The hottest new nightclub in Bali

For the third consecutive year, Hi Ibiza on the famed Spanish party island has taken the number one spot on DJ Mag’s list of the top 100 nightclubs in the world, describing it as “a marvel of nightlife design” and the “world’s most technologically advanced dance music destination”. Only one Australian club, Home, a three-level purpose-built ‘super club’ overlooking Sydney’s Darling Harbour, made the list. But the top 100 clubs closest to Perth are found in Bali. They include Savaya, a multi-purpose pool club/nightclub set on the dramatic sea cliffs of the Bukit Peninsula on Bali’s south coast; and ShiShi, a cocktail bar, restaurant and nightclub in the busy beachfront tourist precinct of Seminyak. Only 500m from ShiShi is another venue with more advanced technology and intelligent design than either ShiShi or Savaya, but that inexplicably didn’t make the list. It’s Klymax Discotheque, a new state-of-the-art venue on the grounds of the Potato Head Beach Club and creative playground. Set in a concrete bunker that was formerly an underground carpark, access to the Klymax is through a set of mirror doors that leads to a chamber with a ticket window and a floor-to-ceiling terrarium with tropical plants — a thought-provoking work of art given how far emotionally removed one is from nature here. A long flight of stairs lit with soft red lighting leads to the belly of the club, which has the look of a very large Swedish sauna as every surface is covered in teak veneer. There are more than 2.6 million holes perforated in the wood panelling in the walls and ceiling to diffuse sound and tame errant frequencies. And the floor is sprung like a basketball court, a design element that was first used in ballrooms to reduce fatigue and stress on the joints of dancers a century ago. There are four speaker stacks in the corners — classic disco nightclub systems based on a blueprint established at legendary 1970s New York club Studio 54 — and they sit on concrete slabs to absorb vibrations and avoid rattling. The result are sounds that are perfectly pitched and that can be heard with every nuance intact. What is also interesting from a design perspective is that except for a small lounge area with two tables on one side, the entire venue is a dancefloor. The bar, where they sell pre-made cocktails to avoid queuing, is hidden in a side room, with one partially open wall connecting it to the dancefloor. Ditto with the DJs; there is no stage or booth in the conventional sense at Klymax. They, too, are secreted away in another room, though there is a wide slit through which DJs and the audience share visual contact.

DJ Harvey had a month-long residency in May. The DJ, producer and global scene provocateur took the controls every Saturday night for four consecutive weekends, performing all night long for each show.

Combined with high-tech lighting that transports crowds into another visual dimension, Klymax is more than just another nightclub — it’s the most complete dancefloor experience imaginable in Asia.

fact file

+ The music at Klymax is mostly dance and electronic, with a blend of house, techno, disco and Balearic.

+There is no dress code: you can come in a Bintang singlet, facial tattoos and thongs.

+Entry is $25.

+This is one of only a few non-smoking and non-vaping nightclubs in Bali.

+To see the DJ line-up and purchase tickets in advance, visit klymax.co.