A step back in time with the world's most iconic music venues

A venue can define a city. Clubs and concert halls are breeding grounds for culture and history through the form of music. From Elvis Presley's milestone recording of 'Hound Dog' at New York City's Webster Hall to Amnesia Ibiza becoming the first super club lusted for around the world, take a journey into the past with Mixmag and see how some of the most iconic venues have stood the test of time.

Arguably the most famous underground club in the world, Berghain started as a reincarnation of the legendary Ostgut club in 2004. The current building was originally a power plant used by the Swedish energy company Vattenfall, back then called Kungliga Vattenfallsstyrelsen. Since then, the venue's music curation and ultra-strict door policy has made it legendary.

KOKO originally opened on Boxing Day 1900 as The Camden Theatre. Over the next 75 years, the venue was passed on through different ownership, became a recording studio and introduced rock music to the UK. Milestone performances for KOKO London include Iron Maiden, Madonna’s first UK show, Prince's return to the UK after a decade-long hiatus, an album launch from the Red Hot Chili Peppers and a surprise Kanye concert with Skepta and Vic Mensa.

Fabric is one of the most iconic clubs in London. The venue was opened in 1999 by Keith Reilly, who enlisted Craig Richards and Terry Francis as its first residents. Before Fabric, the building was an old Victorian building used to store meat. After over two decades of historic nights, Fabric had become the beating heart of London nightlife. The legendary venue is currently fighting to appeal the Islington court’s decision to revoke its licence.

[Photos: Fabric Pre-fabric / Fabric 2015]

Webster Hall's structure went up in 1886 and was originally used as a “hall for hire” performance space. In the 1920s, Webster started hosting grand masquerade balls and America's first LGBT events. Throughout its 130 years, the concert destination has withstood four fires and welcomed legendary artists like Tina Turner, Madonna, Radiohead and U2.

Webster Hall boasts some of the city’s richest history; in 1956, Elvis Presley recorded ‘Hound Dog’ at the venue when it was being used as a studio by RCA and hosted Bob Dylan’s recording debut in 1962.

In the late 2000s, the Girls & Boys party series introduced bass music culture to the mainstream scene and continues to consistently book many of the electronic community’s most famous artists.

Output is currently Brooklyn’s premiere club. Standing at the corner of N11th and Wythe Avenue, it's become known as New York City’s destination for the most consistent bookings and strict 'no pictures' rule. It also houses Brooklyn’s favorite rooftop and the iconic Halcyon Record Shop. The original warehouse space was sold to Bernard Gross in 1983 and after many years of switching owners, was finally converted to Output in 2013.

The Bowery Ballroom building was completed in 1929 just before the stock market crash and was mostly vacant after standing as a consumer retail store. The space was the Tree-Mark Shoe Store for a short number of years and officially became the Bowery Ballroom in 1997.

Hammerstein Ballroom was built in 1906 by Oscar Hammerstein as the Manhattan Opera House, a new venue in New York City that offered unbelievable opera performances at the lowest prices the public had ever seen. After three decades of unparalleled success and the addition of the Grand Ballroom, the building was changed to The Manhattan Center in 1939. The 3500-capacity venue was renamed Hammerstein Ballroom in 1997 and has brought stars like Judy Garland, David Bowie, Grateful Dead and Bob Marley to the stage. Currently, the venue hosts giant concerts, gala events, fundraisers and award shows.

Exchange LA originally completed construction in 1931 as the Los Angeles Stock Exchange Building. The central financial establishment housed a massive trading floor and clearing house with a statistics apartment, auditorium and lecture room. It originally also had a massive library and hundreds of offices. Today, Exchange LA is one of the city's premier concert and performance venues which holds over 1500 fans and boasts a 200 square foot LED display screen plus top of the line Funktion One soundsystems.

The Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall are both part of the original structure known as Al Malaikah Temple. Used first as a civic center and later a performance venue and showcasing location, The Shrine has been home to some of Los Angeles' most iconic events: from 1947 to 1948 and from 1988 to 2001, it was used to host the Academy Awards and for a number of years, it was also where the Grammys took place. In 1933, it was the location for the famous exhibition scene in the original King Kong film. In the present day, The Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall collectively accommodates over 11,000 fans and consistently books big name talent.

