Remember how there was always one kid in college who was annoyingly great at just everything – amazing grades, played sports, popular, and bloody good looking? Well, Monica Dogra IS that kid – singer, spoken word performer, clothing designer, activist, actor… the list goes on!
The multi-talented Monica, one half of the electro-rock musical group Shaiir + Funk (which she started in 2007 and already has four albums to their credit!), has made a guest appearance in Farhan Akhtar‘s Rock On!, showed off her acting chops in the lead role in Kiran Rao‘s Dhobi Ghat, has served as judge in the Rolling Stone‘s “Never Hide Sounds” musical talent contest, was a host of The Dewarists, a musical collaborative show on STAR World India, has performed with award winning violinist Scott Tixier, for a series of shows sponsored by Dos Equis around the US, and is now one of the judges on The Stage alongside Vishal Dadlani, Ehsaan Noorani, and Devraj Sanyal. All when she’s not touring the world doing live gigs at some of the most legendary venues around the globe!
AND she’s hot to boot!
On the eve of the release of her new album SPIT, we asked Monica to list her top 10 party spots in the world, and she dropped some gems. Check out the list for yourselves!
1. The Melkweg, Amsterdam
I once performed at The Melkweg at the same time as Sara Bareilles. It’s a beautiful, run down, historic live music venue with walls that speak to you. On any given night, someone incredible is playing. It’s one of those spots in Amsterdam that is a destination for music heads.
2. The Box, New York City
One of the maddest, craziest nights out I’ve ever had in my life maybe EVER was at The Box. The Box is not just a club, it’s a burlesque house of hedonism. It rains iridescent UV bubbles from the sky, 60 year old transvestites take poops in pink patent leather purses, badass soul singers perform while slinky fire eating sex slaves are whipped because they like it… all while dwarves are serving cocktails and models are doing aerial from the ceiling from pearly silks. I’m not making this up. This is a real thing and it’s pretty extraordinary. If you want to go to The Box, be prepared to spend money and wow. Dress Up. Look alive. Get ready to say hello to Rihanna. It happens.
3. Fabric, London
Some of the most legendary DJ’s in the world aim to play at this venue in London. The club has multiple rooms and you can expect for all of the DJ’s/live acts to be insanely good pretty much guaranteed. I went to Noisia’s album launch there a few years ago with the boys of Shiva Sound System and Foreign Beggars. One interesting feature at Fabric is the vibrating floors. I experienced bass that night in a way I had never before in my life. It was like I needed to hold my guts together. It was a good feeling though. Real good. Trust me.
4. Berghain, Berlin
The Berghain is arguably the most famous club in Berlin. People talk about their nights out starting at 6PM and going for days straight with no sleep! It’s not a joke, the party culture in Berlin is real. The Berghain has a Funktion One sound system as well, which is one of the best in the world. What this means is, your whole body can be blasted with crystal clear glorious sound, but you won’t damage your hearing.
5. Club Bla, Oslo
I have to mention this one because Oslo is such a magical city. I went there to perform and specifically fell in love with this club because of the energy and people it attracts. Club Bla mostly books artists who are just about to go big. That’s how I like to see my music as well, when it is fresh, a bit innocent, and a bit unknown. It is also situated next to a bridge on the river. The walls of the streets in this area are covered in street art. When you get sick of the party inside, there is a party outside. It’s a real sweet vibe.
6. The Drake Hotel, Toronto
The Drake is another institution on this list. It’s an old boutique hotel with multiple rooms that are all designed differently. The rooftop is particularly lovely. I think Toronto is actually one of the coolest cities in the world. What I love about it is that it still feels small. It never overwhelms you.
7. Cookies, Berlin
The first time I went to Berlin, I only had 2 days to discover it. Instead of pulling out manuals and reading books to tell me where to go, I wandered and just asked people where to go and what to do. The locals said follow Cookie. Cookie is the owner of this Supperclub that also hosts a bunch of pop-ups around the city. The space is marked by giant oil drums heating up the smoking areas. Secret respected DJ’s from around the world show up unannounced and drop sets that you will never forget. The dining area serves molecular cuisine that is crazy good.
8. Concrete, Paris
I found this place one summer in Paris. It’s an industrial warehouse on the water. Summertime at Concrete features all the beautiful ones and all the breeziest music on the water. It’s literally a festival in and of itself. The space has no frills but the people who come to it create the environment. It’s the place for those in the know… now you’re in it.
9. The Dome, Kentish Town, London
I found this place through Munbir Chawla from The Wild City. The Dome hosted the biggest names in Bass Music. VIVEK SYSTEM, MALA all come from this lineage. If you go to the Dome, you should expect to have your rib cage chattering until the sun rises amongst people who don’t care about what ya look like but pay attention to how you move.
10. Circoloco Party Place, Brooklyn, NYC
Burning Man has created a worldwide tribe of “burners”. This popup space hosts some of the coolest parties where burners and non-burners all come through to be weird together. The romantic and fantastical “ROBOT HEART” party often comes here. You can expect fire dancers, gogo dancers, beautiful music, sticky floors, and people who will smile at you until you are no longer a stranger.
Clearly, this girl knows where to party! And given Monica’s insane knowledge on all things music, we absolutely cannot wait to get our hands on her debut solo album, SPIT. Three years in the making, the 9 track album is raw, aggressive and a result of a mix of genres, poetry, searching, love, and longing. The sound of the album varies between uplifting beats and rhythms to eclectic electronic vibes, aimed at bringing out emotions which normally remain under your skin. The album features collaborations with music producers from around the world, such as Robot Koch (Germany), Prash Mistry (UK), and Gaurav Raina a.k.a. Grain (India). The album releases today on Universal Music, so check it out and let us know what you think!
#saywhatyoulike
For more on nightlife, parties and all around sexy time, follow me on instagram – @kingofclubsworld and twitter – @kingofclubswrld