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"clubbers' in Spanish is the same as in English - it's a universal word..."

On 14 February, 1542, the city of Guadalajara in Jalisco, Mexico was created by decree of Holy Roman Emperor Carlos V. Exactly 465 years later the city - or rather, hip party haunt Bar Americas - welcomes a different sort of Spanish royalty: DJ and producer Iñaqui Marin, from Barcelona.

This is, in all probability mere coincidence. Bar Americas regularly welcomes cutting-edge DJs from across Europe, not merely from the land of its old colonial overlords, but it does rather neatly symbolise the mission (if you can call having fun, drinking and listening to great music a "mission") of the five-year-old Guadalajara hot spot. Namely: to appropriate, enjoy and emulate the best of European electronic music culture within the bustling atmosphere of a very new world city.

Forget romantic notions of Mexico as the land of rustic pueblos/beer-swilling American spring breakers Cancun/Mayan ruins or any of those other, convenient tourist brochure clichés. Guadalajara - a city of over 1.5M inhabitants - is a slickly modern boomtown that's been nicknamed "Mexico's Silicone Valley." They're building the latest Guggenheim Museum there, which will open just before the city hosts the 2011 Panamerican Games. Plus, the city is awash with every cultural permutation imaginable - from ballet to book fairs and everything in between. Within this maelstrom of possibilities lies the tiny, quite literally underground Bar Americas - a 300-capacity basement box with abstract stencils decorating the walls, a red ceiling and a DJ booth faced with pink tiles. The colour scheme and utilitarian feel is decidedly DC10-lite. But the music policy leans towards the cooler climes of Berlin.

Dominik Eulberg, Gaiser, Anja Schneider, Oliver Huntemann, Sascha Funke… all recent visitors to Bar Americas. Manager Ramon Gonzalez Rosas, who has been at BA since the beginning, cites André Kraml and M.A.N.D.Y. as his favourite guests. Andre for his technical chops and the "evolution" within his sets; M.A.N.D.Y. for the "vibe and energy… and musical selection."

Themes of evolution and innovation are central to what the club is about. Notably, while it draws an impressive range of foreign stars, Bar Americas is very much dedicated to promoting local talent. A glance at the forthcoming listings shows names like 2:PM, Midnight Perverts, Axer and Eduardo Pinto - all Mexican DJs who are successfully making the new electronic sounds their own. They're responsible for the scene "constantly growing" in Guadalajara and this year Bar Americas is even sending representatives to the UK's massive Global Gathering festival - a sign of their confidence. "We have great DJs who play at an incredible level," Rosas says brightly.

Four days a week - Tuesday to Friday - clubbers come piling in to soak up the sounds. Bar Americas is cheap as proverbial chips, especially by European standards (entry is often free, even when they have an international guest) which might help explain why people are willing to risk next-day-at-work malaise to go dance till 4AM on a week night. While there is no shortage of visitors the "most important clientele is local" says Rosas.

So, should you find yourself in Guadalajara, on a Tuesday night, say, dancing in a darkened underground room, remember this is a place dedicated to transcending boundaries. Fitting in is easy. Just sidle up to the bar and order a Wera Loka (the house favourite: a potent combination of Jaegermeister, Red Bull and vodka) then get out on the dancefloor. As Rosas says, "'clubbers' en español es lo mismo que en ingles - es una palabra universal" - "'clubbers' in Spanish is the same as in English - it's a universal word".

Videos:
MANDY @ Bar americas - 7 Nov 2007

www.baramericas.com -  www.myspace.com/baramericas