Sub Club, Glasgow
From Krafty Kuts to Optimo, Moxie to Horse Meat Disco, we asked some of the UK’s biggest DJs to tell us about their favourite clubs around the country.
Now over 25 years old, Sub Club has been at the centre of dance music
in Glasgow for the lifetime of house music in the UK. It is still as
fresh and vital as the day it opened – except perhaps for the toilets.
It’s a basement space with a low ceiling and a top-notch sound system
but, when the smoke has cleared, you can expect to see a frenzied,
friendly, mixed-up dancefloor and not much else – but not much else is
required! The crowd is passionate and musically savvy. There is no look
and no particular age range … it’s what comes out of the people who come
to the club if you play well: the love you feel in the room, the
atmosphere and extraordinarily heightened energy you are lucky enough to
breath in. The club generally opens from 11pm to 3am – short opening
hours if you consider the rest of Europe but it gives our parties there a
great “compressed” atmosphere, a unified sense of “make it happen”.At
Optimo nights, it feels like a social club when you enter at 11pm,
everyone blethering in the seating booths, getting the rounds in,
chatting to the staff and settling in. By midnight things begin to swell
and then … before you know it … it’s “on”.
Fabric, London
For me, Fabric will always be a clubbing institution: it has stood
the test of time and is home to one of the best sound systems in the
world. But I think it’s even more important that people appreciate what
Fabric has contributed to London’s club life over the years. As we’ve
said goodbye to some of our favourite clubbing spots, Fabric has pushed
through the tough times and stayed true to what it is. Each room
provides a different experience and I’ve had some of the best nights of
my life in Room 3, dancing away in the shadows. Friday and Saturday
nights also provide a unique vibe, with Friday’s being a slightly
younger crowd and pushing more bass-heavy music; on a Saturday things
get slightly deeper on a house and techno trip with the crowd often a
bit older. I’ll never forget the time I went for my 18th birthday and I
caught Dizzee Rascal performing I Luv U for the first time. Now, as a
DJ, stepping up and playing in Room 1, I have to pinch myself. I still
get goosebumps.
The Rainbow Venues, Birmingham
The Rainbow Venues has been at the forefront of the Birmingham (and
indeed the Midlands’) clubbing scene for as long as I’ve been DJ’ing,
which is a fair few years. I was actually made a resident DJ for its
Saturday-night after-party, called 2.31, about three or four years ago. I
learned so much in a short time – for which I’ll be forever grateful.
It is consistently putting on sell-out shows, has a varied and
forward-thinking music policy, and nurtures homegrown talent well. The
club is a large venue with numerous rooms all with different vibes. My
two favourites are The Cellar and The Warehouse. The Cellar is
downstairs, of course, small but with great sound, a low ceiling and
amazing lighting. The Warehouse is just a large room: there are no
frills, no VIP or red carpet – just raw raving goodness. I love to play
at The Rainbow, it feels like home.
Leeds West Indian Centre
By day the West Indian Centre is a community hub serving Chapeltown
residents, but by night it transforms into one of the most fascinating
venues in the UK. It’s most renowned night is Subdub – run by Simon
Scott – which is now its 17th year and provides the best in
dub/reggae/drum’n’bass to a crowd that spans all ages! Its sister night
Exodus caters for a more dubstep-orientated audience and was the first
night outside London to host the legendary DMZ nights on the Iration Steppas Soundsystem.
The West Indian Centre’s cult following hasn’t happened through shiny
promotion or light shows: it has come through a rebellion against those
things. When you walk down the ramp into the main room you look over the
dimly lit crowd and feel the dub basslines vibrating the walkway –
building instant anticipation for your night. The room is packed with an
authentic dancehall atmosphere and energy, but also civilised and
relaxed; the loyal Subdub crowd are respectful and some have been going
for over 15 years. The second room – covering the best in drum’n’bass,
jungle and dubstep – is a 350-capacity low-ceiled, high-energy sweatbox.
We played our first live show as “Author” at Exodus/DMZ and it was the
most nerve-wrecking, intensive, emotional gig to date for us as the
night is so pioneering. No lasers, no dress code, no frills – just vibes
and the best sound system in the world!
The Full Moon Pub And Attic Bar, Bristol
A very fine time can be had at Bristol’s big clubs, such as Motion or Lakota,
but there’s a place in Stokes Croft (the “arty bit” of Bristol) that
I’d also heartily recommend for a slightly different nightlife
experience. It’s two buildings, separated by a shisha bar courtyard: the
Full Moon Pub and Attic Bar seems to bring a little bit of that coveted
festival vibe to nearly every weekend. Generally, it has a more
eclectic or roots-orientated music policy but it constantly showcases a
variety of homegrown talent. It also hosts a select amount of
drum’n’bass nights featuring AFT Records and Ruffneck Ting
showcases. We had so much fun at the last one with dnb lovers and
enthusiastic party people rocking the venue. But whether dnb maestros
such as Jinx and Saxxon are on the bill or live bands such as Dr Meaker,
Laid Black or Musical Youth, all nights here seem to maintain the
friendly vibe. There’s a great sound system and in the summer the
spacious courtyard becomes a venue in its own right. Door prices are low
(or free) and drinks are served in proper glasses. The only downside
could be the 2am license … but then there’s always those super clubs to
continue on to – or crash out at the onsite backpacker accommodation if you’re ready to call it a night!
