Amsterdam's club scene is, disappointingly, an increasingly commercial
affair, with happy house, classic funk and R&B-garage dominating.
Thursday and Saturday are the most popular club nights and not much
happens before midnight.
Most of the venues listed here close at 4am on Thursday and Sunday,
5am on Friday and Saturday. If you're looking for recovery parties,
keep an eye out for flyers at record shops, smart-drug and club-wear
stores or ask around the club at closing time. Dress standards are
decidedly casual and you may feel out of place in head-to-toe designer
clothes. Some clubs charge exorbitant admission, others are free.
If there's no entrance fee, it's good etiquette to slip the doorman
a couple of euro as you leave. Also, have a bit of change handy
if you plan to visit the toilet.
Only in Amsterdam: staff from the Adviesburo Drugs (tel 623 79 43),
Entrepotdok 32A, open 2pm to 5pm Tuesday to Friday, can check the
purity of ecstasy pills for a small fee.
Arena
(tel 694 74 44, Hotel Arena, s-Gravesandestraat 51).
Arena's formula of crowd-pleasing tunes - a jumble of rock, house
and techno - lures loads of merry students and hotel guests to this
club.
Club De Ville
(Westergasfabriek, Haarlemmerweg 8-10, www.clubdeville.nl).
One-off club nights are held here: fetish parties, Drum Rhythm nights
and extravagant, jam-packed 'Speedfreax' bashes.
Dansen bij Jansen
(tel 620 17 79, Handboogstraat 11).
Amsterdam's most famous student nightclub is more than 25 years
old and still thumping nightly. Its secret? Cheap drinks (happy
hour 11pm to midnight), a fun selection of classic disco and house
and a relaxed dress code. Valid student cards are required for entry.
De Duivel
(tel 626 61 84, Reguliersdwarsstraat 87).
Droves of B-boys and fly girls cram this small bar, with its spooky,
stained-glass portrait of the devil, for a menu of hip-hop, rap,
ska and drum'n'bass.
Escape
(tel 622 1111, Rembrandtplein 11).
Resident DJs host weekly sessions of thumping house and techno at
this massive and massively popular club. A dressed-up crowd, serious
about dancing, takes Saturday's 'Chemistry' night by storm (especially
when international DJs like Armand Van Helden play).
iT
(tel 625 01 11, Amstelstraat 24).
Originally the city's most famous gay club (Saturday still gay only),
this huge venue now attracts gangs of glam club kids relishing hours
of hands-in-the-air, happy house.
Mazzo
(tel 626 75 00, Rozengracht 114).
Still a firm favourite, this relatively small club programs a fierce
roster of first-rate DJs playing everything from deep house to Latin
beats and experimental electro. Catch 'DJazzedelic' (first Sunday
of month) for brilliant, rare grooves or 'Cinematic Clubbing' (first
Wednesday of month), a night of ambient beats and trippy films.
Melkweg
(tel 531 81 81, Lijnbaansgracht 234A).
Thursday's 'Soundclash' is by far the best reggae night around with
truck-loads of dancehall, ragga, dub and jungle. Saturday sees two
rooms open: one with indie faves and old-school floor-fillers, the
other with two-step, hip-hop and funky beats.
Ministry
(tel 623 39 81, Reguliersdwarsstraat 12).
Speed garage, R&B, funk and disco classics make up the selection
at this small, well-designed club.
Odeon
(tel 624 97 11, Singel 460).
This relaxed, friendly venue offers three floors of dancing options;
choose from dance classics, house or hip-hop.
Panama
(tel 311 86 86, Oostelijke Handelskade 4).
A brilliant and luxe venue for stylish 30 and 40 somethings, Panama
has a salsa-tango dance salon, a restaurant and glam nightclub that
programs Cuban big bands, Brazilian circus acts and a soulful selection
of DJ talent.
Paradiso
(tel 626 45 21, Weteringschans 6).
Regular student-indie club nights here on Wednesday and Thursday
play a diet of The Clash, Nirvana and Fatboy Slim. Semi-regular
night 'Paradisco' is almost always sold out, especially when the
line-up includes DJs like Theo Parrish and hip-hop supremo Biz Markie.
The best night is arguably the monthly 'Kindred Spirits', when DJs
Wix and KC the Funkaholic mix a deep selection of hip-hop and jazzy
beats.
Vakzuid
(tel 570 84 00, Olympic Stadium 35).
A spanking new, glamorous club-restaurant overlooking the 1928 Olympic
Stadium, this has a large dance floor and loads of comfortable lounges
to pose on.
Cafe West Pacific
(tel 488 77 78, Haarlemmerweg 8-10).
They push back the chairs and tables at this funky restaurant, transforming
it into a club after dinner. The music varies from nu-skool house
to breakbeat.
Winston
(tel 623 13 80, Warmoesstraat 127).
Changing theme nights and a fine line-up of local DJs make Winston
a popular destination. Our fave night, 'Ex Porn Star' (first Saturday
of month), promises an eyeful of salaciously dressed party-people
and an earful of groovalicious tunes.