10 Must see clubs, part 1: high-tech

1 - D-Edge, Sao Paulo
There is an oft-repeated anecdote about D-Edge that serves to sum up just how incredible this pint-size venue really is: Richie Hawtin is in town, but not booked to play. So he calls up the club's owner and asks him to chuck the schedule headliner off the decks so Richie can spin. The point here is not that Richie Hawtin is a bit of a twit for pulling a stunt like that (which he is) but that D-Edge is a club that makes DJs go weak at the knees. Imagine, then, what it does for the clubbers… With a capacity of about 350 (in a city of more than 10 millions) queues that literally circle the club are not uncommon. Not only because of Richie, Ricardo, Sven, Magda, Luciano, et al but because the club itself is a portal to another universe. The walls are covered with panels of LEDs which throb to the beat, while the light-up floor and ceiling envelope you in a womb of pulsing photons.

2 - Fabrik, Madrid
If you can't bear to leave Spain at least consider venturing as far as the bustling capital. Long considered the stuffier alternative to Barcelona, Madrid is developing a great buzz - and part of it is thanks to Fabrik. Smack 20km from the city, this lush three-room venue still feels like a proper rave space. Forget gritty warehouse: this is 22nd century shit. A 60K soundsystem, 15K light rig and massive projection screens provide a backdrop for smouldering dancers and live performers. Yet the main room retains an intimate vibe, and the walk to either of the two terrace rooms on the wings takes you through lush gardens. All that, coupled with a cool, energetic, exciting crowd make it as close to clubbing paradise as you'll find.

3 - Rex, Paris
A former dinner-dance venue set on Blvd Poissonnière (opposite a bar that does a nice line champagne and oysters, if you're interested) the Rex is the spiritual home of French electronic music. Legend made by Laurent Garnier and his manager 20 years ago, it introduced a whole new music and lifestyle concept to Parisian youth. Like many innovators, though, it fell out of fashion and it's only in the last few years it has once again become an essential destination. Thanks to manager and "techno activist" Fabrice Gadeau the Rex is once again in the thick of the action with guests like Luciano, M.A.N.D.Y. , Dave Clarke and Sascha Funke dropping by to put the custom-designed soundsystem (which includes a staggering 70 speakers spread across the ceiling) through its paces.

4 - Watergate, Berlin
Picking the "best" club in Berlin is a bit like picking the "best" supermodel. Kate? Helena? Naomi? May we have one of each please? So don't take this to mean Watergate is the sole worthwhile destination in Berlin (you'd be a fool to miss Weekend, Berghain/Panoramabar, etc) but Watergate is a good place to start. For starters, it has spectacular views across the Berlin skyline. What's inside, however, will really blow your mind. The décor is strictly minimal, albeit in best designer fashion, because the centrepiece of the club is the huge rectangular arc of LEDs that sweeps from end to end across the ceiling of the main room. Any given week boasts DJs like Magda, Sebo K, Shonky & the Freak n Chic crew, Audio Werner and Monoblock to really name a few- making this perhaps the best-looking and best-sounding club in Berlin.

5 - Womb, Tokyo
Ask any DJ what their favourite club in the world is and if they don't mention Womb in their top three it's because they haven't been there. (After his first visit Loco Dice was practically falling over with excitement. "It's like you're on Mars," he said.) A four-story venue in the heart of Tokyo, it is designed with awesome Japanese attention to detail. Three floors circle the main dancefloor, leaving you to look up a giddy dozen metres to the ceiling from which hangs suspended a two-metre disco ball. The sound system was designed by the experts behind New York's infamous Twilo and the banks of lasers will take an eye out if you're not careful. About the only thing which isn't absolutely flawless are the English translations on signs dotting the club: "Refuse bringing of the camera, recorder vessel firmly," one admonishes. We think they mean "no photos"…

