Oshum club

We all have heard of the famous Pacha nightclub in Ibiza. Barcelona also had a Pacha which was extremely popular but due to various reason shut down at the end of 2008. Many rumours were being spread as to what club would replace Pacha and now we know, the club is called OSHUM.

Oshum´s big opening party was a success with VIP guests, famous Spanish stars and a host of well dressed clubbers. The promotional material promised a totally renovated super club and this is true as far as the VIP areas are concerned.  The VIP areas have had a major overhaul and do look spectacular.

The main VIP area is full of splendour and imagination and is actually a mix of vibrant colours. Large chandeliers and bright yellow lights create a warm opulent atmosphere. Large sofas and huge mirrors give the VIP area a homely feel and a strange green LCD wall adds a futuristic touch.

However the main dance area didn’t appear to have any major work and seemed exactly the same as when the club was Pacha. The only main differences are huge LCD screen dotted around the huge dance floor and the DJ booth is now on the main stage. The club also boasts a dimly lit designer restaurant serving Catalan cuisine with a cosmopolitan touch. The restaurant although designed by the Bosch group does seem to be too dark and has a rather gothic feel about it. The dark blue interior , black walls and golden oriental statues although is an interesting combination doesn’t represent a clubbing feel and may seem a bit depressing.

The club has not strayed away from the music policy of its predecessor Pacha and upfront house music can be heard most nights of the week. Famous DJs such as Harry ChooChoo Romero, Lee Carrera, Tecnotronic and Headcandy DJs have already played at the club. The clientele is a mix of young locals and ex-pats and tourists. Drinks are priced at 6 euros for a bottle of beer and 10 euros for a long drink. To get into the VIP area you have to be well connected or pay 150 euros for a bottle of alcohol and refreshments.

To conclude Oshum has definitely hit the Barcelona clubbing scene and is a favourite for clubbers looking for an authentic house club. It is serious music for serious clubbers. However I must say the main room is too dark, lacks character and is too spacial.Yes the gogos look great but that doesn’t add enough to a dance floor which lacks energy. Having said that, the club is worth a visit if you want to see one of your favourite DJs when they are in town or if you want to listen to some serious house music.

Address:  Av. Doctor Marañon 17

How to get there: Nearest Metro - Zona Universitaria (Green Line L3)

Tel: (0034)  93 619 305 193

Web:  http://www.oshumclub.es

10 Best Nightclubs in Barcelona

When visiting Barcelona, you must visit one of our highly acclaimed nightclubs. From mixed to straight to gay, and from the Bohemian to high-class elegance, Barcelona has a lot to offer.  Here is our top ten, starting from Number 10 and finishing with our Number One Barcelona hot spot for you to relax in after a hard week’s work, or let off some steam and enjoy yourself after another boring few days of business meetings.

10. DMIX
Superb sound and superb lighting effects! If you are gay, then Saturday night at 19-21 Rhonda Sant Pere is just for you.  Otherwise, Friday is mixed night and marvellous! This is for the coolest of the cool, with the latest lighting technology, great animations and fabulous sound.  This is one of the few genuine nightclubs in Barcelona, and frequently features the best international DJs with Fridays featuring the Matinee All-Stars, with DJs such as Flavio, Sergi and J. Louis and spectacular animations by the Matinee dancers. Make sure you get there early, because DMIX is one very popular nightclub.

9. ELEPHANT
This is a fairly new nightclub, and very uptown. It is spectacularly decorated split into four areas:  the Marquee, with its massive bronze elephants being the most popular. Buddhas, hand-carved chairs and Indo-China decoration are other features, and as would be expected from the description, Elephant is trendy, elegant and expensive - but well worth it! The main Elephant bar is situated right in the middle of the Marquee and is the place to be if you want to pretend to be famous while listening to the ‘house’ music, or head off to one of the other areas for something  a bit cooler.  It sits at Number 1, Paseo de los Tilos, just where it meets Avinguda de Bellamar.

