music now. They’re bona fide modern dub records pressing 1,000 copies, dance people are pressing 300 to and a complete sonic departure 500. It appeals to more people.” from his other material. An avid collector of dub records, Keith sees the genre as being intimately STRUGGLE connected to dance culture in The title ‘Luxury Sky Garden’ might sound like general. He points out that, though something out of a fantasy novel, but it’s grounded the sound is often considered to in a crushing reality. While leafing through a copy of be samey or subdued, when heard free London newspaper the Evening Standard on the on the right system, dancers go wild train, Keith was shocked to see a flat in the property to it. pages marketed as having a ‘luxury sky garden’ for “It’s what I listen to at home, an extortionate amount of money. In a city where loads of dub. It was the first many struggle to even pay their rent, it struck him as underground music I got into distasteful. “It’s that classic thing that’s been going when I was 13 or 14-years- on for a long time, the rich get richer, and all you see is old. It’s always stuck with these high-rise blocks that keep going up everywhere. me. Even though a lot of The rents are going up and I’m sure it’s not just in people think it all sounds the London. That title struck me. I was like, ‘Who can same. When you go and hear afford this stuff?’ Five million pound penthouses with it on a big soundsystem, then you a luxury sky garden? Everyone is struggling. It baffles really understand it. It’s like, wow. You me really.” see people pogoing to it. It’s fantastic. I’ve had friends who are not into reggae, Keith remains a prolific producer, and making records and within five minutes they’re jumping is an addiction. He reckons that the feeling of a tune up and down going, ‘This is gradually taking shape is the best high in the world. “I amazing’. Maybe get so many endorphins from it. When a track starts to you do have to come together — you could just be messing around with hear it in some beat and then suddenly something happens and you’re like ‘Wow, this is the direction to go’. That can really slap you ‘round the face and give you all these beautiful feelings that you literally can’t get doing anything else. Drugs don’t come close. I don’t think I’ll ever tire of it.” Whether or not Keith manages to acquire the Holy Grail in his quest for musical perfection, we’ll hopefully get to enjoy many more wonderfully off-centre tracks that come damn close to it. “Producing is like searching for the perfect track, do you know what I mean? It’s never ending.”

