With the beginning of the 2003-04 clubbing season finally here, we thought it only right that we rate Moscow’s Top 10 dance clubs. We took into account atmosphere, crowd, music and number of people actually dancing and this is what we came up with.

1. Ministerstvo
Reputed as the best dance club in the city by many, Ministerstvo will celebrate its second birthday on Sept. 27, which is sure to be one of the hottest events this fall. However, even if you can’t make it to the birthday bash, you should try and come another night since this place is permanently packed with a good-looking crowd.

2. Slava
This is a giant club located just outside the center that constantly attracts famous DJs from around the world. It’s also been around for five years, which (in the club scene) says a lot. However, the popularity of this place has driven up the cover, which is now about 400-500 rubles on the weekends, but if you like to dance, you’ll find it’s worth it.

3. Karma Bar
The place to go if you’re looking to let loose to numerous styles of music. Come before midnight to show off your salsa skills and stay all night to dance to the house, pop and hip-hop. Speaking of hip-hop, Karma Bar still boasts one of the city’s only hip-hop parties each Sunday night starting at midnight. Partying is always a great way to start off the work week.

4. Propaganda
If you’re young, cute and stylish and want to be around others who look the same, then Propaganda is for you. Still reputed as the hottest Thursday night spot, this tiny club features some of Moscow’s best DJs. If you’re gay, you’ll love their Sunday night Chinatown parties.

5. A Priori
Known as the club many go to once the action dies down at other places around town, A Priori is starting to attract more attention as a club to go to early and stay all night. They’ve always had good DJs spinning, but just recently the club took a step in the right direction by hosting DJ trio Lexicon Avenue. The party was so hot that it became LifeStyle’s party of the week.

6. Roxy
Host of this summer’s Ministry of Sound parties (the latest was on Sept. 6), Roxy has established itself as one of the hottest dance clubs to come onto the scene as of late and, as far as we can tell, it looks like it will be around for a while.

7. Zeppelin
Zeppelin is one of those clubs that attracts the rich and the beautiful, but it also attracts excellent DJs who spin very danceable music. The newly renovated interior allows you to dance by an illuminated grand staircase on the first floor and chill out on the other three floors.
8. Mio
Popular with the young, hip and well-dressed, Mio is a fun place to spend a night dancing. They often host internationally renowned DJs like Germans Mick Wills and Oscar Melzer and Italian Filippo Moscatello, who will have you off your seat for hours.

9. Art Center na Plushchike
Erick Morillo, Dirty Vegas, Paul Oakenfold, Seb Fontaine… And to think this is just a snippet of the big-name DJs that this place attracts. However, if the place isn’t packed with a crowd dancing to a world-famous DJ, the club’s warehouse-like interior may seem a little overwhelming.

10. Stone
This club hosts some of the coolest DJs on a weekly basis. The dance floor is large and the interior of this club is pretty cool in that decadent sort of Studio 54 way. However, this club has a strange door policy, so if you manage to get in, you may be one of the precious few there.

Ministerstvo
24 Mal. Nikitskaya Ul.
Metro: Barrikadnaya
Tel: 222-0158

Slava
58 Shosse Entuziastov
Metro: Shosse Entuziastov
Tel: 176-0639

Art Center na Plushchikhe
64 Plyushchikha Ul.
Metro: Fruzenskaya
Tel: 246-1770

Mio
1 Kaluzhskaya Ploshchad
Metro: Oktybrskaya
Tel: 238-5848

Karma Bar
3 Pushechnaya Ul.
Metro: Kuznetsky Most
Tel: 924-5633
Propoganda
7 Bol. Zlatoustinsky Per.
Metro: Kitai-Gorod
Tel: 924-5732

A Priori
12 Bol. Molchanovka Ul., Bldg. 1
Metro: Arbatskaya
Tel: 291-7783

Roxy
20 Staraya Basmannaya Ul.
Metro: Krasnye Vorota
Tel: 261-6174

Zeppelin
7 Prospekt Mira, Bldg. 3
Metro: Sukharevskaya
Tel: 207-2392

Stone
19 Kuznetsky Most Ul., Bldg. 1
Metro: Kuznetsky Most
Tel: 928-7497