Village Underground, Shoreditch

“The tube carriages on the roof; the ever-changing mural on the wall outside; the exposed brickwork and giant skylights; that green room. There are several features that make Village Underground one of the capital’s most distinctive spaces. Of course, there are some venues where ‘charm’ or ‘character’ (grot, basically) prevail over the alcohol company-sponsored, homogenised hegemony of nightclubs all over the planet. But VU is neither – salubrious yet louche. The team that runs the place are perhaps the nicest, warmest family of people behind any venue in this city, and in my opinion, the security team there is the best; the iron fist in the velvet glove, correctly executed. But for me, it’s about the people who go there. It’s a beautifully colourful cross-section of London’s revelling tribes: hipsters, fashionistas, voguers, goths, privates, choisers, geriatrics, Zoroastrians, Beliebers … all are welcome, and ostensibly, all attend. This eclectic roll call reflects the venue’s programming. A little something for everyone in a time when it is vital for our nightclubs to offer more.”
• villageunderground.co.uk
Ajay Jayaram is co-founder of London event series The Hydra

Corsica Studios, Elephant and Castle

“Corsica Studios has to be the best club in London: it showcases world-class artists in two (sometimes three) contrasting rooms on an incredible Funktion-One sound system. It’s the only place I’ve always kept going to for all the time I’ve lived here. There’s a broad crowd that goes, but the common theme is that everyone has a passion for music. Room one is my favourite booth to play. You feel like you’re in a treehouse overlooking people’s heads and seeing arms punch the air, but I’ve had my best dancefloor experiences in the darker, murkier room two. It’s intimate and moody and feels like you’re at a wicked house party when it really gets going. The smoking area deserves a mention as it’s a complete vibe! You pop out for a bit of air and end up bumping into loads of friendly faces. I’ve caught blinding sets from Dynamo Dreesen, Veronica Vasicka, Lee Gamble, Mick Wills and more recently Jlin there, and Kyle Hall’s album launch party in 2013 was a highlight. I remember charging around with my mates to electrifying music and feeling pure elation. Bonds were definitely strengthened that night. I’m back at Corsica Studios next month, playing for the Discwoman x Find Me In The Dark collaboration; it’s going to be special.”
• corsicastudios.com
DEBONAIR is a DJ and hosts a bi-weekly show on NTS Radio, soundcloud.com, facebook.com/RadioDebonair

Metropolis, Bethnal Green

“I like a club to be dark, kitsch and naughty, and Metropolis has all of that in abundance. It’s in unassuming Bethnal Green; strippers gyrate for businessmen amid the neon lights Mondays through Thursdays, then on Fridays and Saturdays it transforms into a gay club. The girls are replaced by bearded drag queens in jockstraps on the poles. Saturdays is the disco night Savage, the crowd is the coolest you’ll find in London. The line down the street makes it the modern equivalent of Studio 54 and inside it looks like a sweaty music video. It’s a three-storey pumping pleasure palace where every room is themed. There’s even a beach on the top floor with cabanas and real sand – try finding that in a club anywhere else. In a city where money talks and the conversation can be so bland, this place serves up the craziest nights out.”
• savagedisco.com
Jodie Harsh is a DJ, producer and promoter

Pickle Factory, Bethnal Green

“Our favourite place to play at the moment is the Pickle Factory, where we hold our monthly All Night Long parties. It’s an intimate, 200-capacity venue, with a killer D&B sound system, great staff and all the right components to create a special atmosphere. The layout has the right balance, so that there’s always a great connection with the crowd. We seem to attract quite a few ‘heads’ there too, that are keen to hear us dig deeper and hear some of the more obscure records in our collection that you are bound to dust off for a long set.”
• ovalspace.co.uk
James Priestley and Giles Smith are the founders of Secretsundaze, which celebrates its 15th birthday this year, secretsundaze.net

Bloc, Hackney Wick

“I’m a big fan of this place. It has a capacity of around 500, has a big square dancefloor and is out of the way enough for it to have become a destination dance – so everyone in the building is there for the right reasons. The sound is great, staff and security are lovely and its bookings are fantastic. Ostgut Ton, Body Hammer, Trilogy Tapes have all thrown parties there, and to declare an interest – I also run a sporadic gay rave called Chapter 10 at Bloc. One thing that makes the club work for me, is that there’s a window on the dancefloor that frames Anish Kapoor’s Olympic sculpture – just across the river Lea behind it – which adds nice sunrise drama.”
• blocweekend.com
Dan Beaumont is a DJ and co-founder of Dalston Superstore and Voodoo Rays

