The Shelter
5 Yongfu Lu,
Xuhui
near Fuxing Lu, Metro Line 1 Changshu Lu Station
永福路5号
近复兴路, 地铁1号线常熟路站
6437-0400
This Venue has been nominated for a Reader's Choice Award 2010 in the category Shanghai - Club of the Year
This Venue has been nominated for a Reader's Choice Award 2010 in the category Shanghai - Best Budget Bar
- City Weekend
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Shanghai's haven for those who choose dancing over posing, this former bomb shelter is the place to come for underground dance music, including frequent appearances by international DJs. A dark, hot main room complemented by a comfortable chill out area in the back and inexpensive bar.
Reviews Been there? Add a review!
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"The shelter"
oops sorry that comment about trance was wrote by one of our old staff who erm wasn't really clued up. Well shelter gets thumbs up from me no dice rolling, no table wars, and lack of posing= a BIG yes please!:) and of course not to forget the pleasant shortage of 1970 style tight panted Chinese dudes with Elvis wannabe hair styles
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Hey Shelter Lovers
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just cannot forget the once that they invited the Dj from Canada, what a scene! i was melting with the catchy and electric constellation viberation of Moon River, the atmosphere is just so so dreamy, even more interesting when you get drunk a bit, the music hit the spots, and i think the entrance a bit high. actually, 4.5 the score here.
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uh...no thanks unless you are on something this is a place to skip.
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It's nice to go to a place have a drink, and dance without any pretentious expats trying to be someone they're not. This place is a gem!
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Come on. This is just some cheap dive bar with all riff-raff in there
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i like this place, just nice and relax people. sometimes the music can be better. but not a bad place.
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It's the fifth time to visit the underground bar. Not so crowded as it used to be coz the hot weather. I arrive the entrance at 12am. Many interesting persons there dance and chat in a very natural manner. I love the bar, here's my first choice in weekend.
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Love going to this dungeon place. The dark tunnel leading to the bar+dancefloor area already gets you in the mood (but dont go there if you're claustrophobic). Its surely an alternative scene place, not the usual glamour style clubs. Thats what's so nice about it. Music can vary quite a bit from reggae rap/toasting to more mainstream. Per the other comments "its a club where its all about dancing" and very relaxed about clothes and outfits (non posh)
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t's good. I could begin every sentence with "to its credit":
...it's the only club in Shanghai where the emphasis is purely on the music, and it hosts a wide range of reputable artists. You probably won't have heard of whichever Detroit-minimalist-Mongolian-throat-singing-fusion-techo artist is playing, but chances are he'll be pretty good.
...it does this without being snobbish or veering into the realms of unlistenable wankiness that you can't dance to. It's always full of people dancing. Granted, you'll still be able to spot a fair few irritating individuals who have squeezed into their tight trousers and cardigans, but don't fret about them as they are only continental Europeans who don't really get it.
...unbelievably for a CLUB in Shanghai, drinks prices are reasonable. You can pretty sloshed for less than 200rmb or, if you're American or Chinese, less than 100rmb. But I do realise that I'm one of the few people in the city who doesn't feel cheated if they've gotten drunk without spending more than they would have done on a night out in Reykjavik, so perhaps this factor is irrelevant to most.
...it's got a big space for the music, and a big space away from the music where you can actually have a conversation with people.
...it's an infinitely more interesting and memorable venue than anywhere else in Shanghai. Yes it gets smokey when it gets busy, but where else doesn't in China?
...the crowd is overwhelmingly foreign. A sure sign that the place is not for people who are attracted to generic RnB fraff or silly, badly mixed hard house for people who don't really like music (I.E. the Chinese), and that it's not a suitable venue for people who like to sit around in a group not enjoying themselves with a tub of dice whilst making no conversation with anyone else before being dragged home covered in their own vomit. I.E. the Chinese. Don't pretend this isn't a good thing for political correctness' sake please.
A few qualified quibbles, it's underground so don't come here if panoramic views of the Bund are what you have in mind, it's a bit dingy and the clientele aren't particularly attractive (even by Shanghai expats' less than dazzling standards), but this all adds to the charm.
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Know that friend you’ve got who’s a little run down from always going out but really just can’t help himself? The guy who’s all night, telling you about random new music and making new friends?
Well, the Shelter is a lot like that friend. It’s got graffiti in the washrooms, cracks in the walls, cheap drinks, a dance-crazed crowd and savvy DJs…mix a few live shows a month, and really, what’s there not to love?
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Oh if anyone from Shelter who works there is reading this, please consider investing in an air-ventilation system!
