Exchange LA

Address: Los Angeles, US

Capacity: 1500

Web: www.exchangela.com

Try and look your best when heading over to Exchange LA. Housed in the fortress-like former Los Angeles Stock Exchange building (hence its name), the downtown LA venue likes to keep things classy.

Ever since linking with Insomniac four years ago, this 1500-person venue has been pulling in an impressive — and eclectic — roster of electronic artists for their Friday Awakening nights and Saturday Inception parties: Eric Prydz, Knife Party, Oliver Heldens, TJR, Ferry Corsten and Aly & Fila, to name a few.

You might see Skrillex high-fiving Diplo in the VIP section, catch Above & Beyond’s Jono Grant playing a deep house/techno set on an Anjunadeep night or have a face-melting experience on the dancefloor as Claude VonStroke and Green Velvet rub shoulders in the DJ booth under the guise of the Get Real moniker.

Actually, we honestly haven’t heard anything bad about the place, except that it might get crowded and sweaty when the likes of Paul van Dyk or Andrew Rayel is spinning. As expected.

The venue — open until 6am on Friday and Saturdays, late for US standards — prides itself on its cutting-edge production, which includes a massive LED wall behind the DJ booth and a liquid nitrogen system; as well as being the UN of the dance music experience.

Trance fans make peace with house and techno, underground converges with mainstream and EDM. It’s not just a club, it’s a destination.