Clubs and nightclubs: temples of electronic music, dance, and techno culture

Berghain transformed a former power plant built in 1953 in Berlin's Friedrichshain district into one of Europe's most significant techno clubs. The space spans multiple floors and uses the building's industrial architecture with high ceilings and exposed concrete walls. The main hall accommodates several thousand visitors and features a sophisticated Funktion One sound system. On the first floor sits Panorama Bar, a smaller room with glass fronts and views over the Spree River. Berghain typically opens Friday evening and closes Monday morning. The door policy is known for being strict and selective. DJs including Ben Klock, Marcel Dettmann and Len Faki have established residencies here and shape the club's programming.

This Farringdon club has served as a reference point for electronic music in London since opening in 1999. Fabric spans three rooms with different sonic orientations and welcomes several thousand visitors each weekend. The technical setup includes a bodytonic sound system that transmits vibrations directly through the floor. After a temporary closure in 2016, the club reopened under enhanced security measures and remains an important venue for international DJs and producers of electronic music.

Ushuaia Ibiza combines electronic music with open-air concerts and pool parties under the Mediterranean sun. The club hosts daily events featuring international DJs and live acts on an outdoor stage, while guests move between pool areas and terraces. The setting differs from traditional indoor clubs by combining daylight, palm trees and open sky. The venue attracts crowds during the summer season who seek to pair electronic music with a resort experience.

This club combines electronic music with urban nightlife culture in a multi-floor complex that brings together different musical styles under one roof. Zouk Singapore presents international DJs and local artists across several distinctly designed rooms, from the main stage with large-format sound system to more intimate spaces for specialized genres. Programming ranges from house and techno to hip-hop and Asian electronic productions. Since opening, the club has established itself as a venue for regional festivals that draw thousands of visitors from across Southeast Asia.

This club occupies a former airplane hangar near Ibiza airport and has drawn techno fans from around the world for over two decades. DC10 built its reputation on raw, uncompromising programming that prioritizes underground DJs and experimental sets. The interior avoids unnecessary decoration and focuses on the music in an industrial setting that preserves the building's origins. The terrace provides an outdoor area for daytime parties that complement the club's schedule. This venue represents a different approach from the island's large commercial clubs and attracts an audience seeking authenticity and musical quality.

Pacha Ibiza has shaped the electronic music scene of the Balearic Island since 1973. The club, recognizable by its logo featuring two red cherries, draws international DJs and audiences from around the world each summer. The venue comprises several areas, including the main room with its distinctive vaulted ceiling, multiple smaller rooms, and a terrace overlooking the Mediterranean. Events run throughout the season from May through October, with some residencies having been part of the program for decades. The design blends Mediterranean elements with modern lighting technology and a sound system specifically configured for electronic music.

This club stands among the pioneers of Ibiza's electronic music scene, having opened its doors in the early 1970s. Amnesia helped shape the island's nightlife and hosts internationally recognized DJs across two dance floors each week. The open main room features no roof, creating an unusual open-air setting, while the enclosed second room presents darker sounds. Programming includes regular residencies from established labels and draws visitors from various countries throughout the summer season. The club's history connects closely to the development of the Balearic house movement, which gained international recognition from here in the 1980s.

De School Amsterdam occupies a former vocational school building in the western part of the city and combines multiple functions under one roof. The complex houses a club with a dance floor, a restaurant, a bar, and art exhibition spaces. The 1960s building has been deliberately preserved in its industrial character, featuring exposed concrete and functional design. Programming focuses on electronic music with international and local DJs, while the restaurant serves dishes made with seasonal ingredients during daytime hours. This integration of different activities creates a continuously used space that has shaped Amsterdam's club scene since 2016, bringing together night revelers with art enthusiasts.

Bassiani occupies a former swimming pool beneath Tbilisi's Soviet-era Dinamo Stadium. The club presents international and Georgian DJs on a sound system that draws techno purists. Soviet-period architecture with concrete walls and low ceilings creates an acoustic environment for extended sets. Bassiani has established itself as a center of electronic music in the Caucasus since opening in 2014, attracting visitors from Eastern Europe and beyond. The club typically opens on weekends and hosts sessions that continue into late Sunday afternoon.

The club sits in the Daikanyama neighborhood and opened in 2019 inside a multi-story building that previously housed a discotheque. Contact Tokyo presents Japanese and international DJs who specialize in minimal techno and deep house. The main room features a sound system designed by local audio engineers, while a second room accommodates experimental sets. The crowd consists mostly of locals who dance until the early morning hours. The entrance is located on a quiet side street, giving the club a discreet presence.

The Papaya Club on Plage de Zrce merges electronic music with a beachfront location on Croatia's Adriatic coast. The open-air venue presents a mix of local and international DJs and regularly draws several thousand visitors during the summer months. The club occupies several thousand square feet of space directly on the waterfront, where parties continue until dawn. The facility includes multiple dance floors, bars and direct beach access. Papaya has established itself as a central stop on the European festival circuit and helps position Zrce as a destination for electronic music.

Space Plus stands as one of Chongqing's leading electronic music venues, regularly hosting international DJs alongside Chinese artists from the regional scene. The programming spans house, techno and related genres, drawing crowds that extend beyond the local club community. The venue features multiple dance floors and a sound system designed for electronic music. This club has established itself as part of China's developing nightlife culture, contributing to the growing scene in this Yangtze River metropolis of several million. The venue reflects the evolution of urban nightlife in western China, where electronic music increasingly attracts a young, internationally minded audience.

This open-air club sits on a cliff above the Aegean Sea, combining electronic music with a dramatic coastal setting since its opening in 1993. The venue uses the natural rock formation of Paradise Beach as backdrop for a sound system that has drawn DJs including Carl Cox, Sven Väth and Luciano over the years. Parties typically begin after midnight and continue until sunrise, when first light reaches the dance floor across the water. Cavo Paradiso represents the Greek island approach to electronic music venues, featuring open-air structures where techno and house merge with sea air and rugged terrain.

This club has shaped Belgium's electronic scene since 1994. The programming brings together local and international DJs for regular events covering the electronic spectrum from techno to house. Fuse draws a crowd that has helped define Belgian club culture over three decades. The venue in central Brussels offers multiple dance floors with different sound systems, allowing various musical directions to run simultaneously.

Privilege Ibiza has held the Guinness World Record as the largest nightclub in the world since 1995. The venue features a main hall covering 108,000 square feet (10,000 square meters) of covered space, a retractable roof and a swimming pool. The club helped shape the rave movement of the 1990s and hosted the legendary Manumission party series from 1999 to 2018. The architecture combines industrial elements with an outdoor terrace and several bars. The site is located about 4.3 miles (7 kilometers) from Ibiza Town on the road to Sant Antoni.

BOOTSHAUS Cologne has established itself as an important venue for electronic music in the Rhineland. This club regularly hosts events featuring international DJs and local artists from the electronic scene. Programming covers various styles from techno to house to hardstyle, drawing crowds from the region and beyond. The facility includes multiple areas with different sound systems, each designed for specific musical directions.

LIV Miami is among the city's most recognized venues for electronic music and late-night entertainment. The club sits inside the Fontainebleau Hotel directly on the beach and has drawn an international crowd since opening in 2008. Programming focuses on prominent DJs from the electronic music scene who regularly perform extended sets. The venue features an advanced lighting and sound system along with multiple areas that extend from the main room to an outdoor terrace overlooking the pool. Capacity reaches around 2,000 people, and the crowd includes locals, tourists and occasional celebrity guests drawn to Miami Beach's nightlife.