It won't stop, can't stop

In the famous upstairs venue on the corner of St-Laurent and Prince Arthur, Discoteca has stormed onto the nightlife scene with a heavy promotions team and a great staff. They drop prices on bottles from the standard $200 price tag and pack in their two floor venue every weekend. Spinning the best of pop, hip-hop and house, watch out for their capacity crowds on Saturday nights. Generally a younger crowd, the ladies in this gorgeous and intimate venue show you why Montreal is known for their pretty ladies.

It wouldn’t be right to claim anything less than the premier hip-hop nightclub on the Main for Orchid Nightclub. Some might remember when it was known as Kokino’s, Orchid Nightclub is now home to a super fly Easy Tuesdays with top hip hop DJs and MCs. Try and grab a comparison to Special K on the turntables and Chops on the mic for G-Spot Fridays. Spotlight Saturdays is a +21 crowd for Donald Lauture on the ones and twos. Dress code in effect and do it ala VIP to do it right.

A sprawling complex of a nightclub by Montreal standards, Rouge Nightclub rests just west of the main strip at 7 Prince Arthur. Catering to an unpretentious and fun-loving 25+ crowd (young-looking clients are routinely carded and discarded at the door); Rouge is two levels with two distinct sounds. The lower level is centered on a huge bar with couches and oversized footstools window-side for bottle service. The top level is more about house-techno music, flashy club lighting and a spacious dance floor. Rouge is always packed Friday and Saturday nights and the upbeat sometimes-unexpected blend of old favorites and current hits guarantees a funky night of dance and drinks.

Tokyo Bar was chic before the onset of Asian décor overkill elsewhere in the Western world, and has stayed true to its formula for years, keeping it high on the list of nighttime favorites for anyone looking for a solid night out. In the main room, DJ’s spin a variety of the latest house, hip hop and R’n’B tracks, throwing in some oldies just for balance, and often featuring live bands performing popular club and radio hits. In the smaller room, trance and techno dominate the cool blue-light lounge atmosphere. Tokyo’s crown jewel in the summertime is their huge rooftop terrace where club minglers congregate to catch a breath of fresh air, a cigarette, and conversation.

A student dive just off Prince Arthur featuring low cover charges and a continuous roster of live acts, Café Campus is famous for its curling down the cobblestone line-ups on cheap drink Tuesdays. From Wednesday to Saturday the three-floor bar throws it down with plenty of alternative rock, hard rock, fun rock, and just to mix it up a pretty decent blues night every Wednesday starting at 8:30pm. Well-established as a McGill and Concordia student favorite, Café Campus is a down-to-earth and inexpensive – ripped jeans, studded belts, baseball hats and sneakers are more than welcome.

Saphir is known as a Hip Hop institution to Montreal’s bootylicious grind-lovers. Saphir DJ’s don’t spare the gritty when it comes to urban rap and hardcore hip hop, to the delight of the minions who flock there to hear accurate reflections of whatever the artists du jour are churning out. This gem of a club is tucked upstairs on St-Laurent and entered through a fairly indistinct doorway among the many shop entrances. Look up to spot the simple white sign, and enter the crystal-encrusted walls of this hip hop jewel.