8.  CAFE OLE
If you like a house party on a Sunday night then this is it! It is also a gay club, but very hetero-friendly! If you want to finish off your weekend on an upbeat, then this is the place to be. 100% pure accelerated house, this is pure pandemonium - just as you like it!  Loads of mesmerising lighting and fabulous GoGo dancers.  This is another Matinee group nightclub just like DMix with the same J. Louis along with Rafa Arizex spinning the disks Sunday night till Monday morning. This place has a real buzz going and is THE place to be on a Barcelona Sunday night. Find it at 19 -21 R. Da Sant Pere, or call + 34 93 453 05 10.

7.  CATWALK
This is open Thursday - Sunday, and gets the number six spot because of its popularity and the hip-hop it offers in addition to the ubiquitous house. The upstairs Sky Room is where you find the hip-hop and R&B, while on the ground Main Room you get some of the best house going, and all free for guests until 3 am! Dress sharply to fit in, and if you are a mover and shaker then you will enjoy some of the best DJs in the world, such as Jay J, Marting Solveig and Steve Angelli. Catwalk is associated with some great labels such as Silicon and Subliminal Records, and arranges loads of private parties and events. Visit Catwalk at 2 Carrer de Ramon Trias Fargas, or call them at +34 93 224 07 40 for more details.

6. CLUB SOLO
Club solo begins the countdown for the Top Five, largely because it offers great food, and on Wednesday nights serves free Asian food and sushi from 10 pm to midnight. It’s more of a restaurant than a nightclub to start with, and is a favourite after-work meeting place. It comprises three floors, with a main party and dancing area on the second.  The sexy black and red restaurant is at the top where all good restaurants should be, with a small area on the bottom suitable for small private parties. This is glam soirée clubbing at its very best, and you must phone +34 93 272 38 80 to be sure of being on the guest list.  You will find it at 7 Passatge de la Concepció, between Passeig de Gracia and Rambla Catalunya

5.  HOTEL OMM (Thursdays)
Said to be a gay bar, the Hotel Omm seems to have more than its fair share of beautiful women, and these are sharing guys so it’s likely as hetero as most of them. However, it is definitely for singles and not a nightclub for youngsters. Keep in mind that this is a hotel, and not a dedicated nightclub, so it is very convenient:  you have a ready-made room on-site if you get lucky! You don’t have to be good-looking or sharply dressed, but it helps!

4. SUTTON
The Sutton Club is probably the most up market nightclub in Barcelona and from Thursday to Sunday there are queues of clubbers trying to get into the club. The crowd is a real mix in ages from 18 year old ones to 50 year old rich Catalans. There is a good mix of local and foreign clubbers and the atmosphere is pleasant enough especially if you are lucky to get in during one of the parties such as Carnival which take place in the club.  The music policy is strictly commercial dance and house music. It is definitely one of the best clubs in Barcelona though it could be quite difficult to get in because the dress code is rather strict.

3.  SHOKO
Shoko is one of the finest lounge clubs in Barcelona and it thoroughly deserves its Bronze Medal place! It always proves to be a good option whether you want to eat (its restaurants specializes in Mediterranean/Oriental fusion cuisine) or just have a few drinks. Exquisitely decorated in Oriental style with Chinese Buddhas, bamboos and Oriental umbrellas adorning the club it is extremely popular through-out the year and is the perfect place to start off your night. The club also has great terrace over-looking the beach and is coupled with the great nightly events and good looking crowd. Shoko is a must during your visit to Barcelona.

2.  CDLC Every Friday 
In second place is CDLC - but on a Friday with its Dom Perignon party. The Carpe Diem Lounge Club is cushioned with large couches, cushions and mattresses for guests to sprawl over, and is primarily a restaurant for the ‘bright young things’ of Barcelona that turns into a nightclub, with the tables being moved and a dance floor suddenly appearing.  Visit here and you are likely to bump into any celeb that happens to be in town. The food is divine and the beat unbeatable! Friday night at CDLC is definitely the place to give your weekend a kick-start, and you can find it at Passeig Maritim de la Barceloneta, 32, or telephone 93 224 0470.

