Let's face it: Dallas is a hell of a city to go dancing. It may have been hurt in the past by the crackdown on raves, which flourished years ago, but a slew of young, up-and-coming dance clubs and a thriving DJ community means that there's never a shortage of places to go and get turnt, any night of the week. If anything, the hard part is figuring out which clubs are the best, but no need to worry there. We've got you covered.
10. Wits End
Wit’s end is best know as a rock club, but over the past few years it has been the spiritual home base for the drum and bass scene in Dallas. There's Two Tone crew’s Thursday residency and the occasional weekend road shows. Over the past year, they have brought legendary names like Grooverider, Dara and John B alongside the best of Dallas drum and bass talent. On the non-drum and bass side of things, infamous Dallas based techno and house promoters Soundslike throw a once-a-month rooftop party that is usually at capacity with some of the best house and techno talent in town. Throw in Edgar Blue’s hip night on Sundays and you have a diverse and popular line up of dance events taking place in the heart of Deep Ellum. Wanz Dover
2724 Elm St., Dallas, witsenddeppellum.com
Although Green Elephant has gone through many changes over the years, it remains a popular spot for the SMU crowds to drink and dance. It is the definition of a college bar, but occasionally still becomes more than that. The venue has played host to key bass, house and U.K. garage parties over the years has played host to a long line of touring DJs that have gone on to international fame. Thanks to Dub Assembly, Green Elephant was the spiritual home of the old school dubstep scene way back before dubstep became blended into a slightly less adventurous EDM form playing host some of the originators of that sound. WD
5627 Dyer St., Dallas, greenelephantdallas.com
8. Candle Room
Opinion on this club is polarizing. So we may only state with certainty that if you belong to a particular one percent or happen to be a lucky member of the female population, Candle Room is a great place. The small and nearly hidden club off I-75 may be in Dallas, but it is oh-so L.A, exclusive and ritzy. The music is alright, but as told by a waitress a while back, "Only drunk people dance here." Not to worry; drunkenness comes easy. It's not uncommon for pretty girls to be offered a bottle of champagne upon entering, ending up with so many drinks they look like they've set up a side bar of their own. When you look over at the mystery benefactor, a suited-up gentleman merely nods discreetly with a Robert-Redford-in-Indecent-Proposal vibe. So, great for broke thirsty girls and men who want to feel like a big shot. Eva Raggio
5039 Willis Ave., Dallas, candleroomdallas.com
7. Crown & Harp
Crown & Harp has gone through a major promoter change this year, bringing in Lily Taylor. Some of the residencies changed, but Crown & Harp remains one of the few dance floors open at least six nights a week. It’s small. The sound quality varies from night to night, but the curation of residences represents a wide variety of different genre niches. With nights like Nothing But Techno (gleefully self explanatory), Basshead Society, Too Fresh Productions, Disco’s Revenge, Faded DJs, Socially Correct’s Deep Inside and Global Digging, Taylor has lined up a schedule touching very facet of dance music from hip-hop to house to techno to breaks every night of the week. WD
1914 Greenville Ave., Dallas, thecrownandharp.com
Red Light Lounge has become the de facto destination for dance music in Deep Ellum proper. As the younger sibling to the much larger Lizard Lounge, Red Light provides a great dance floor, solid sound system and patio with a great view of the Dallas' most notable entertainment district — a neighborhood that has gone without a proper dance club for far too long. Respectable residencies like Ellumental, Movement, Panoptikon and Takeover Tuesdays have brought regular nights of house, Britpop, goth and EDM to the prime spot on Main St. becoming a go to spot in Deep Ellum to shake your shoes. WD
2911 Main St., Dallas, redlightdallas.com
5. Beauty Bar
Virtualy everyone has had fun at Beauty Bar at least once. Its roving cast of DJs and special guests make sure the shitty stepped-on coke in your system doesn't go to waste. You're up there dancing, you're watching your drink like a hawk, and you're swiping right every five minutes, because this crowd is down to, well, you know. Despite all this ridiculousness, Beauty Bar is still on the list of things you have to do in Dallas at least bi-monthly, if only so you can feel like a cool kid, even if just for one night. But with recurring weeklies Big Bang and Glamorama, that could be pretty well any night of the week. Jaime-Paul Falcon
1924 N. Henderson Ave., Dallas, thebeautybar.com
4. Sandaga 813
The last man standing of Expo Park is also the best place to really dance in Dallas. And when I say really dance, I mean dance to music that's not being repeated in every club in town. The eclectic mix of programing at Sandanga means you hear things there that you'll hear nowhere else. You get jazz, Afrobeat, Detroit techno, soul, Eurostep, Latin fusion and too many other things too list. It's truly an international vibe in the place, and if you know what's good for you you'll be making the pilgrimage to the graveyard of Expo Park as often as possible. JPF
813 Exposition Ave., Dallas, sandaga813.com
3. Station 4
There aren't many dance clubs that double as a cultural hub, but S4 is one of those places. Every person even tangentially affiliated with the LGBT community has clocked hours inside this club, for better or worse. Outside of the legendary drag shows hosted in The Rose Room, there are practically zillions of square feet for you to dance with the thousands of people that pack into this Cedars Spring club every night. You may witness some fights between attendees or end up with a drink spilled in your hair, but after a night of grinding random strangers to Robyn tunes, you won't give a damn. Amy McCarthy
3911 Cedar Springs Rd., Dallas, station4dallas.com
Lizard Lounge could be considered an institution after almost a quarter century of existence. It has gone through many changes over the years, much like dance music in general, and yet still seems every bit as familiar as it was 20 years ago. Over the past five years it has become the center of EDM universe in Dallas playing host to some of some of the biggest names in the genre. Lizard Lounge is also the undeniable destination for all things goth, industrial and fetish related by way of The Church which has been holding down the darkness for over 20 years now.? WD
2424 Swiss Ave., Dallas, thelizardlounge.com
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It'll Do filled a gap that was long overdue to be filled in a city the size of Dallas. A no-frills venue with a big dance floor and a top-notch sound system to revisit the longstanding legacy of house music in Dallas. The quality of touring DJs has increased along with their reputation on the international stage to become a destination spot for some of the most respected DJ's in House music. From James Murphy to Juan Atkins to Sasha to MK to Nicole Moudaber the it'll do calendar is literally a who's who of underground(and not so underground) dance music.?? WD
4322 Elm St., Dallas, facebook.com/ItllDoClub
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