Brilliant Corners, Dalston

“Brilliant Corners is more of a listening experience than a club, but it’s a lovely one. An impressive roll call of selectors play vinyl-only, in a well-attenuated room on an old analogue sound system and through vintage Klipschorn speakers. Last time I was there Ade Fakile was spinning records. There are similarities between Plastic People and Brilliant Corners: the intrepid programming, the darkened dancefloor and cocoon-like quality to the space – and that night it truly felt like the Plastic People legacy lived on. One of the best things about Brilliant Corners is that it always seems to be packed when you want it to be, but there’s always room to pull up a stool at the bar and nurse one of its natural cocktails. That and its fine Japanese food selection. One of the few places in London I wish I’d opened myself.”
• brilliantcornerslondon.co.uk
Jordan Gross, owner of Oval Space and The Pickle Factory

Bussey Building/Rye Wax, Peckham

“Bussey Building and Rye Wax (below it) in Peckham are my joint favourites. The Bussey Building, tucked away down an alleyway off Rye Lane is an old warehouse that has become the creative hub of south London. It recently came under threat from building development next door but the community came together and the developers withdrew the application – unprecedented in an age of clubs closing down (Power Lunches, Dance Tunnel). It shows just how important it is to the local area. It doesn’t just hold parties either: it plays host to workshops, theatre and cinema. It has also hosted legends such as the Egyptian Lover and Lee Bannon; the latter played obscure music as his alias Dedekind Cut at ‘As Below, So Above’. That particular night sees Rye Wax DJs team up with propulsive promotor types to ‘take you on a series of ‘journeys’ across many sonic soundscapes’. Rye Wax is one of the few small venues left in London where you can hear truly exciting music made by people who live around the corner or across the globe. It’s seen some of the most important parties in London, such as new wave of grime enthusiasts Boxed and SIREN – the all-female techno crew. Last time I DJd for Converge they let me pick the lighting too – neon pink Drive vibes, obvs. The bouncers deserve an honourable mention for being amazingly friendly – it’s not often you get waltzed around the stage by a bouncer during Ce Ce Rogers Someday at 4am.”
• clfartcafe.org
E.M.M.A. is a producer, DJ and founder of the #producergirls workshops, soundcloud.com

The Waiting Room, Stoke Newington

“I’m biased because it’s where I hold my club night, Tropical Waste, but The Waiting Room in Stoke Newington is one of my favourite London clubs. It’s an intimate basement space and the atmosphere gets real hot and heady, kind of like a house party but with bleeding-edge DJs. We turn the lights down low and put the DJ booth on the floor, so whoever’s playing is basically in the crowd. Everyone’s in it together and this wonderful, frenetic energy gets created. Everyone we’ve booked has played a blinder, but recent sets from RP Boo, GAIKA and KABLAM will go down in the history of the venue, as well as the time that Björk turned up and drank the bar dry of champagne.”
• waitingroomn16.com
Seb Wheeler is digital editor, Mixmag

Cafe Oto, Dalston

“Although not strictly a club, over the past few years my most captivating experiences with electronic music at have been at Cafe Oto. It’s an intimate, laid-back bar and music venue that favours experimental, genre-elastic bookings. Audiences are more likely to sit on the floor in concentration, clutching a red wine, than they are to shake wildly (although I’ve seen both). But that respectful silence creates an intensity. It has suited Anthony Child improvising on his Buchla synth, Harmonious Thelonius punishing the room with a tiny box, Rabih Beaini DJing obscure Lebanese records and I’ve been hypnotised by Dalhous, Karen Gwyer, Ricardo Donoso, Gigi Masin, Colin Potter, Guido Zen and Not Waving, among so many others. Sitting down is the new dancing.”
• cafeoto.co.uk
Jane Fitz, soundcloud.com

Ministry of Sound, Elephant and Castle

“My heart lies with Studio 338, which sadly burnt down recently, but my second favourite club has to be Ministry Of Sound. A club’s layout always makes a big difference and I like how as you walk in you’re in the 103 Bar where you can either dance or grab a drink. There is always something different in each room, but the best room for me has to be The Box and the surround sound system is amazing, which really adds to the experience. I alway enjoy coming here to party and even play, although I haven’t had the pleasure of playing in The Box yet, which I would love to crack! Some of my favourite parties are held here, Groove Odyssey is always special and I definitely hold special memories from there, dancing with my family and favourite people. I also love the fact that in the VIP area, there are three little jars on the table each with different snacks: Skittles, peanuts and Chocolate Eclairs (which I always end up eating). When the older generation DJs play, they play on an analogue mixer, which makes House music sound at its best. It’s also rare that I go to a club and they play my favourite track The Braxtons – The Boss (original by Diana Ross) but whenever I go to Ministry Of Sound for one of my favourite parties, I hear it and I end up in my element.”
• ministryofsound.com
Ellie Cocks is resident DJ at Abode and hosts a weekly radio show on Reprezent, soundcloud.com