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Profiles by Daphne Carr, Justin Hampton, John Landers, Kerri Mason and Dennis Sebayan.
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Avalon,
Hollywood
John Lyons and Steve Adelman tend to do things in a big way when it comes to the Avalon franchise. But when the smoke had cleared after their renovation of Hollywood’s 40,000-square-foot Palace nightclub, very few expected to behold not one but two clubs, each with their own décor and sound system. The lush, Moroccan-themed Spider Club caters to the Hollywood elite with an outdoor patio and EAW’s Avalon speaker line, while the main stage’s sound was dramatically improved by EAW’s KF760 line arrays. Whether you’re a band member or a DJ, the change has definitely been for the better. –JH
www.avalonhollywood.com
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crobar,
New York
For the first time in its history, the undisputed heavyweight champion of New York nightlife had to fight for its crown this year, against uptown upstart Pacha. But crobar proved its mettle by upping the ante on its international bookings, further developing Victor Calderone’s popular Evolve monthly, and making one of the slyest moves in clubbing history: The club stopped the bleeding caused by neighboring bottle service lounges by inviting one into its underused VIP room. Pink Elephant is now where the Prop Room once was, giving the money crowd a place within crobar’s cavernous walls. Because if you can’t beat them, absorb them. –DS
www.crobar.com |
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Mansion,
Miami
Open since February 2004, Miami’s 40,000-square foot Mansion still uses the same arsenal to seduce: old-world elegance, grand-scale detail, and tons of technology. Apparently, no one can resist. This year alone, the club hosted every conceivable celebrity and DJ, not to mention live performers as diverse as Peaches and Wyclef Jean. It’s also received sponsorship coin from major corps like McDonalds, Cingular and Acura. And that’s just during the week. Solid weekend weeklies keep the Miami public coming back, even as other South Beach hotspots cool down. –KLM
www.mansionmiami.com |
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Pacha, New York
The European nightlife brand’s first North American location wasted no time creating its own mystique. But even when things went wrong, they were oh-so right. The boys in blue shuttered its highly anticipated December 11 grand opening, just as resident DJ Erick Morillo was getting started (something about the overly enthusiastic crowd in the street). Like most newly-opened clubs, they had to scramble for a New Year’s Eve booking. But magically, Carl Cox became available (and baptized the Dynacord sound system in sweat). The power went out on resident Jonathan Peters’ triumphant summer return, resulting in an impromptu sidewalk hoedown by evacuated fans. Security guards served them ice pops. Such events helped eclipse the club’s island-white Ibizan heritage, and develop its rough-and-ready NYC appeal. –DS
www.pachanyc.com |
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Pure, Las Vegas
Who needs superstar DJs? Pure discovered this year that the way to a Vegas crowd’s wallet is through its deeply American lust for celebrity. So the 40,000-square-foot club spent its budget on appearances – everyone from Eva Longoria to comedian Jamie Kennedy to Nick Lachey, who of course brought along their equally fabulous friends – instead of performances. Not that the guy at the decks is a slouch: Mash-up DJ AM holds down a weekly residency (for which’s he’s a “Best Resident DJ” nominee). The party-with-the-stars approach – plus the Turbosound rig, 14,000-square-foot terrace, and attached Pussycat Dolls Lounge – helped Pure win the Vegas club wars (you can’t even get near the ropes on the weekends), and put it on par with top clubs worldwide. –KLM
www.purethenightclub.com |
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The Church, Denver
After years of “Best Club” competitiveness (and two wins, in 2003 and 2004), we decided to upgrade The Church to “super” status this year, its tenth in operation. That makes the 32,000-square-foot, six-roomed club the only between-the-coasts super; a monument to dancefloor decadence (yes, that’s original stained glass) and involved ownership: The Christou family runs five other venues, including Vinyl and Shelter, reinvesting in each as necessary. Dedicated tech Mike McCray keeps the JBL speaker and mixed lighting systems in top shape for the dedicated throng of reformed ravers and other assorted beat worshippers.–KLM
www.the-church.com |
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