Concorde 2, Brighton
I first discovered this amazing venue in the mid-90s when it was home
to Fatboy Slim’s Big Beat Boutique. I spent many nights watching Norman
Cook destroy the place with his block-rocking beats, taking the crowd
on a genre-bashing musical journey and giving me the inspiration and
drive I was looking for as a DJ. Now, I love playing this venue. It has
its own intimate vibe. For me there isn’t another venue in the UK like
it, it reminds me of some concert venues in the USA: it doesn’t feel
like a nightclub but still has the intensity and rawness of a packed
club. Every week you can expect to find the best in everything from
drum’n’bass to glitch-hop, with acts from Julio Bashmore to The Selector. This venue has it all: cool sound system, great stage, perfect location.
Dalston Superstore, London
Dalston Superstore is a palace of nocturnal activities. Founders Dan
Beaumont and business partner Mickey saw a gap in the market for an
all-under-one-roof experience. It’s a Brooklyn-style space on the ground
floor, where you can get great cocktails and a strong mix of DJs from
across the city. There’s art exhibitions and it’s always really upbeat.
In the basement, it’s a dark, sleazy space that opens up to some of the
best (and my favourite) DJs: Derrick Carter,
Optimo, Tama Sumo Terje and countless others. What I love most about it
is the neighbourhood feel. There’s a flavour of the diversity of east
London. The crowd is a sweep of young London’s gay, arts and creative
community, which is surely due to the club’s ethos and staffing
approach. You can expect to see anything, from drag shows and DJs of all
levels … but for me it’s all about the basement. It’s not a place to go
and be fashionable and stand around; it’s somewhere you go to get down
and lose control.
HAUS at Camp and Furnace, Liverpool
This is my favourite venue because it’s dark, dingy and made from
solid concrete with a warehouse feel. There’s very little lighting, with
visuals taking their place. What makes it stand out is that it’s a
space where promoters get to let their imagination run wild on decor;
it’s a blank canvas. The owners help nurture small club nights that need
a boost in their early stages. The sound system is a weighty Funktion-One, which sounds amazing. Waxxx
is the main club night, which usually runs every month and
featuressteller DJs, art installations and props. One of my favourite
nights partying there would have to be the Waxxx 90s parties: the
warehouse gets a transformation and it’s loads of fun. It goes all out
with the themes; one night had a huge light-up disco-floor, and a
dream-themed one had a huge cloud hanging above. At Halloween people
go all out – you wouldn’t want to be the one not in fancy dress. The
crowd is spot on; they go to listen to good music and have a dance.
Because the venue isn’t publicised much, it’s all word of mouth, so you
have to hunt for it.
The Night Kitchen, Sheffield
Unless you see the queues outside you wouldn’t give the warehouse
front a second glance. It’s in an old Sheffield cutlery factory and the
Night Kitchen (TNK) has that dark warehouse-party atmosphere, with
shadowy corners, passageways and unusual artwork and wooden sculptures
spotted around outside making for an interesting smoking area. If you’re
looking for a space to simply enjoy good tunes without all the stage
and light shows this is a great venue to get lost in the music. The
space has seen various projects pass through it from studios to pop-up
club nights. Now TNK is run by two great ventures: Creative arts development space (Cads) and Party for the People
(PFTP), the latter of which is a non-profit music organisation that
raises funds for local charities. This makes TNK not only an important
place for the scene but Sheffield in general. So many different club
nights and events pass through TNK but whatever night you find yourself
at you can always bet on it being a friendly one. You’ll end up in the
courtyard chatting to someone new until the the morning sun (it can
happen!) creeps up and you realise its time to go home.
Soup Kitchen, Manchester
This will always be my favourite club in Manchester. It came along
when there was a real lack of good clubs in the city and filled that
void perfectly, combining great bookings with a friendly atmosphere and
good sound. It’s in a former boxing gym in the Northern Quarter, it’s
got two floors; upstairs a bar/canteen that has resident DJs playing
while you eat great food, and downstairs a basement club and gig venue.
It has an intimate vibe and the focus is always on the music. The crowd
is a good mix of more seasoned locals and some bright young students
and, as well as cool gigs, it has fantastic regular nights, such as
Swing Ting (playing grime, bashment, reggae, garage and more) or Me and
You (house and techno). My favourite night there was seeing Move D do a
three-hour set in 2010: just a great sweaty night watching him mix
flawlessly and keep the crowd guessing. I haven’t been to a night there
since moving to Berlin but it would be top of my list if I was on a
night out in the north; you can guarantee the music will be “on point”
and the crowd will be trouble-free and into the music. The club feels
special because it places the music first, there are no crazy lights,
club photographers or huge names; just a dark room with a good sound
system and good people.
