VENTURE to London Bridge on the weekend, steal beneath one particular railway arch — you’ll know which one; the bass will be booming out, leading you there, Pied Piper-style — and you’ll be in Cable, South London’s temple of drum & bass and dubstep. Though they occasionally revert from formula to host more techno and house-oriented nights, it’s mostly about chattering drum breaks and skeleton-rattling sub-lows here. From We Fear Silence’s weekly Friday sessions that bring together the biggest names in bass, grime and two-step, to breaks dons Stanton Warriors’ Stanton Sessions, it’s cutting-edge, underground and proper. The location helps, with its warehouse ambience intensifying the vibe.
59
CABLE
LONDON, ENGLAND
CAPACITY: 1050
cable-london.com
14
PUMPED full of the opulent pomp and circumstance expected of a Hollywood venue, Avalon looks like it should belong in a movie. Disney World exterior and sky-facing spotlights guarded by a velvet rope, inside you’ll get all the SFX and showbiz explosions synonymous with the film-making centre, just with a pumping soundtrack. Unsurprisingly a favoured stopping ground for Morillo and his Grey Goose entourage, this floodlight-stacked venue also regularly gives props to smouldering embers from the underground, with Guy Gerber, Life Is A Loop and Cut Copy making cameos in recent months — it really does have an all-star cast.
58
AVALON
LOS ANGELES, CA, USA
CAPACITY: 1500
avalonhollywood.com
37
NAT SELF
(ZOMBIE DISCO SQUAD)
“I wanted to draw attention to some new little clubs that also are amazing...”
01.CHARLES BRONSON HALLE, GERMANY “Amazing soundsystem. Proper crowd. Nuff said.”
57 55
NEW ENTRY
DIGITAL BRIGHTON, ENGLAND
yourfutureisdigital.com
36
PERCHED on the pebble seashore of Brighton, on any given weekend (and Thursday night) you’ll find Digital crawling with charged-up ravers. Boasting a monstrous Funktion One and a state-of-the-art lighting rig, Digital’s stock is of the ilk most start-up venues would sell their soul for, its national superbrand presence confirmed by its bigger brother up in Newcastle. Home to nights such as Supercharged, Hospitality and Shogun Audio, it’s easy to see why this venue has remained so popular since it opened in 2007. Climbing 36 places since last year’s poll, it’s clearly still on the ascent, blowing minds by bringing Deadmau5, Chase & Status, Annie Mac and Eric Prydz to the (sometimes) sunny climes of Brighton over the past 12 months.
THE WAREHOUSE LEEDS, ENGLAND
CAPACITY: 1000
theleedswarehouse.com
56
DISTRICT 36 NEW YORK, NY, USA
CAPACITY: 800
d36nyc.com
34
BREATHING some much-needed fresh air into the New York club scene back in summer 2010, District 36 has ploughed on, growing in stature with each monolith through its doors; its hard work and dedication rewarded with a 34-place leap in this year’s poll. Inevitably aided by the ongoing “EDM” resurgence, D36’s continued success has been garnered by its deft booking policy, combining European greats with the plethora of local talent still bringing it to a city once home to the greatest clubs known to man. It may not be the Paradise Garage, but District 36 is still fighting the NYC cause — and winning.
54
FIRST opening in 1979, Leeds’ The Warehouse is the oldest UK club in this poll. But that’s not to say it was rocking 4/4 beats a decade before any of the others. Starting out with the likes of Sugar Hill Gang and Frankie Goes To Hollywood until bringing Sasha, LFO and Mike Pickering during the ‘90s, after a makeover, it has already brought Frankie Knuckles, Kerri Chandler and DJ T to its big-room abode since re- opening in September last year. Home to Filth, Back To Basics and the new season of Coloursound, it’s no wonder The Warehouse has catapulted into the poll. this year.
CIELO NEW YORK, NY, USA
CAPACITY: 350
cieloclub.com
17
02.CLUB BONSOIR BERN, SWITZERLAND “Programmed by Chris from Round Table Knights. Wicked little club. Amazing line-ups. Decent cocktails.”
03.ELECTRIC PICKLE MIAMI, FL, US “OK — not that underground and new, but still not mentioned nearly enough in the top clubs worldwide. Amazing to play. “
FIGHTING pretty much single-handedly to keep the New York scene alive during the best part of the noughties, Cielo serves as the last standing venue exclusively dedicated to high-end dance music in a Meat Packing Industry these days overrun with Cristal-popping R&B clubs. Still the rightful weekly spot for François K’s Deep Space Mondays and Louie Vega and Hedge’s Roots on Wednesdays, owner and resident Nicolas Matar’s kaleidoscopic disco box looks forward to celebrating its 10th birthday next year without looking a day past its best.
www.djmag.com 047
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