Fluc occupies the pedestrian passageway under Praterstern station with the Fluc cafe above and the concrete Fluc_Wanne basement below, running concerts, art and the harder techno bookings of the 2nd district.
Tip: Cafe upstairs runs free entry most nights; tickets only for the basement Fluc_Wanne. U1 and U2 connect at Praterstern.
Address: Praterstern 5, 1020 Wien, Vienna
Das Werk has run in the raw Stadtbahn arches next to Grelle Forelle since 2006, programmed by a cultural association as the rougher, improvised counterweight to its polished neighbour, with the Viennese underground at the decks.
Tip: Cash bar; arrive after 01:00 for the proper room. Walk between Das Werk and Grelle Forelle on a single night for the full Spittelauer Lände spread.
Camera Club sits at the foot of Neubaugasse just off Mariahilfer Strasse, with two dancefloors that book a steady rotation of house, electro, techno, funk and dubstep nights inside a former cinema basement.
Tip: 18 plus on the door; queue before midnight for guestlist rates. Mariahilfer Strasse U3 is two minutes away.
Donau hides behind a grey metal door on Karl-Schweighofer-Gasse between Mariahilfer Strasse and the MuseumsQuartier, running cheap drinks and underground electronic bookings across minimal, house and dubstep nights.
Tip: No sign on the door; ring for entry. Open seven nights; weeknights pull a local crowd over a cheaper bar.
Porgy & Bess moved into a former adult cinema on Riemergasse in 2001 across three floors, programming a broad reading of jazz that takes in electronic, world music, soul and singer-songwriter sets nearly every night.
Tip: Tickets via the website; the main floor seating sells out for named acts. Late jam sessions start around 23:30 on weekends.
Jazzland has run since 1972 in a rustic vaulted cellar under the Ruprechtskirche on Franz-Josefs-Kai, the oldest jazz club in Austria and a steady stage for traditional, swing and blues with over 300 American guest acts on its history.
Tip: Doors at 19:00, music at 20:30. Cash at the door; the food is hearty Austrian and the room is small, so come early.
Chelsea opened on the Lerchenfelder Gürtel in 1995 inside three interconnected U6 brick arches, anchoring the Gürtel strip with British indie bookings, alternative DJ nights and Premier League broadcasts on a worn floor.
Tip: Live shows usually 21:00 doors; the basement back room runs after the gig. Cash and card on the bar.