The Hifi Club

It went down the hill big time. Lots of drunk teenagers. Place is sticky and stinky. Fake lines. You may queue up for an hour get in after 1am for the last 45 min and they will still charge you the full amount. The hip hop nights are a laugh. Bunch of black guys playing music of their iphones. Seriously that’s not worth $ 15! Shame really

I like to dance. To be specific, I like to dance to Trap, Rap, Hip-​Hop, R&B, Soul, Funk… I wanna ATL stomp, Harlem Shake and even Drake Hotline Bling’ it up. Hi-​Fi on Friday allowed me to do this. So that warrants five stars from me!
But on the real. Hi-​Fi was tons of fun. I haven’t been clubbing in years so this was a great experience after a hiatus. They created an environment that is both chill and bumping. The drinks were average club pricing, $ 8.00ish. They have Ciroq! I love myself some Ciroq.
I really like how Hi-​Fi embraces their history. There is a wall of past posters of all the DJs that spun there. I remember reading an article about Diplo saying «that when he first starting, Calgary and Hi-​Fi was legit and was one of the first places he DJ’ed.» So it was majorly dope to see his poster on the wall.
If I were rating this review by the clienteles then I might score it lower because there were tons of wallflowers… which sucks because you can go to any other bar and stand or sit around (and stare like creeps). Come here and DANCE.

Omigosh, I just love hifi. The music is fantastic, and it is a smaller, more intimate club. The DJs are consistently good, and if you love to dance like a fool, and have no one judge you, come here. It’s usually a laid back vibe, with people that just want to have fun.
Sometimes it can smell a little funky in there, and the washroom facilities for ladies is not well maintained, which is why I’ve taken off a star.

It’s quarter to 1 in the morning, you’re stumbling down 10^th ave and the bass beats pull you closer and closer until you just gotta know what’s going on inside. You get caught up in the often very talented non-​typical club DJ’s, smoosh in with everyone else on the dance floor and start smiling. A little while later you realize that you’re going to need to find your way home at some point so you ask yourself «Where am I?» you look around the dark, in colour and kinda evil looking room and find something the says Hifi. «Cool! I should come here again intentionally,» you think to yourself, and then never do…
Really though — If I was looking for a spot to go get my dance on, the Hifi would be it! Every time I’ve been the music has been something original. Not always my scene, but original and even if not my cup o’ tea, it’s always been good!
I really dig the dark, non-​B-​movie horror feel to the artwork. It’s does a great job of being a cool place to go dance, instead of trying to be a cool place to go dance. This difference sets it apart. Seriously.

Very unimpressed with the people working at this establishment, while not a customer this night (or any night after) I was appalled by the unprofessional behavior. We parked nearby Hifi and saw that some of the employees, in uniform, working were outside drawing crude picture on peoples cars. I went up to one employee and politely asked for them to not touch my car. I came back half an hour later to find my car covered in crude images and employees laughing. First off I was not a customer nor was my car on there property, second while they were doing this the door was clearly unattended allowing anyone who so wished to enter. I am sure the company would not be pleased if I went and wrote on there windows, I will now be unhappily cleaning my car tomorrow and will be sure to not recommend this place to anyone! Will be avoiding this place on my bar hops, so will my friends who were with me!

Came here on a freezing Saturday night. Cover was $ 7 and coat check was $ 2.
It is a very specific joint. Caters to hipsters, alternative folks, some hippies. Everybody was wearing some kind of animal hat — so yeah, be sure to get one of those. A lot of facial piercings, tattoos, and some dreads. About half the bathroom stalls had more than one person in them at a time. I can only assume that Molly, X, and Coke are abundant here. Weed definitely is — couldn’t stop smelling it the whole night.
The drugs are kind of necessary given that the DJs tend towards chillstep, rather than bass and drums, or dubstep, or electro, or pretty much anything fast-​paced. My crowd found it hard to dance to such a mellow beat. The drops were pretty subtle and couldn’t have been appreciated by inexperienced ears.
I’m not alt enough to make this a regular joint. But I did appreciate the apocalyptic art on the walls, and thoughtful music.

Four stars because they happen to bring in a lot of shows that I really enjoy. But because the place is so damn narrow, the crowd around the bar spills into the main corridor where you walk from the main door to the stage. The place could use 50 less people.

Being a huge fan of going dancing I decided to try this place out on a Saturday night. I had been before on a Sunday for «Sunday Skool» which was great and again the Hifi Club did not disappoint. The layout works well for dancing or chatting and the DJ’s playing that night were good. My favourite feature is how they play a old B flick or foreign Aimee movie on the screen behind the DJ. Also glad that the place is not full of 18 years old trying to get laid. I will be going back again soon as the itch to dance is growing!