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Love Shelter! Its becoming more known so come earlier if you want a place to sit with a large group of friends. Very open atmosphere.I don't recommend you come if you are asthmatic!
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juan atkins was a great night but I am getting really effing sick of losing things here b/c the coat check is always full. not that I ever found the first scarf I lost, but now a second one gone. after 3 times going back, coat check guy still wont let me look for it despite his lack of english. sorry shelter, but I have lost too much shit at your club for a 5 star review. until I get some of it back, or the summer hits, 3 stars for inconvenience.
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Love that place!
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@ funshanghai
hahahaha, i dont think there has ever been one trance song played on the shelter soundsystem, not even as a joke!
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new to the city and just from the reviews too easy to separate the true techno heads from the sucka chump tourist types. looking forward to dj vadim tomorrow night. its all about the music...
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to funshanghai: the shelter has nothing to do with trance music and saying it's not like a bund club is.. well.. missing the point. the shelter is in most ways the exact opposite of a fancy Bund club, and on purpose.
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not a bad club , if your into underground trance nation type places, well as long as your not expecting a bund club quality environment i think its a fair place to trance the odd night out.
www.shanghaifun.ning.com Shanghai`s party and nightlife social network
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My favourite late-night venue in Shanghai ! Great quality and variety of music, nice decor, very cheap drinks, interesting customers. I would pitch my tent there if they find a solution about the annoying smoke problem.
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Love the Shelter, love it, love it, love it.
Great music, very reasonable drinks, good crowd, and the more popular it gets the more they strip down the decor. In the end it's going to be a completely black tunnel with hundreds of people dancing up a storm to the best music in the city.
There's an album by Kerri Chandler called "A Basement, A Red Light And A Feeling" (as in all you need is...) which could have been written about this place.
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The Shelter is imho not smokier than other clubs and is the perfect place for all those who are not looking for the fancy schmancy, glamorous bars and clubs Shanghai has aplenty. Various non-mainstream styles are music are being played (electro, anti-bling hip-hop, reggae, drum'n'bass, trip-hop, broken beats, soul & funk etc.) and the drinks are reasonably priced.
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Everybody please note, in the event of a fire, there is an exit at the back of the club as well as the front entrance.
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Nice intimate club. Always a diverse range of music when I come to this venue. Last Friday had an awesome duo dropping hip-hop-funk-old-skool 'till those turntables were on FIRE! made my night. This place can be a hit and miss depending on your mood but generally a friendly crowd to hang out with.
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the shelter provides an alternative to the mainstream rubbish that you can find in most clubs in shanghai.. its the one place know where the people that go there are actually "know the music". and aren't just going because it's the hot new club. the shelter is a real club for real people if you want a posh glamourous club experience go to bar rouge..
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The music was fantastic, some of the best I've heard in Shanghai and you can't beat the feel of the venue.
There was a nice mix of foreigners and locals and the drinks they poured left their parents on Krypton.
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I avoided “what if there’s a fire” thoughts and had a good time. I actually more impressed and proud for this place that makes Shanghai’s nightlife more diversity. Sometimes you just need some smoky to erode your night and remind you that you are actually in a different place - under the ground.
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I agree with american here: even for Shanghai, this place is smoky. Let me repeat that: EVEN FOR SHANGHAI. However that probably means that (in addition to a poor ventilation system) almost all of their patrons are smokers. If that's you, then you might not notice as much burning eyes or dry throats as the rest of us...but you still might wanna hang your jacket outside for a couple of days.
If you can get over the smoke, and can avoid the thoughts of "what if there's a fire..." then you will probably have a really good time here.
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Somebody did it again: renew the staff, change the name and the paint on a couple of walls and pretend you have a brand new place. In the crowded, smoky atmosphere of the opening party, the (unqualified) staff was spending more time on enjoying the music and the available drinks than serving their customers. God damnit, with the tremendous amount of clubs closing every week, how come bar owners can't find qualified barmen? Or maybe they just pick the one with a "cool" style?
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A group of us went the night of December 1st. First impression: This place is in need of serious ventilation. Being a renovated bomb shelter, I can understand why you'd want to keep the outside air out and the inside air in - but being a club, it could stand to have some fresh air pumped in and all the smoky, stale air pushed out.
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Word on the street is that this place (the Old Blue Ice) was bought by some pretty big Shanghai (music scene) names, so with it opening it's doors in Dec. it's a place definitely worthy of checking out
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Good Jamaican vibes. I dig this place. Somehow reminds me of the long-gone Tresor in Berlin, without the German technofreaks on pills.