djmag.com 103 greg wilson’s discotheque archives

Words GREG WILSON Edited by JOSH RAY

CLASSIC LABEL CLASSIC VENUE streetwise DISCO FEVER, THE BRONX RECORDS HAVING EMERGED UNDISTURBED from the Bronx block parties of the 1970s, hip-hop was ready to explode throughout New York as the decade came to a close. At that crucial STREETWISE RECORDS was set moment, Disco Fever became a central hub for the movement. up in 1982 by Boston-born record Originally one of Albert Abbatiello’s many clubs, Disco Fever was something of a failure producer , who’d started out as a soul DJ in until the baton was handed to his son, Sal, in 1976 — its new identity forming when DJ the city during the ‘70s. His first taste of the cut-throat and bar manager Sweet Gee started hyping up the crowd over the microphone in a rap music industry came when the legendary remixer Tom style. Moulton acquired the tapes to a disco album Baker had Sal Abbatiello set about finding some local crews to book, inviting DJ Grandmaster been producing in Boston’s Intermedia Studios, but rather Flash & The Furious Five to perform there — this subsequently became a regular slot. By than re-record the tracks, as Baker had been led to believe, 1978, Disco Fever was open seven nights a week and became a focal point for hip-hop. Moulton remixed them instead, releasing as his own ‘T.J.M’ Rap pioneer DJ Hollywood would be convinced to leave the Bronx’s other notable disco, album in 1979 without crediting its true producer. Club 371, to take on a regular slot at Disco Fever, although many would cite the ill-fated Undeterred, he placed ‘Kind Of Life (Kind of Love)’ with Junebug as the club’s quintessential DJ — he was the subject of the 2010 documentary NYC’s West End label for a 1979 release under the North End ‘White Lines & The Fever: The Death Of DJ Junebug’. moniker. Moving to New York in 1981, his breakthrough came Abbatiello brought in many more New York acts including The Cold Crush Brothers, The via North End’s ‘Happy Days’, issued on Emergency. Treacherous Three, Kurtis Blow, Kool Moe Dee, Disco Four, Crash Crew, Funky 4 + 1, The Baker came to international attention when he produced Sugar Hill Gang, The Sequence, Spoonie Gee, T-Ski Valley and Spyder Dee, plus early and co-wrote & The Soul Sonic Force’s appearances from Run-DMC and LL Cool J. game-changing ‘Planet Rock’ for Tommy Boy in 1982. The With a community-orientated approach, Abbatiello only hired people who couldn’t get track would usher in the electro era, with Baker central to its other work. He set up a local basketball league and hosted a number of fundraisers. Disco early evolution. Fever filled the family void for many, and the club was well respected. It was a place where Setting up Streetwise that same year, further success came rival gangs could enjoy music side by side — there was even a speakeasy-styled warning with the colossal ‘Walking On Sunshine’ by Rockers , system installed in case the police showed whilst people were getting high in the back an Eddy Grant cover that reached #1 on the US dance chart rooms. Major issues were avoided until 1979, when one of the club’s security staff was and #4 on the UK singles chart. Other 1982 highlights shot dead and a metal detector had to be brought in on the door. included Nairobi & The Awesome Foursome’s ‘Funky Soul Abbatiello launched Fever Records in the early ‘80s, issuing mainly hip-hop and Latin Makossa’, covering Manu Dibango’s Afro- classic, and freestyle tracks between ’83-’98 by artists including Sweet G, ‘Love Bug’ Starski, Nayobe, Baker & Cosmo Wyatt’s remix of British jazz-funk favourite M.C. Chill, The Cover Girls and Lisette Melendez. ‘Ease Your Mind’ by Touchdown. He’d also take the leftovers The mid-‘80s hip-hop movie Krush Groove was something of a double-edged sword, on the of the ‘Planet Rock’ session to create ‘Play At Your Own Risk’, one hand helping immortalise Disco Fever, one of its locations, and on the other bringing released on Tommy Boy by Planet Patrol. about its demise — the attention surrounding the shoot attracting the scrutiny of the local In 1983, boy band New Edition topped the US R&B and UK authorities, who would consequently shut the club down for not having all the proper singles chart with ‘Candy Girl’, whilst ‘I.O.U’ by British group licenses and permits. Freeez returned Streetwise to the summit of the US club chart (also a UK #2). Baker would then co-write and produce New Order’s ‘Confusion’, released on Manchester’s Factory Records (UK), and on Streetwise (US) — the session also spawning ‘Thieves Like Us’, which appeared on Factory the following year. He’d also produce further Afrika Bambaataa & The Soul Sonic Force singles, ‘Looking For The Perfect Beat’ and ‘Renegades Of Funk’. With Baker’s remix/production skills increasingly in-demand from established artists like Bruce Springsteen, , Hall & Oates and Bob Dylan, the label was wound down in the mid-‘80s. He would subsequently collaborate with the Criminal Element Orchestra, whilst releasing his own Arthur Baker & The Backbeat Disciples album ‘Merge’ (A&M 1989). Moving to London in the ‘90s, Baker set up a number of bars and restaurants. Continuing to produce into the new millennium, he can still be found on DJ line-ups around the globe.

104 djmag.com CLASSIC RECORD ‘’