For a club frequented by people who are slightly younger than me (:S) Hi Fi is not as gross as most «I JUST TURNED 18! NO MORE FAKE ID’S» clubs. It’s big open space allows you to instantly soak in the energy and vibe of the place.
I’ve been here about 3 – 4 times in the past years. The first time was for a valentines date where a lonesome Jamaican band flew in from Jamaica, playing to a scant crowd and awkward couples. At the time Hi Fi was showing Jamaican action flicks on their projections. Since then, Hi Fi is the last stop of the night where i’ve gone to «bust a move» and recently, stumbled in with the Unilocal crew after we resolved to all wing for Vishnu to get him talking to some pretty ladies.
I only know one DJ worth checking out here, Wax Romeo. if you ever get a chance to chat with Mandeep, you’ll get a glimpse of his madness, prepare to either be aroused or become jealous.
Their drink prices are on par with most clubs. You’re better off hitting the pubs for cheap drinks. Might as well because at times the line up and the crowd, requires alcohol fueled patience!

Awesome fun every time. Hifi’s motto should be good things come in small packages.
Great place to party on the weekdays. Regardless of the day, Hifi fills up quickly after midnight and is usually a ghost town before that.
This is one of the few clubs where the cover charge makes sense as they have live DJs who crank out a great mix of dance music. Their ability to gauge the crowd’s mood and keep the energy level up is really impressive.
As numerous reviews have noted, Hifi is where Calgary’s downtown dwellers hang out. It is an interesting mix of young professionals letting loose, beautiful people showing off and university students learning about the world beyond Top 40.
The dance floor and the entire club is smaller than many other establishments in Calgary. I find the smaller space helps people get over their shyness and allows them to be more sociable and friendly.
Overall, this is one of my favorite places in Calgary for a dance, a few drinks and a great time. See you on the dance floor!
¹⁷⁄₃₀

Pretty great place. Its a little club playing awesome old school/​retro/​house music with a small-​ish dance floor and the most hypnotizing swirls of light dotting the floor all night.
If you go anytime around 10pm, the club will be EMPTY. Like, literally. But it does fill up around 11:30 or 12, so better go then. The main age group would be between 19 and 24, mostly hipsters, from what I could see. The place does not get too crowded, so that means you can walk around without squeezing between throngs of people, you can dance without someone elbowing you, and you can go to the washroom without waiting 35 minutes.
But the best part of the night when I went — apart from the good times with good friends and good drinks — was that I dropped my cell phone (typical), and found it after some time at the coat check. Which means someone found it and handed it in to the club (Whoever you are, I love you!).
Overall, I loved the music, and the vibe of the place. I would definitely go back.

I went here on a Friday night. Don’t ask me why. I hate being touched and I have a social phobia, so agreeing to be a DD for my friends that night was kind of a terrible mix.
However! The company I kept prevented me from hyperventilating and having a panic attack when we entered a throng of bubblegummers. Everyone was having a good time dancing to the house mix the DJ was spinning, and a group of cops clearing the way made it easy to find a spot on the bar. The bartenders were indeed, fast and attentive.
–2 points for the stompy girl with the big hair in the wife beater that kept trying to push me out of the way with her Carlton-​esque dance moves. Gurrrrl, my friend was so not in to you and… you dance like Alfonso Ribeiro in an un-​ironic sort of way. No es bueno.

Love Hifi… Too much. I always end up here far too late on school nights.
* They promote local (DJ’s & artists) but they bring in Canadian & International acts as well
* Perfect size (150-​ish capacity)
* One bar, fast bartenders, fair prices (no draft)
* Happy people. I haven’t seen any violence or ridiculousness in 5 years
Like all awesome things, trends become mainstream & old school becomes high school. My last visit here was swarming with those young hipsters with the uptown attitudes. You know, the one’s who go out in their pajamas & slippers, and don’t own a hairbrush…
I’m a fan, maybe you will be too.
KLM

This place is a hole in the wall. Literally. You walk in, and it’s a tiny little place with the TINIEST dance floor you could imagine.
But the music is what saves it.
With a variety of old-​skool tracks, it’s hard not to want to bust a move.
Unfortunately, I was *not* feelin’ the crowd. I went down on a friday night and for whatever reason, the place was filled with 19 year olds. Not that I have anything against 19 year olds, but I prefer an older crowd.
We figured if we drank enough, we wouldn’t notice the ‘young ‘uns’ anymore, but unfortunately, our drinks were disgusting. How can you screw up a vodka water? Apparently, you can.
The staff was really nice and the music was good, but those were the only two redeeming qualities of Hifi if you ask me.
Will I be back? *picture swirling around an 8 ball* «Outlook not so good.»

