Before there were festivals, before there were raves, there were nightclubs. They’re where dance music started and they’re where our culture still moves forward. Clubs are where musical ideas are fleshed and where scenes are formed. With so much to choose from in any given city, going to the right places in the club scene can also be a daunting endeavor to newcomers and seasoned veterans alike: where to go, when to go, how to go, who to go with, and how to be.

In our first wave of the THUMP Guide to Clubbing, we dive deep into the nightlife of three North American nightlife centers, Los Angeles, New York and Toronto, to curate a list of the best and most essential places to be after dark.

Click the images below to explore and to access our first three Guides.

Over the past decade, The City of Angels has cemented its reputation as a worldwide hub for electronic music. Even 2 AM closing times and unpredictable police crackdowns of the warehouse scene can’t seem to stop this city from dancing. The past couple years in particular have seen an influx of labels and artists from world-round setting up shop in town. Everyone from Rusko to Eric Prydz to Pete Tong calls LA home now, joining natives like TOKiMONSTA, Skrillex and Kristina Sky.

With an historic tagline like “the city that never sleeps,” the Five Boroughs have a lot to live up to, but somehow they always manage to surpass the hype. In the Big Apple, there’s a nightlife option for just about every personality, niche, musical taste, and individual and with the rapidly growing contingent of dance music lovers swarming the borough of Brooklyn, navigating the city’s club listings can often feel like a homework assignment, but we got you.

It should come as no surprise that nightlife in Canada’s largest city is accessible, diverse, and living on the cutting edge. After hours techno night with pool tables? We’ve got that. Trap shows that explode into hardcore hip-hop at the end of the night? We’ve got that too. T-Dot’s many neighborhoods are a canvas painted by different venues, each carving out a cultural niche.