1.  THE OPIUM MAR
Also referred to by its former name, “Baja Beach Bar”, the Opium Mar It truly deserves its accolade as Number One! Top of the Pops on Barcelona’s club scene.
It is massive with an enormous dance floor and two terraces outside that are very popular in summer, particularly since it is set at Port Olympic right next to the beach. When we say huge we are talking 3000 clubbers - maybe not a lot in football stadium terms, but for a nightclub, 3,000 is huge!  It doesn’t always get the best reviews for its restaurant service, but you can’t fault the club. Details: Passeig Maritim de la Barceloneta, 34, Barcelona.   Tel: +34 932259100

So there you have it.  Our top 10 Barcelona night spots where you can mingle with the celebs and glitterazzi or simply enjoy yourself with whomever you happen to be with at the time. Whether you are in Barcelona on vacation, on business or just passing through, you deserve to relax now and again and these are the top spots where you can do just that.  Barcelona is famed for its modern music, and these are the nightclubs where you can enjoy it most.

City Hall - the club that promotes individuality and underground dance music

The good thing about Barcelona nightlife is there is variety and wide range of clubs for all tastes. While lots of the clubs vote for rather strict dress code and admission rules City Hall is one of those clubs that promote individuality and encourages people to express themselves and wear what they want. Before being a night club it was an old theatre and still City Hall maintains the theatres structure and decorative elements that enrich the room. It is more a dance club rather than a pulling joint. Of course there is always the possibility to get to know someone interesting but it´s the music and quirky atmosphere that makes City Hall successful.

The disco is perfectly situated by Plaza Cataluña, the main square in Barcelona and its very centre. After walking down a small dark corridor the club opens in front of you and you hit the dance floor straight away. The owners claim the club to have 350 sqm and the dance floor although not excessively big can fit 300 clubbers. Overlooking the dance floor there is the main bar with 2 counters and a VIP area.

The second floor overlooks the whole club and it is about half the size of the main floor and has one smaller bar. I really like the small outside patio which is open in the summer. It’s a great little area with one bar and plenty of crazy clubbers taking rest from the mayhem inside. The decoration of the patio is a fusion of colonial style and design furniture. Walls painted with graffiti and covered with climbing plants provide quite a modern and fresh look.

The DJ on the main dance floor is positioned on what was once the theatre´s stage where the actors used to perform, so they are highly visible to everyone. The stage also has a huge screen playing quirky movies, short films and strange imagery. There are a few disco balls hanging from the ceiling and a huge chandelier which I presume is from the days when City Hall was a theatre.

Finally there is a velvet drape which separates the main dance floor from the outside patio area. The lightning is pretty standard with red strobes, and white lighting reflecting off the disco balls. The clientele is extremely varied as are the events which take place. There is a real mix of cultures, races and colours in City Hall and I personally think this is very positive as I am anti clone and not a fan of clubs which dictate how one has to dress or look in order to enter. So you could be chatting to a local trendy, then a tourist from Japan and a bohemian hippy all within one night.

The week ends are always packed but there never seems to be huge queues so I guess the security don’t want their clients be waiting in the street. This could also help to reduce noise as residents who live on the street are known to complain about noise coming from nightclubs.

The music policy is not regimented and as varied as its clientele but is centred around underground dance music. Breakbeat, Deep house and Electro are the main sounds on Tuesday night while Wednesday hosts the famous Pigs and Diamonds night where electro house is the main dish served with a splash of deep house.

The week end hosts numerous local and international DJs all spinning underground house, electro and anything that is not commercial. As this is not one of the upscale clubs in Barcelona the bar prices are cheaper than your average club in Barcelona. Beers go for 5 euros and a long drink 8 euros which is not bad for Barcelona. Everyone seems to be well behaved and the security staff are polite, respectful and non discriminating. It´s very easy to get in free or with a discount as there are many promoters hanging by the club handing out flyers which allow free entrance usually before 2 A.M.

So overall City Hall is first and foremost 100% a dark and somewhat dirty dance club and not your traditional glitzy pulling club. Saying that, the clientele is very responsive and it´s very easy to get talking to people. The music is 100% underground dance and vary from night to night. It’s a refreshing club and I fully support the ideology which the owners and promoters are trying to get across to its public. Clubbing is about trying new things, playing music other clubs don’t dare play, pushing the boundaries, being innovative and trying to create a unique atmosphere and for me City Hall is one of the few clubs in Barcelona that achieves these goals.

