Babylon is two clubs in one. Downstairs is a R&B, funk, hip-hop styled club, and upstairs is a heavy house-techno room. It is really good in the sense that it provides variety, and music for those who have developed specific tastes. There is a risk in a town the size of Canberra that the population might not be big enough to justify anything non-commercial. Fortunately Babylon allows that.
Downstairs:
This is where you will find a good R&B, funk, hip-hop mix. Lots of your favourites, old and nu-school, with the very odd party tune thrown in. In the few nights I visited, it seemed to remain very busy.
The layout is odd, and not ideal, but who cares, the music is good. From the entry foyer you take a right, and you are in. To your immediate left is the rather large and chunky bar. Immediately in front of it is the smallish dancefloor. The problem this creates is the dancefloor and the bar become one. In the middle through to the heavily windowed wall at the back, and around to the right is booth seating, like you'd find in a diner (it is a restaurant by day). The again runs right up to the dancefloor. The tiny DJ booth is almost straight ahead of the entrance, at the edge of the dancefloor and the booths. Not much in the way of dancefloor lighting, but there is an awesome neon light above the bar.
However, the layout is insignificant. The room is about the music. The crowd appreciate the tunes, keeping the dancefloor packed. The DJs get right into it too, which creates an excellent vibe. The crowd is pretty cool. Respectable, and well dressed. There is a good cultural mix, and everyone is pretty friendly.
Upstairs:
This is where you find the pumping house and tek tunes. It is pretty full on, and the room has an appropriate feeling. It feels moody, but has touches like a flashy bar, mirror shards everywhere, and plenty of steel around the dancefloor. It is very striking.
As you enter the room, you have a bar to the left, some loungy areas in front of that, more loungy areas to the right, and a large dancefloor in the back right. It has a good array of podiums, and lighting to set the scene. Large windows right and straight ahead provide a view of Canberra.
The crowd up here is a little younger and fashionable. It is a place for your fairly traditional techno crew. Dress to dance, and dance hard.
The venue overall is very good. It offers good variety of music, people, and so on. If you are into tek, house, or R&B, definitely check Babylon out.