6 - Cocoon, Frankfurt
If you think Cocoon at Amnesia is pretty special prepare yourself. You ain't seen nothing yet. Amnesia is merely where the Freakshow lets its hair down in summer. Back home in Frankfurt they have put serious attention into every detail of the mothership. They spent two years just drawing up the plans, and the result is a club that defies all the rules of ordinary architecture. The interior of the main room is covered with a specially designed membrane to surround you with 3D projections (run from the exotic, Gaudi-esque DJ booth), effectively making the club an extension of their imagination. Scary thought, when you have Sven and company on the decks. Leaving no stone unturned in the pursuit of unbridled pleasure, there are also private "cocoons" with their own mini-bars, plus a gourmet restaurant (really) and chill-out lounge that would put most five-star hotels to shame.

7 - Zouk, Singapore
The Zouk website says the club inspires comparisons to Pacha, Ibiza and the legendary Hacienda. They're talking about the music and the vibe, obviously, because when it comes to sheer stupefying spectacle Zouk makes Pacha and the dear, departed Hacienda look like mud huts. Originally three warehouses, Zouk is now a massive four-club complex that smashes party conventions to pieces. Clearly no one ever stopped to say, "Hey, they're a bunch of party kids, do they care if you have genuine Andy Warhol paintings on the wall ?" Because they have splashed out (more than $7M on their last update) on Warhol paintings and a whole lot more. Think exotic lighting installations, Guadi-inspired décor, acres of bars, a glamorous terrace and a guest DJ roster that is literally a multi-genre A-Z of international talent.

8 - Ambasada Gavioli, Izola, Slovenia
Slovenia, huh? What happens there? Not much, admittedly. But what it lacks in variety when it comes to nightlife it makes up for with the gem that is Ambasada Gavioli. Izola is on the coast of the Adriatic (a boat ride away from Venice, and another hot club, Il Muretto, should you fancy an unusual club-hopping tour) and apart from picturesque ruins and fishing it didn't have much in the way of industry till an architect by the name of Gavioli took a gamble on building a psychedelic-inspired club there. Now Ambasada Gavioli, which mixes Baroque stylings with Art Nouveau architecture and décor inspired by Baudelaire's Evil Flowers poems, is a magnet for the likes of Sven Vath, Laurent Garnier and Richie Hawtin. That many a-list DJs can't be wrong.

9 - Cavo Paradiso, Mykonos
Another perennial DJ favourite, Cavo Paradiso is perhaps the ultimate seaside club. This Mykonos landmark is carved out of a cliff face above the Mediterranean, ensuring nothing comes between the clubbers dancing on its vast terrace and the glory of a starry night or gossamer dawn. Unlike its Ibicenco siblings, it also has a swimming pool you're still allowed to actually jump in (even the normally reserved John Digweed has been known to have take the plunge after a hot night on the decks). And unlike some waterfront clubs, Cavo is more than just a pretty face: they've just spent six months putting in a new bespoke soundsystem. The downside, if there is one, is that the jet-set brigade has cottoned on to this one so you run a chance of stumbling into Paris Hilton or Jennifer Aniston on the dancefloor. But unless you're a shipping heir or Brad Pitt you have nothing to fear.

10 - Cielo, New York
This pocket-size nightclub in New York's hipster Meatpacking district has won a fistful of awards in its brief history. The press regularly turns up to slaver over its uber-cool 70s kitsch aesthetic (someone described it as a cross between a swimming pool and a ski lodge) and indulge in that peculiarly posh-club institution: bottle service. Frankly, you wouldn't think it was our kind of place but - and this is a big but - Cielo has something guaranteed to win a spot on our favourites list and in clubbers' hearts: a 22nd century soundsystem and the DJs to rock it. Kitted out with America's first fully Funktion One soundsystem, Cielo is capable of quite literally blowing your socks off. And they only let the cream of the US and global DJ establishment loose on their baby - residents like Francois K, Ibiza legend Willie Graff and guests like Joris Voorn.