Address: Rambla de Catalunya, 2-4 08007

How to get there: by metro Placa Cataluña stop (Red Line L1 and Green Line L3), FF.CC Ferrocariles Catalanes (local trains);
By bus Nº 4, 14, 41, 55

Webpage: http://www.ottozutz.com (Otto Zutz group owns various club in Barcelona and City Hall is one of them)

Phone: (0034) 932 380 722

Luz de Gas – once a theatre and nowadays a fun club with live music

The club was once a theatre and its original seating has been turned into different areas each with its own bar. The place itself is a turn-of-the-20th-century delight, with coloured-glass lamps, red drapery, and other details, but it’s also a world-class live music venue. One may also probably say that it is the most classically decorated one in Barcelona.

Luz de Gas is one of those clubs that caters for a specific crowd and does not waver from its objectives. I would like to say only great things about the club but I refuse to simply due to the attitude of the security staff. It is not an ultra cool club and definitely not the place to meet hot young people but their door policy is rather odd and it’s a shame as it is a nice club with a good atmosphere.

As I’ve said, the club itself is great. Just have a look at the photos on their website and you can see what a spectacular place it really is. Once inside, the main floor is right in front of you. There is a huge rectangle shaped bar with 4 or 5 bar staff working overtime to serve you drinks and they are quick and efficient.

Then we have the main dance floor which is packed by 3 A.M. Suspended over the dance floor are 6 elegant chandeliers which add an extra touch of class and warm light, and are actually originals from the time when the club was a theatre.

Next to the dance floor is the stage which again is full of people dancing the night away and one can find another bar if the main bar is too busy. There is a third bar on the left hand side of the room next to the toilets.

Being an old theatre, a balcony is also present. It’s a good place to start of the night, to have a few relaxed drinks and look over the main dance floor to see who’s coming into the club.

Red is the predominant colour here, with all tables covered with red clothes and of course the stage curtain is a deep blood red colour also, there are also golden decorative elements and in general the decor of the place is spectacular.

Luz de Gas works as a club first and foremost. Normally every week-end before the Dj starts to do his stuff a live band plays until 1.30 A.M. This is a good idea and adds variety to the night. I’ve seen 2 different groups playing. One group mainly played rock hits (Living on a Prayer - Bon Jovi) and the other played more dance hits and funky tunes. Both were great, very tight and the female singer in the funkier band had an excellent voice and bucket loads of energy and enthusiasm. The music on each given night can be rather different - jazz, pop, soul, rhythm and blues, salsa, bolero, whatever.

The Dj comes on and starts playing around 1.30 A.M. He generally plays fun music and hits from the 80s to the present day however for about one hour he does play only house music. The combination of the live band and Dj works really well and the dance floor is packed with happy smiley people very early on in the night.

The clientele is very specific and obvious. The club only caters for 25 years and up. It’s very probable you will see more 30 and up to 50 years old, mainly divorced people looking for a night of passion. It’s really one of the few clubs in Barcelona that caters for this type of clientele. Though there are of course younger people too.

Now to the most important thing - getting into this club. I don’t understand why but in this area the door staff can be often arrogant, pretentious and ignorant.
Admission is very difficult. If they do not recognize your face you will not get in. If you are foreign you probably won’t get in. You can get invitations from bars near the club which may help you get in however try to get to the club before 1 A.M. If not they will use the old excuse that the invitation is not valid after 1 A.M.

Standard dress code of shirt and shoes for guys is essential ( no sneakers, no T-shirts). So you’d better dress well to avoid problems.
If you do manage to get in the cover charge is 15 euros with a free drink. There prices for drinks are 10 euros for a long drink and 5 for a bottle of beer.

Luz de Gas is a fun place. I did manage to get in when my friends from overseas came to visit me and they had an excellent time there; they knew all the music, found the crowd really friendly and responsive and ended staying until light up at 6 A.M. So yes, if you can guarantee entrance, Luz de Gas is a cool place if you are looking for a simple fun night out. I’ll be back once I figure out how to avoid the bouncers!

Address: Muntaner Street, 246

How to get there: by metro – Green Line L3 Diagonal, by bus Nº 7

Webpage: www.luzdegas.com

Phone: (0034) 934 143 325

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