A lot of people have talked up Hi Fi to me over the past year, and I’ve given it a try a couple of times, but I have never left the place with a good feeling after-​ward.
Since I’m in my late 20s it would be unlikely for me to like Hi Fi to begin with. The crowd, at least both times I was there, is younger (19 – 23), so right away it’s a bit of a turn off. But beyond that I find Hi Fi to be wasted potential. The art on the walls is pretty cool, and it’s a decent size bar that does different things like playing movies and video clips on the wall.
Those are all cool things, but on the other hand it doesn’t have any beer on tap and it feels like the bar was thrown together the night before. The music is spotty which is annoying because good music makes for a great bar. The music selection isn’t consistent.
Close but no cigar.

We arrived at Hifi around 10:00pm and paid the $ 7 cover, it was a Thursday night and there was only 1 table occupied in the whole bar. Thankfully DJ Wax Romeo was spinning while obscure videos of bboy and rap groups projected behind his head.
I was reeling in the chandeliers and the large canvassed paintings of faces dripping from the ceiling, the graffiti, the lighting and very slick styling’s of this dance club. I liked the look of the staff, definitely hip, and the incoming clients were definitely attractive and fashion savvy. I sank into my gin and tonic which was only $ 4.75 and it was not on the meek side.
The waitress filled me on tonight’s events; there would be another Dj set by Smalltown Dj and then a video showing of a local Calgary artist who now presently lived in New York. Cool, I could get into this, but in all honesty what I was totally smouldering in was the Dj Wax Romeo and the music that was going down.
«Give it to me» Rick James,“Le Freak, c’est Chic” Le Chic, somedance remix of BTO and the Rolling Stones and my all time favourite a couple of cuts from a personal best the 90s soundtrack of «Breakin». Wazoo!
In an hour the place filled with around 100 people, and not only that it was filled with a huge diversity of Calgary’s ethnic populace, the place was definitely getting it’s groove on Stella!
Hifi Club; my new favourite dance club, every Wednesday free cover with student Id, and $ 2.00 off with Id every other night.
Check out nightly musical sets:
Wednesday: Orange Crush, Thursday: Hai Karate, Friday: Flashlight, Saturday: Special Events, and Sunday: Sunday Skool

If a club can survive for more then a few years, they’re doing something right. Hifi has been around since 2005 and still going strong. But they’re super savvy on all fronts so it’s easy to see why.
Chandeliers. Pop art. Bright vibrant colours. Wall-​lined booths & tables. Their setup is smooth though the dance floor could be bigger. But they’ve done well to attract some world-​renowned DJ’s and Hifi also stars Calgary’s best DJ’s too like the popular DJ Rice and Wax Romeo. Those of us old enough to remember The Night Gallery’s Sunday School night know that there’s a reason DJ Rice still brings his invigorated vibe to the populace. The lucky populace. This man throws down and if you haven’t been privy to it at least once, where have you been?
Hifi is smart. They split up their week nights into genres.
Wednesdays — Orange Crush — pop, 80’s, disco, 50’s, classic, etc.
Thursdays — Hai Karate — house, club, rap, electro, fun, breaks
Fridays — Flashlight — funk, soul, retro, disco, hip hop, go go
Saturdays — Live Band or Visiting DJ
Sunday — Sunday School — deep, jazzy & soulful house
Put on your sweet lil sneakers & prepare to dance.

I have to say, I’ve never been a fan of Hi-​Fi. It must be because of its tiny interior and awkward layout. I find the Hi-​Fi to be a very uncomfortable club.
It seems strange to me that before you even make it to the dance floor or bar you have to walk through the small seating area that lines the entrance. It actually makes for a very discomforting entrance. You are immediately confronted by the staring eyes of the socially-​deprived; the ones who are too shy or uptight to dance.
I’m just not a fan of the layout of the club. It seems like the placement of the bar and dance floor are backwards. There is always a huge line-​up at the bar, and I think this is partly due to the fact that there isn’t much space to stand in line.
But, people seem to love it. The place is always packed and the dance floor is always full. I have to admit that the music is of a different variety and is actually quite interesting. The DJ definitely knows what to play to keep the floor alive! If the dance floor wasn’t so dinky it would actually be a great place to dance. As it is, it usually feels to full to be able to freely move, and I usually feel too cramped to really dance!
The Hi-​Fi seems like more of a place you would go if you know it really well and have some sort of prior attachment to the place. For me, it just seems like a sardine can where people try to drink and mingle amongst the crowded area.

Hi Fi club is the perfect mix of chest pumping spinning by Calgary’s local DJs and a cool environment full of urban style art. I was recently at Hi Fi for an event put on by local skate shops and ArtLife Gallery called Powerslide (which takes place once or twice a month on Tuesdays). The event included a S.K.A.T.E. competition (much like H.O.R.S.E. but with skateboarding), energizing music, and a stylish crowd. It was cool to see a high profile club embrace Calgary’s skate culture, not to mention the skating shreded up their hardwood floors!
Overall, I like what Hi Fi is doing, bringing something different to the club scene.