Amnesia Ibiza's rich history starts at the end of the 18th century, when the Planells family took residence at its current site for five generations. After drawing a handful of tourists in the 1950s, hippies and musicians traveled to the legendary land over the next two decades. After visits from the Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd and The Doors, word got out that the Ibizan islands were a true destination of paradise.

In 1976, a young man named Antonio Escohotado rented out the space for 120€ a month in hopes of creating the island's premiere discotheque. Amnesia, which was originally to be called 'The Workshop of Forgetfulness', started with highlighted rock acts but quickly shifted to disco and funk, prepping for the mass takeover of house music and the Balearic sound. Its iconic open-air terrace has since been covered, but still floods with light at sunrise every day.

Today, there is no need for any introduction of Amnesia Ibiza, as it has evolved into one of the world's most famous clubs.

Red Rocks Amphitheater is Colorado’s most celebrated music venue. John Brisben Walker purchased the property in the late 1800s and originally used it as a small amusement park and tourist attraction. In the following years, he discovered the grand acoustic properties between Ship Rock, Creation Rock and Stage Rock and hosted the first concert in 1910 with the Signor Ferrulo band.

Construction for the Red Rocks Amphitheater as we know it today started in 1936 and was completed in 1941. Still utilizing the structure’s massive, sound-hugging form, Red Rocks is one of America’s most stunning music venues and is for many artists a favorite performance location. In 2016 alone, the venue has seen LCD Soundsystem, Flume, Halsey, Zeds Dead and an entire HARD production.

The DC Armory is a massive concert venue originally used as the headquarters, armory and training facility for the DC National Guard. Construction finished in 1941 and has since been used to host Presidential inauguration balls, auto shows and by the FBI during World War II as the Identification Division to store fingerprint records. The DC Armory is now used as a performance and show venue with a 10,000 person capacity. Electronic artists that have taken to the Armory stage and filled the dancefloor include Kaskade and Armin Van Buuren.

[Photos: National Guard Amory, Fingerprinting Division 1945 / DC Armory 2011]

Zouk Singapore was originally a complex of three warehouses built in 1919 overlooking the Singapore river. Since its conversion into a superclub, the Zouk team has spent millions of dollars revamping the former dilapidated space and brought seminal artists like Ricardo Villolobos, Carl Cox, Sven Vath and more to the Lion City.

Concrete Paris opened five years ago, acting as a major player in the resurgence of Parisian nightlife. Designed for after-hour affairs, Concrete opens at 7am and runs until 2am the following night. The venue is held on a boat dock standing on the Seine river, overlooking the Viaduc d’Austerlitz, built in 1904.

[Photos: Le Viaduc Dans Les Années 1910 / Concrete 2014]

Metro and Smart Bar were the birthplaces and home of Chicago’s electronic music scene. The venues' residencies, which included Frankie Knuckles, Derrick Carter and Joe Smooth, brought the safe haven of house and techno to the city and paved the way to North America’s obsession with the remarkable genres.

The location was built in 1927 as the Swedish Community Center and later converted to the Northside Auditorium Building. Metro was opened by Joe Shanahan in 1982 in the building’s fourth floor penthouse and in the following months, introduced Smart Bar as an underground dance venue. Presently, it still stands as Chicago’s mainstay destination, continuing to bring in legendary talent like Carl Craig, Jimmy Edgar and Midland.

[Photos: Northside Auditorium Building 1970s / Metro Chicago 2016]

[Photo Credit: Denver Public Library / Red Rocks / George Skadding / DC Clubbing / Zouk / Resident Advisor / Cinema Treasures / Selma Harris / Kathy Dewitt / Webster Hall / Nicky Digital / PropertyShark / Wall Street Journal / Museum of New York City / Architects' and Builders' Magazine / Alfredo Flores / Los Angeles Conversancy / LA Exchange / Art Streib / Los Angeles Times / Amnesia Ibiza / G. Murat / Getty Images]

Sydney is Mixmag's US Digital Content Editor. Follow her on Twitter here