‘NEVER CAN SAY GOODBYE’ was written by Clifton Davis and originally recorded by The Jackson 5. However, it’s the version by legendary disco diva Gloria Gaynor in 1974 that’s best remembered. The Jackson 5 performed it as a reflective love song, with a 12-year-old showing incredible maturity on lead vocal. It topped the US R&B chart, stopping just short at #2 on the pop chart. Hot on its heels was a second classic rendition, Isaac Hayes taking a more seductive approach in reaching #5 on the R&B chart and #22 on the pop. Gaynor’s version, released on MGM in late ’74, was a Guy Stevens illustration by Pete Fowler completely different animal — a rousing dancefloor anthem produced by Monardo, Tony Bongiovi and Jay Ellis, which was one of the defining tracks CLASSIC DJ of the early disco years. Starting out as a singer with the Soul Satisfiers, Gaynor had seen scant success during the ‘60s and GUY STEVENS throughout the first half of the ‘70s, yet — following ‘Never Can Say Goodbye’ — she’d be crowned the BORN IN EAST Dulwich, London in 1943, Guy New York parent company, but other American original Queen Of Disco (her successor, Donna Stevens was crucial to the foundations of R&B labels — this would eventually lead to the Summer, was 12 months away from her first hit). UK DJ culture. A black music enthusiast, he termination of their deal later in the decade. Tom Moulton, remix pioneer and inventor of the 12” played US rhythm & blues, rock & roll, jazz, With swinging London beginning to embrace single (still to be invented at this point), provided surf music, Phil Spector productions and a new psychedelic direction, The Scene would a significant innovation by making side one of the Jamaican ska at the pivotal West End mod close in 1966, whilst Stevens would broaden album continuous — creating a seamless medley venue, The Scene — a prime hang-out for his horizons, becoming head of A&R at Island, of the tracks ‘Honey Bee’, ‘Never Can Say Goodbye’ adherents of this hugely influential London- whilst writing for Record Mirror. and the Four Tops cover, ‘Reach Out, I’ll Be There’. originated subculture. He was key to the formation of the band Procol It was a revelation, the first DJ mix on vinyl. Whilst His record collection was the stuff of legend, Harum. At a party, he’d commented to lyricist side two took an orthodox approach, compiling five Stevens often sourcing directly from the Keith Reid that a friend had turned ‘a whiter tracks that were all around the usual radio-friendly US, helping trigger a long-running British shade of pale’, prompting one of the defining three minutes in length, side one was ‘a 19 minute obsession with imported American dance songs of the era. Unfortunately for Stevens, disco suite’ that established Moulton firmly at the music. Chris Blackwell declined to sign the band. vanguard of his field. ‘Never Can Say Goodbye’ Kicking off his Monday R&B sessions at The 1968 was a testing year, with Stevens jailed for topped the US disco chart, whilst the side one triad Scene in 1963, playing tracks on labels like drug offences. Worse still, whilst incarcerated, weighed in at #2 a few months on, once the album Chess, Stax and the various Motown imprints, his precious record collection was stolen. was issued. his audience would come to include members On his release he returned to Island and set A top 10 hit on both sides of the Atlantic, ‘Never Can of The Who, The Small Faces, The Yardbirds, about working as a producer with rock bands Say Goodbye’ would return to the UK top 10 in 1987, and The Beatles. including Free, Heavy Jelly, Mighty Baby, and covered by The Communards, whilst 1978’s ‘I Will What Stevens was playing at The Scene most notably Mott The Hoople (who he named, Survive’ cemented Gaynor’s diva status, becoming a would prove to be a big inspiration for Roger having read the Willard Manus book of the symbol for female emancipation, as well as the New Eagle, who, also in ’63, would become DJ same name whilst in prison). York Times’ choice as the top ever. at Manchester’s hallowed R&B/soul club Alcoholism curtailed his career, but he Gaynor’s popularity waned amidst the anti-disco The Twisted Wheel, where the Northern soul returned for one final hurrah, producing backlash of the following years. She gradually movement would later take shape. the legendary Clash album, ‘London Calling’ turned to Christianity, distancing herself from her As president of the Chuck Berry Appreciation (1979). Stevens died in 1981, having disco past, but was soon tempted back, recording a Society, Stevens brought the rock & roll overdosed on prescription drugs he was taking further gay anthem, ‘I Am What I Am’, in 1983. icon to the UK for his first tour in 1964, the for his chronic alcohol dependency. Her career would enjoy a renaissance in the early same year he began to run the R&B label ‘00s when two of her singles, ‘Just Keep Thinking Sue — licensed by Island Records owner Chris About You’ and ‘I Never Knew’, topped the US dance www.gregwilson.co.uk Blackwell. Sue UK, at Stevens’ instigation, chart. would begin to issue tracks not only from the

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