DJ Ruckus gets around. The guy who was once called “the most sought-after DJ in the world” plays about 200 shows a year—clients have included Jennifer Lopez, Steven Spielberg and Oprah Winfrey—and seems to always be on the road. “My travel schedule is absolutely crazy; all my friends ask me how I do it,” he says.
And while Ruckus is rarely in one place for long, there are a few cities in the world where he’s had a chance to do more than perform. One of his favorites is London.
“It’s the sophistication of it,” he explains. “They speak the Queen’s English; it’s a refined place all the way from music to style and dress, and especially the nightlife, restaurant and lounge scene. I find it charming that people still get dressed up there.”
But where does Ruckus, who recently released his new single “We Rage” with Maestro Harrell and Jermaine Dupri, go to find this classy nightlife? Here, he shares his guide to the best spots in London.
Sketch
Sketch is a really cool restaurant that also has a bunch of small lounge areas for listening to music and that kind of thing, almost like bar lounges inside the restaurant. I went to have dinner there with a buddy of mine and it was an incredible time: We started a giant dance-off in the middle of the main area when the DJ came on, and that got everybody’s attention and they started dancing, too.
9 Conduit Street, W1S 2XG, sketch.uk.com
Liberty London
Liberty London is a good place just to go and pick up simple pieces that you need to survive the rest of your travels, whether it’s just a t-shirt, underwear, socks or things of that sort. The last thing I bought there was definitely just socks and underwear. When you travel as much as I do, those things kind of become somewhat disposable.
Regent Street, W1B 5AH, liberty.co.uk
Scott’s
Scott’s is probably one of the greatest places in London to go and have lunch. It’s one of those ‘who’s who’ type spots, and you find that everybody important has sat down for lunch there, or you run into them there if they’re in town or traveling through. They have a beautiful branzino—it’s a great light lunch.
20 Mount Street, W1K 2HE, scotts-restaurant.com.
Portobello Market
This is another one of the places where you go to get clothes and soak up the scene and find a lot of one-of-a-kind things that you won’t find at other places. I’m not going to run into someone wearing my T-shirt, because there weren’t that many made. The artists that are making the stuff there are really fun and young; they make really cool stuff.
Portobello Road, W10 5TE, portobellomarket.org
Mason House
Mason House is my club, the club that I DJ at most often when I’m in London. It’s a really cool crowd, a mix between young and old people and I can play anything from hip-hop to rock ‘n’ roll or funky disco.
8-9 Argyll Street, W1F 7TG, mason-house.com
Chiltern Firehouse
I almost didn’t want to mention this because it’s so popular now, but a few of my friends were involved in the making of it, so I knew about it before it came, but I had no idea it was going to be as big as it is. There’s great clientele that comes there and it has a great vibe and great drinks. You’ve got to have your finger on the pulse, and if you’re doing that, this is where you end up.
1 Chiltern Street, W1U 7PA, chilternfirehouse.com
Shoreditch House
I’m a global member of Soho House, and I love Soho Houses; Shoreditch House is one of my favorites. Everyone you run into at Shoreditch House is cool and interesting. They can catch that type of crowd because it’s in a hip, young, edgy part of town. This is a great place that I can go when I’m looking to get a good workout, meal and haircut, if I need it. It’s also aesthetically beautiful.
Ebor Street, E1 6AW, shoreditchhouse.com
The Punch Room at The EDITION
From the art on the walls to everything else that’s in there, the Punch Room is great. It’s a really cool spot to get some friends together and try new drinks, play some drinking games, or whatever you’re going to do there. They bring out these bowls of punches and they create all these different infusions of different things. I usually go for the tequila punch.
10 Berners Street, W1T 3NP, edition-hotels.marriott.com/london
La Bodega Negra
Bodega Negra is awesome. I was privy to the one in New York first, but the one in London, which if I’m not mistaken is the original, has great food and great atmosphere. t has a cuisine that’s not found in a lot of London and it’s on a higher scale than a lot of places. I eat here a lot.
9 Old Compton Street, W1D 5JE, labodeganegra.com
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