Khao San Road Clubs

Café Democ

Around for years, this diminutive little restaurant-cum-caf- by day, is a defining force in Bangkok's club scene by night. During any one of its events, its graffiti-sprawled walls are regularly and rather expertly filled with all breeds of dance music - house, electro, pop, new rave, breakbeat, progressive house, trance, hip-hop and drum & bass. Located on Ratchadamnoen Road smack-bang next to the famous Democracy Monument (a ten minute walk from Khao San Road).

Club Culture

This exotic dance music sanctuary is the creation of the Club Astra team (a casualty of RCA's notoriously fickle crowds). Now run by owner of Café Democ, Club Culture features some of the most sophisticated lineup of international DJs and live bands, including Sutcliffe Jügend, Madness, DJ Nakadia and DJ Toby White. The four floors, each with a different music theme, offers everything from electro-house, techno, disco, hip-hip, dance, indie, rock to live acts. Depending on the evening, admission rarely exceeds 500 baht, with a free drink thrown in. Some nights are free.

The Club

Relive the days when trance music, not Black Eyed Peas, ruled Khao San! Offering the full-on hands-in-the-air 'rave' experience (complete with complimentary glow-sticks), The Club is the sort of sleek, snazzy joint you'd expect to find in Ibiza Town - only minus the vain DJs and drug-addled masses. What it does have is a big dance floor with high-ceilings, agitated lasers, UV lights, oversize disco ball, and - the piece de resistance - a raised DJ booth with trippy visuals working the backdrop.

It makes for a near-on hallucinogenic spectacle. Laser beams flicker through louvered Mediterranean doorways while travellers high on life and Thai whisky bounce through clouds of dry ice. Others lounge on chic sofas, awaiting the arrival of their chosen tipple. Tough electro house and trance doesn't so much fill the air, as pummel it into submission - don't come here for that talky first date. Do come here to dance like a lunatic or for one of their full-moon beach parties, when this often half-empty venue comes alive with sand, deck-chairs and bigger crowds.

Immortal

A legendary player in the Khao San music scene, Immortal has cracked the secret for longevity: play the music you love, and crank it very, very loud. With drum & bass, punk, rock, metal and nu-metal sometimes played, the music policy has a distinct alternative, industrial edge. However, this is a hip-hop club at heart. Has various Happy Hour offers, and the price of entry (which varies according to the night) includes a drink. Dark, shady and unglamorous, but often very fun.

Gazebo

Gazebo is a rooftop bar-cum-club where balmy winds and nocturnal city views mix into a heady cocktail. It's all a little like the entrance to a half-built pleasure palace. Resist the temptation to turn back; views entertain while you sip cocktails in what feels like an upscale Moroccan loft. The plump cushions, the soft lamps, the shisha pipes (and the lack of air-conditioning…) are all heavily redolent of Cairo.

Includes ‘The Zed Bar’ – a state-of-the-art DJ room where you can belly dance into the small hours. A sultry evening breeze heightens the Arabian Night's feel, while the live reggae band adds to the eclecticism. Then, once the cocktails have kicked in and your eyes glazed over, head next door to meet Gazebo's raucous alter ego: a small, dark club room thick with 3am nocturnes and loud dance beats. Entry is 300 baht after midnight.

Lava Club

Drenched in dim scarlet light and located in a long, dark modern basement, this hip-hop dungeon is the closest thing to a subterranean netherworld you'll find on Khao San. Half-naked backpackers and pretty locals are served by suggestively dressed waitresses, while kids with attitude, baggy pants and bling, bump and grind. Wannabe hustler DJs play moody hip-hop to rival the setting. Only gets busy after 11:00 and entry is free.