Else is the Renate crew's open-air club at Treptower Park S-Bahn, opening every May for the summer season with house and slow-techno across a sandy dancefloor and a Spree-side bar.
Tip: Open-air only; Else closes for winter and reopens in May. Bring sunglasses, sunscreen and patience for the cash bar.
Address: An den Treptowers 10, 12435 Berlin
Cassiopeia sits in a former industrial hall on the RAW grounds in Friedrichshain and runs a broader booking than its techno-heavy neighbours, with hip-hop, indie, disco and 80s nights across two floors.
Tip: The summer beer garden is the easiest way in on a hot night. Weekday nights are local and cheap; Saturday gets touristed.
A-Trane has run since 1992 around a 12-square-metre bandstand on Bleibtreustrasse in Charlottenburg, hosting nightly jazz sets in a 100-capacity room with deep international booking.
Tip: Doors at 21:00; the room books out for the late jam sessions on Saturday. Book ahead for named acts.
Quasimodo on Kantstrasse runs as Berlin's longest-standing jazz club, with a basement stage that has booked blues, soul and funk acts alongside straight-ahead jazz since 1975.
Tip: Cash at the door for the late set. The cafe upstairs runs earlier; the basement stage is where the music lives.
B-flat in Mitte runs an acoustic jazz programme almost every night, with a low stage that puts the band a metre from the front row and a Wednesday jam called Robin's Nest.
Tip: Robin's Nest jam Wednesdays runs three-euro admission and a deep local-musician turnout. Book named acts ahead.
Yorckschloesschen has run on Yorckstrasse for over 120 years and books jazz, blues, soul, swing and funk Wednesday through Saturday in a smoky old-Berlin saloon with a beer garden.
Tip: Live music Wednesday through Saturday; the kitchen runs until 22:00 weekdays and later on event nights. Cash at the door.
Lido reopened in 2006 in a 1950s former cinema on the corner of Cuvry and Schlesische Strasse, booking indie, rock and pop concerts followed by DJ sets near U Schlesisches Tor.
Tip: Standing room only; the floor is flat so arrive early for sightlines. After-show club nights run until early morning.