DJ Mahogany’s Top Five Clubs in Europe

As the summer season approaches, Europe will be inundated with folks from all over the world reveling at the seasons top music festivals. But some Europeans are urban dwellers, and might not like the great outdoors. Some might prefer asphalt and smoke-filled rooms bathed in red and blue light instead of sky and fresh air. So where do you go this summer to get the same music and intensity that you would at a festival, but in club year-round? Here is a list of some of my favorites. The real question is, how does one come up with a list like this? What is the criteria? Music is always the number one reason anyone should go to a club. If the music sucks, no one is going to care about anything else. This means knowing your crowd, who needs to be inside and who does not. This is very important; no one wants to be around unattractive lame people! Precisely the reason why Steve Rubell and Ian Schrager of Studio 54 fame invented a door policy: To ensure that the club was fun and free of idiots. Now that you have great music and a cool crowd, what more do you need? This list is in no particular order; I’ll let discover and decide for yourself.

Voted Best Club in the World, Fabric opened its doors back in 1999 and quickly began bringing in the big names in electronic music. Top names in the game such as Ricardo Villalobos, Jeff Mills, Jesse Rose and Luciano consider this their favorite place to play in London. The bookers at Fabric are always seeking out new artists that would add a more eclectic angle to the club. While most clubs stick to big names that sell tickets, Fabric looks out for the up-and-coming and are forward-thinking in their selection process. If you are about the music, this venue is for you and open year-round.

Any place with a door policy as harsh as the one here is definitely on the list. Located in Berlin inside a former power plant, Berghain is an enormous enough space to hide and get into anything your heart and dancing feet desires.  Once inside—if you are lucky—any and all things that could or would help you capture the club’s inner-workings is confiscated. That’s right, no cameras or camera phones. but If you have a 24-hour layover, it is possible to show up at Berghain on a Friday night and not leave ’til Sunday. Again, the music here is amazing sound-wise.

The mother of all dance clubs on the other side of the Atlantic. What once was a bus depot is now the church of dance music and the world’s most well-known dance spaces.  Consistently booking the world’s biggest and brightest DJs, Ministry of Sound was specifically opened with the mission to bring American house music to London.  It has done that and more by surpassing America’s house-music culture by creating a world-class record label that distributes the musical genre worldwide.

The mother of all clubs at the moment, the impeccable designed split-level interior overlooks the River Spree. The sound is evenly distributed throughout the venue, giving everyone in the club a perfect listening experience. Its LED lighting system runs the length of the club right above you. Watergate prides itself on the quality of the music played here, not just top-billed well-known DJs, but underground up-and-comers are welcome to the decks here.

Everyone in electronic music has heard of this brand. Each continent either has a venue with the moniker, but the everlasting and still standing Pacha Ibiza location is as ever popular as it has been since opening. With five rooms of music to choose from, you are always in for a good night. The biggest names around have and continue to play here. Tiësto, Swedish House Mafia and David Guetta have held residencies at Pacha. If you are going to be out in the elements, this is the one to be at.