THE UK'S TOP 5 NYE PARTIES

1. TROUBLE VI5ION NYE, CORSICA STUDIOS, LONDON
TUESDAY 31ST DECEMBER
THEO PARRISH, MAURICE FULTON, ANTHONY NAPLES, MR BEATNICK, MR SOLID GOLD

There’s a lot of debate circulating the UK scene right now. Many clubbers are thinking twice — stepping back and taking stock a little — before committing to nights, especially on an occasion as big as New Year’s Eve.
2013 presented a new level of interest in underground dance music. For the first time since the '90s, dance music is dominating the charts, getting prime time radio play and reaching a far wider audience than within the niche, subcultural world it's transcended.

Clubbers who were here first are now faced with a choice. They can grumble and bemoan the inevitable infiltration of an ever-evolving dance scene — balk at losing grip on something that was always going to be transient — or look forward. It was the latter that the dance scene was built on after all.

One night that’s always been one step ahead is Trouble Vision. Housed at Corsica Studios, South London’s beloved off-the-beaten-track archway venue, it’s moved with the times, catering to clubbers looking beyond the norm in the city. Celebrating five years this month, it continues to attract both new blood and an older crowd through its dedication to only the most cutting-edge DJs.

To round off the five-year commemoration, which has already seen John Talabot present his Hivern Discs imprint to Corsica, Trouble Vision will welcome the New Year with a five-hour set from Detroit’s house/jazz/disco encyclopaedia Theo Parrish and a midnight slot from NY oddball Maurice Fulton. Not forgetting “proper house” newbie Mr Beatnick, among others.

At a time when house line-ups are looking increasingly beige, here are a couple of genre-subverting legends to rip up the rulebook and get creative juices flowing. Besides, the best way to celebrate the New Year is with one eye on the past and the other on the future, so Trouble Vision is the place we recommend you look this year.
9pm – 7am | £20-£30 | corsicastudios.com

2. GATECRASHER, BIRMINGHAM
TUESDAY 31ST DECEMBER
DISCLOSURE, BREACH, DANNY HOWARD, HANNAH WANTS, FRIEND WITHIN

Meanwhile, up in Birmingham, mega superclub Gatecrasher has its sights on the house/garage vibes that were bothering more low-key soundsystems 18 months ago, now those polished garage flavours have catapulted up the charts and found their way into VIP bars all over the UK. Disclosure, ‘Jack’ the lad Breach and Hannah Wants will join Radio 1’s trusty dance jock Danny Howard to demolish the same gargantuan room that’s entertained Showtek, Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike and Kaskade at other points this year. If you needed proof that “deep house” is the most popular sound today, this is it. The pinnacle of the movement, and no better time to mark it than on New Year’s Eve. What to expect in 2014? Paul Woolford for a Brit Award? Breakfasts with Ben UFO on Radio 2? Hey, why not even Boy George for London Mayor!?
9pm – 6am | £20 - £70 | gatecrasher.com

3. NYE AT THE WAREHOUSE PROJECT, VICTORIA WAREHOUSE, MANCHESTER
TUESDAY 31ST DECEMBER

ANNIE MAC, SASHA, JAMES ZABIELA, TEED (DJ), ANDY C, TIGA, TENSNAKE, REDLIGHT, WAIFS & STRAYS, MARIBOU STATE, WAZE & ODYSSEY, PEDESTRIAN, EJECA, LIL SILVA & MORE

One club brand that’s had no trouble balancing overground with underground values over the years is WHP, mainly because it’s set out to represent a broad spectrum of dance sounds from the beginning. Usually it’s the NYD closing party that gets dance hipsters in a sweat (Jamie Jones, Carl Craig, Dixon, Âme and Maceo Plex are just a few names on the bill this year), but this NYE is particularly strong. Annie Mac returns, but, replacing last year’s live act Rudimental, TEED, Tiga and Andy C spread the net out wide without offending ears in the process. It’s not been the smoothest year for WHP, and 2014 will only see a handful of events, so there’s a lot resting on this one.
7.30pm – 5am | £28.50 | thewarehouseproject.com

4. SECRETSUNDAZE NYE 2013, ELECTRIC BRIXTON, LONDON
TUESDAY 31ST DECEMBER
LEVON VINCENT, SHED, TIM SWEENEY, POINT G (LIVE), GILES SMITH, JAMES PRIESTLEY

It’s been another excellent year for Secretsundaze. Having taken over Barcelona’s mountaintop venue, La Terrrazza, during Sonar, August Bank Holiday saw their Go Bang! project return to London, with the likes of Omar S, Juan Atkins and Martyn storming Studio 338 and The Coronet. To close the summer, Mr G and MCDE rocked Oval Space and now we have this, a pitch-black tech fest at Electric Brixton for their NYE knees-up. Underground Quality’s vinyl purist Levon Vincent will make a rare stop in London alongside Berlin’s sub-bass architect Shed, while Point G plays live and Beats In Space tastemaker Tim Sweeney brings a diverse DJ set to room two.
10pm – 8am | £17.50+ | secretsundaze.net

5. NYE WITH NICK HÖPPNER, PLASTIC PEOPLE, LONDON
TUESDAY 31ST DECEMBER
NICK HÖPPNER

If getting barged about in a damp tunnel or performing some sort of ruck manoeuvre to get to the bar was your idea of fun about 10 years ago, chances are you’ll favour a smaller, more intimate affair this NYE. But that doesn’t mean you have to avoid raving altogether. Ali Tillett’s Warm party at Plastic People is a choice spot for the more refined class of party animal, especially when Ostgut Ton boss, Panorama Bar resident Nick Höppner is in the booth all night.
11pm – 5am | £15 - £25 | plasticpeople.co.uk