Chiang Mai might be Thailand’s second largest city but anyone who has visited the northern tourist destination would hardly describe it as having the liveliest nightlife in Thailand.
The more popular nighttime entertainment venues pump out a predictable but somewhat boring blend of commercial hip hop and dated trance, while the plethora of medium sized bars tend to concentrate more on reggae and rock – with more than a handful focusing on live bands of varying quality.
The city’s infamous beer bars, popular mostly with expatriate and tourist males due to the abundance of young (and not so young) beer girls tend to concentrate on loud, as opposed to any particular genre of music.
This all changed last week when the efforts of a group of dedicated and talented local Thai DJs pooled their resources and talents to open Chiang Mai’s first true dance club.
Club Grooves takes the lead
It’s been a long time coming but Chiang Mai finally has a dance club that breaks with traditions and plays the sort of music club goers and party people get to hear in other Thailand tourist destinations and certainly what some of the leading clubs internationally pump out.
Club Grooves on the corner of Chang Phueak Rd and Chang Phueak Soi 4 features first class mixing, great, non-commercial tunes and a great vibe.
Local DJs including DJ Superman, DJ Bastard, and DJ Sissy are belting out great mixes every night with the playlist being pulled from Deep, Tech, Soulful, Funky, Electro, House, Breakbeat, Trance, and Drum’n’bass genres.
No commercial hip hop, loud crashing rock and roll, or laid back reggae in this place. This is pure dance music.
The club is decorated with matte-black painted walls and ceiling, while huge mirrors along all the walls reflect the mirror balls and lasers.
It’s nice and dark and there are comfy sofas to relax on, as well as high tables and bar stools.
Great bar and wait staff and reasonably priced drinks combine with the first class mixing to make Club Grooves the place to go to in Chiang Mai for serious partying people.
While located away from the main Chiang Mai tourist precinct, Club Grooves is still only a short taxi or tuk-tuk drive from the more established venues.
The club itself is not particularly large, but then again boutique clubs world-wide that concentrate on quality music and mixing never are. That said, there is ample room for dancing and relaxing.
Anyone who appreciates first class mixing and the latest in dance tunes should definitely make a note of Club Grooves if their travel plans take them to Chiang Mai.
Photos John Le Fevre
He has spent extensive periods of time working in Africa and throughout Southeast Asia, with stints in the Middle East, the USA, and England.
He has covered major world events including Operation Desert Shield/ Storm, the 1991 pillage in Zaire, the 1994 Rwanda genocide, the 1999 East Timor independence unrest, the 2004 Asian tsunami, and the 2009, 2010, and 2014 Bangkok political protests.
In 1995 he was a Walkley Award finalist, the highest awards in Australian journalism, for his coverage of the 1995 Zaire (now Democratic Republic of Congo) Ebola outbreak.
Most recently he was the Thailand editor/ managing editor of AEC News Today . Prior to that he was the deputy editor and Thailand and Greater Mekong Sub-region editor for The Establishment Post, predecessor of Asean Today.
In the mid-80s and early 90s he owned JLF Promotions, the largest above and below the line marketing and PR firm servicing the high-technology industry in Australia. It was sold in 1995.
Opinions and views expressed on this site are those of the author’s only. Read more at About me
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Thanks for the article, I’ll have to tell my friends.
richard
has anyone been yet?
I went to this club several times when I was in Chiang Mai and it really was a dance club. It was about the music and the mixing with no laptops in the booth and DJs playing sets to keep the crowd moving. I’ve heard reports there might have been problems between the DJs who rented the premises and started the business and the building owner so I’m not sure if it’s still running or not.
Thanks for reading though.
I’ve never seen a true dance club in chiangmai but a dance club would be great for the 2010 guide to dance clubs in chiangmai if this place is still around please let me know.
looks cool guys – i will be checking it out this weekend!!!
Would like to find out more about chiangmai djs as i have a new bar /club in town Thanks
This sounds like a really cool club, thanks for the tip !! I’m gonna have to go visit this weekend.
Do they have a tel # or website? I’m looking at a map here, Chang Phueak 4 is opposite the Songtaew station, right? Are they RIGHT ON that corner or down the soi a bit?
Thanks for the compliment. Well worth a visit. They are down the soi a bit on the left hand side. You might also like to join the Chiang Mai Party People Group on Facebook or the I Love DJ Parties Chiang Mai Group on Hi5.
Party safe.