Stop the Burn!

I'm sad to report that yet another club has eschewed Red Bull in favour of Coca-Cola's inferior (and painfully sweeter) product- Burn.

Opera (following Rai) has now stopped serving Red Bull, leaving Dyagilev as the only megaclub still serving the party-prolonging (and apparently health-endangering) nectar of the gods.

Review: Club The Most (Мост)

Opening Hours: Fri/Sat from 11pm - last customer

Category: Pre-Party, Ultra-Exclusive

Feis Kontrol Rating: Tough- 4/5

Address: Kuznetskiy Most, 6/3

M: Kuznetskiy Most

Phone: +7 (495) 226-6555

Website: N/A

Update: Jan 2009
After a minor refurbishment during Summer 2008 (resulting in a moved bar, DJ booth, and opening out the dancefloor a little), Most unfortunately hasn't really recovered, and visits here these days often find a relatively sparse crowd of people who couldn't make it past Feis Kontrol elsewhere but still want to be in a "top" club.
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Finally, after so many false starts so far this season, Moscow nightlife may finally have a new elitny nightclub that's here to stay! The Most opened on a stormy night which dampened some of it's outdoor arrangements, but the inside was a glitterfest of Moscow's beautiful, ultra-rich, semi-(or genuinely) famous, creepy, and the rest of us who managed to somehow land an invite. I'm delighted to report that a month on, it's as packed as ever, has a good crowd (think Krysha meets Simachev meets Dyagilev), and creative DJ's.

The Most is located in a Kuznetskiy Most basement, underneath the extravagant restaurant of the same name, and is partially owned by non-other than Roman Abramovich himself. The same location housed another nightclub called Most in the early 90's, but the location has undergone major renovation since then (excavating down another floor, for starters) and there has no doubt been some serious spending on the interior.

The dominant colour is a sparkling black with all sorts of glass walls, sparkling baubles, lasers, and flashing things (including than the go-go dancers and girls in attendance) which give the club a suspenseful, exciting feel, and ornate design elements like the enormous chandelier over the dancefloor and the gold-leaf mirrors provide a nice antique turn which soften what would otherwise be a more soulless "modern" interior. Although the club follows a typical 2-storey format with sunken dancefloor in the centre ringed by terraces, it is successfull due to well-planned design and more room to move throughout (and up & down) the club for all those "see & be seen" types (ie most people there) who like to roam throughout the club. There's only one annoying tiny spiral staircase nestled in the back of the club. The dance floor is set away from major thoroughfares, so unlike most clubs, those on the dancefloor don't have to be as jostled as in other locations (there's also a bar at each end of the dancefloor, a definite plus!)

The DJ's in attendance have so far been a mix of those who regularly do sets at other clubs including Dyagilev, Opera & Rai, so this has generated consistently good, if not overly inventive tunes.

The Most seems to have been successful in capturing the early (~12am-~2am) part of Moscow nightlife. As opposed to other popular Pre-Party venues (Bar 7, Simachev), Most has the design and vibe of a "real" club, although it gets decidedly less crowded after ~1am. It will be interesting to see how its crowd and positioning evolve over time.

In terms of negatives, apart from the attitude of some attendees at any new & exclusive place in Moscow, the coat check is awkwardly positioned, drinks are expensive, and that crazy spiral staircase is annoying, but all-in-all, great design, crowd, and music.

Overall, this is a great new addition to Moscow's nightlife and may be the most enduring of the many late-2007 openings.