| DJ Sets :: Womb Club Nights
N0. 16 RATED CLUB IN THE WORLD BY
DJ MAG
Womb Night
Club Details...
Womb,
2-16 Maruyama-cho, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, Japan
One of Tokyo's most popular clubs conveniently
situated in the heart of Shibuya. 3 floors overlooking massive
dance floor. Obi lounge bar on 1st floor which serves as a
cafe during the day. Often afternoon and weeknight events.
Mainly house, techno, tribal and drum and bass. Best light/laser
show in Tokyo and biggest disco ball.
DJ Mag
Club Review...
Tucked away in the labyrinthine, unassuming
streets of downtown Tokyo's Shibuya District, between smoke
shops and love hotels, lies one of the world's best clubs.
Nestled in a narrow back alley, you'd never know that behind
the walls of what appears to be the back of a restaurant lurks
the all-enveloping rave den that is Womb.
Of course, Japan is known for having
its fair share of tech savvy, slickly designed nightspots,
but none can match the sonic fury of this Shibuya cavern.
Regularly inviting the likes of Richie Hawtin, Joris Voorn,
Sasha and Digweed to play, Womb, since opening in spring 2000,
has garnered a reputation for being sonically and visually
one of the most arresting club experiences in our galaxy.
Climbing the stairs and emerging into
the dark environs of the club space, the name seems entirely
appropriate. Stripped of fancy ephemera, Womb is not a place
to pose in, be seen in. It's a hexagonal, honeycomb shape,
built for dancing, and accordingly the acoustics are off the
chain. Boasting a superior Phazon system imported from NYC,
the peerless speaker stacks emit the club's chosen underground
electronic fare with a clarity and bass propulsion to make
jaws drop and posteriors wiggle in equal proportion.
"It's a very special soundsystem
there," believes Dutch techno don and keen advocate Joris
Voorn. "And it's a very special atmosphere with the high
ceiling, the great lighting and smoke machines, it's one of
the best clubs around without a doubt."
Indeed, Womb has one particular stunning visual feature that
is unmissable - its huge mirrorball, which descends from the
ceiling as the night progresses to shimmer and reflect the
stunning lights and lasers projected by the light team.
Though Womb's floor may appear a spare, minimal zone, the
insane, futuristic laser shows make the club a blank canvas
on which to project phantasmagorical criss-crosses of greens,
blues and reds, infinitely complimenting the progressive house,
techno and occasional drum & bass that is Womb's staple
diet. It's such an arresting sight that the memorable Tokyo
club scene from recent Hollywood epic Babel was shot here.
Perhaps the ultimate ingredient and secret of Womb's success
is the incredibly up-for-it, crazy crowd - one of the friendliest
and most enthusiastic that DJmag has come across.
"The energy of the Japanese people is unparalleled,"
says Richie Hawtin.
Joris Voorn concurs: "The Japanese people are the best
audience in the world because of their culture. In day-to-day
life they're very much bound by etiquette, but in the club
they totally let go and lose themselves in the music."
Womb's open-minded but always on-point booking policy ensures
that every night goes with a bang. In March, the club hosted
nights from such labels as BPitch Control and Ostgun Ton,
and on 4th May, Sven Väth brings his 'Sound Of The Ninth
Season' tour to town.
Womb is a club truly befitting the neon-lit futuristic majesty
of Tokyo. Do yourself a favour and find out why…