Dance around the clock at club Shelter in A'DAM Tower

You walk off the ferry, walk five minutes and you're already in front of the A'DAM Tower. Twenty floors up there are restaurants, a bar and a viewing deck. But those who know where they should be go right down. In the basement sits Shelter, the club that has set the tone for underground electronic music in Amsterdam Noord for years. No frills, no advertising on the walls. Just concrete, bass and a permit that allows you to play all weekend.

That 24/7 party permit is pretty rare in the city. Shelter is allowed to open Friday night, so to speak, and not close the door until Sunday. Combined with a Funktion-One sound system, known in club circles for its clarity and power, this means the club plays a different category than most places in town. The sound arrives. That's not a coincidence but a choice. House ian Pooley, one of the founders of the Frankfurt house scene, has already been here. As has Grant Nelson, who attached his name to UK Garage long before that genre became mainstream. Two names you don't just book if you want to keep it easy.

The building has not hidden but rather embraced its industrial past. The concrete infrastructure of the former Shell office building has simply remained visible: pipes, beams, walls without plaster. It gives the space an atmosphere you would expect to find in Berlin rather than on the IJ. With a capacity of 700 people, it's not intimate either, but thanks to the spatial layout, it still never feels like an overcrowded sports palace. There is room to move, and the dance floor notices.

With a Funktion-One sound system and a 24/7 license, Shelter plays a different category than most places in town.

The ferry to North leaves right at Central Station and runs all night. Once you know how this works, you have no excuse to miss it. The club attracts local audiences, as well as people from further afield, and that says enough about what goes on on that dance floor.