HAVINGworked its way into the affections of Romania’s affluent raving classes through establishing a watertight music policy centred around only the biggest (but credible) names on the house and techno circuit, Kristal Glam Club is a beacon of joy for clubbers of Central Europe who favour more professional modes of partying over the tattiness of many illegal warehouse venues. Jet-black leather couches fit for Alan Sugar’s boardroom, 17 silver-framed plasma screens lining the walls and a centre-piece chandelier big enough to make Marie Antoinette blush, the most impressive feature of this club is the breadth of talent taking to the decks each week — James Zabiela, Nic Fanciulli and Dennis Ferrer have all featured throughout the past 12 months.
94 92 90
NEW ENTRY
KRISTAL GLAM CLUB BUCHAREST, ROMANIA
CAPACITY: 1000
clubkristal.ro
31
93
ARMA17 MOSCOW, RUSSIA
CAPACITY: 1500
arma17.ru
06
BO18 BEIRUT, LEBANON
CAPACITY: 400
bo18.com
52
NOTthat we are suckers for gimmickry here at DJ Mag HQ, but it’s difficult not to be impressed, or at least intrigued, by a club chicly mocked up as a bomb shelter. Located in the same area that 20,000 evacuees were camped during the Lebanese War, it was a tough theme to resist for this 400-capacity warehouse venue designed by architect Ben Khoury. With its large mirror reflecting the city’s lights inside and a slick, understated interior to rival most, B018’s taste cannot be questioned. Plus, it welcomed Hernan Cattaneo recently, so the beats ain’t bad either. “Definitely one of the best clubs in the world, and one of my favourites,” the man himself says of the club. “All night, the room goes almost pitch-black, so that creates a really intense atmosphere ideal for deeper and darker stuff. The Lebanese clubbers are the most enthusiastic you can ever find and that’s a great motivation for longer sets too. Every DJ I know shares the same feeling after playing there.”
RUBY SKYE
CAPACITY: 3000
rubyskye.com
THEcoolest techno club in Moscow, if not possibly the coolest club in the whole of Russia, Arma17 had to leave its industrial complex birthplace after a fire in 2009. Now in a great old warehouse space, it’s home to some of the best parties — and after-parties — in Moscow. All the top names in techno and tech house have spun there — Sven, Villalobos etc — and the trendy, gorgeous crowd are a sight to behold. Their residents such as Nastia are pretty cool too, and Arma17 recently did their first party outside Moscow at the Sochi WMC on Russia’s Black Sea coast.
WHAT Seoul’s club scene lacks in heritage, it makes up for with its space-age sensibility. Superlative sound, head-spinning visuals, nebulous plumes of mystic smoke... Ellui’s three rooms have it all, while opting to take its hipster crowd a little deeper than its newfound rival Octagon, opting for the more understated house and techno talent of the likes of Mauro Picotto and Scarlet Etienne in recent months. As big rooms go, you cannot go wrong with Ellui.
91 89
SAN FRANSISCO, CAL,USA
THE US club scene is not one renowned for its subtlety, especially these days. But Ruby Skye, arguably California's most prominent club, doesn't seem to mind one iota. With rouge drapes hanging from the ceiling alongside chandeliers, and ashen neoclassical archways designed by August Headman, this spacious four-room venue originally opened in 1890 as an auditorium/meeting room, before becoming a cinema during the 1940s. Nowadays, however, the only blockbusters here are world-beating DJs. Dubfire, Madeon, Stafford Brothers, W&W and Simon Patterson played during March to deliver sonics to match the overblown interior, so given the current US dance explosion, it's no wonder Ruby Skye is back in the poll after missing out for the last two years.
SPACE MIAMI, FL, USA
CAPACITY: 2500
clubspace.com
47 ELLUI SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA
CAPACITY: 4000
ellui.net
NEW ENTRY
SITUATED in downtown Miami opposite a gentleman’s bar, and the proud holder of a rare 24-hour liquor licence, there’s something enticingly gritty about Space Miami in comparison to the plastic glamour of Ocean Drive, part of the edge ensuring that this year it celebrates 12 years of operation. With three floors, including the spectacular rooftop terrace which floods wide-eyed ravers with the morning light, and a chunky Dynacord soundsystem, it’s also played host to the biggest UK and European names, Erick Morillo, Mark Knight, Sander Kleinenberg, and David Guetta some of those to have graced its booth. Just make sure you don’t forget your ID like us, it’s a long trip back uptown!
www.djmag.com 039
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100