DJ Mag reveals Top 100 Clubs ranking for 2019
Although DJ Mag is predominantly known for delivering the latest news within the electronic music industry, it has seen its fair share of controversy. During the year, DJ Mag runs two polls – the Top 100 DJs Poll and the Top 100 Clubs Poll. The results of both are dictated by votes from fans around the world, something which can sometimes provoke surprising results. DJ Mag have just revealed the results of the Top 100 Clubs poll for 2019, illustrating which venues are on top form.
While many take a look at the ranking in order to decide which venue to visit next, looking at the results is a great way to measure the current trends of the industry. Not to mention, artists can track which clubs they’d like to perform in next and determine which provide the best experience for fans. Number one this year is Brazilian club Green Valley, which has a capacity of 12,000. The club has charted within the top 3 every year for the past decade, a staggering achievement that proves its influence within Brazil and beyond. The club has played host to many of the greatest talents in the scene, from Martin Garrix to Steve Angello, Carl Cox to Fatboy Slim. Brazil continues to grow as one of the major players within the industry, boasting some of the world’s greatest festivals and events.
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Below Green Valley, there has been plenty of movement. In fact, Ushuaïa dropped 1 place thanks to Washington DC’s Echostage, which takes #2 this year. With a much smaller capacity at just 3,000, the nightclub offers a more intimate feel. Like Green Valley, Echostage has also invited a huge number of the world’s best talents, from David Guetta to Tiësto, Above & Beyond and Hardwell. One of the best features of the venue is undoubtedly its layout, which enables attendees to view the stage from any location without an obstructed view.
Interestingly, while Ushuaïa dropped a place, Hï moved up one. The resulting placement sees the two super-clubs side by side in this year’s ranking. While both clubs are totally different, they both fall under the same umbrella and welcome a more mainstream-oriented crowd than other venues on the island. Ushuaïa regularly invites the same headliners for extended residencies across the summer, but the artists themselves routinely invite upcoming talents as their support, giving future talent the chance to perform at the iconic venue. Hï still remains slightly controversial as comparisons continue to surround the club regarding its replacement of Space, arguably the most iconic venue Ibiza has ever seen. This nostalgia and yearning for Space has given Hï a slight disadvantage in gaining the support of Ibiza veterans, but it continues to be overwhelmingly popular with the vast majority of fans.
Rounding out the top five, Singapore club Zouk is still going strong, having been open for 28 years. With the scene growing so quickly in Asia, it’s no surprise that the representation is so strong. As one of the smaller clubs on the list (capacity almost 3000), this is another venue that has an intimate feel. In contrast with the other clubs, many of its headliners are more underground artists such as Sven Väth and Charlotte de Witte.
Other notable inclusions in the top 100 are Bootshaus in Cologne, which climbed 3 places to reach #8, and the legendary Printworks in London which climbed 5 places to hit #9. In fact, the UK is incredibly well represented in the poll with Motion Bristol at #11, Fabric at #15, The Warehouse Project at #26 and Ministry of Sound at #27, to name just a few. As expected, representation is also strong for Ibiza, with Ushuaïa at #3, Hï at #4, Pacha at #12, Amnesia at #14, DC-10 at #24 and Privilege at #36.
The great thing about this year’s results is that there is a great mix of locations within the highest ranks. Many would expect the top 100 to simply be dominated by renowned clubbing locations like Miami, Ibiza and Vegas, when in actual fact, the top clubs are spread throughout the globe. This is undoubtedly down to the huge growth in dance music’s popularity over the years, illustrating that there is demand in every corner of the globe. This in itself is a great result for the industry as a whole, providing more variety for the audience and generating more revenue for the genre as a whole.
With such a wide variety of venues out there, each with their own unique qualities, there is always something brand new for artists to experience. The variety of clubs out there means that artists will be able to constantly perform in completely different venues, something that is beneficial to everyone involved. Another benefit is the sheer volume of venues now out there and flourishing. With so many venues looking to book artists, there are now more opportunities than ever to get hired, whether as a resident DJ or for a one-off show.
This year’s top 100 illustrates the huge amount of variety within the clubbing scene, both within Europe and around the rest of the world. It also indicates a great deal about current trends, and the popularity of dance music within specific areas. Particularly in Asia, certain clubs are becoming more and more popular, and are challenging many of Europe’s longest-reigning icons. It looks like the industry is set to see an influx of even more rising clubs in next year’s poll, keeping those on top on their toes, and giving attendees and artists a more diverse range of venues to experience.