Located just outside of Shoreditch, Korsan isn’t going to win any awards for location and atmosphere. However, decent drink prices and some quality minimal dubstep and techno nights ensure it doesn’t disappear into obscurity.

The Venue
Even being at the Shoreditch end of Kingsland road it still takes ten minutes to walk to it from the Old Street and Shoreditch High Street crossroad, and when you see the ugly green block that houses it you might wonder why you made the effort.

After stumbling through the old picnic benches that are scattered outside the front under a makeshift shelter, you’ll enter a dark void. But then this is all you need for the minimal techno inside. The murky space appears a little patchy and unfinished and doesn’t have any of the appeal that similar sleazy places have. It’s hard to establish Korsan’s idea of itself; on one hand it seems to be just a simple space to host club nights, but then there are rare tables and chairs that are spread around the edges of the large room covered with strange silver streamers – seemingly to be a meagre attempt to encourage a daytime crowd. The venue works as a club, but doesn’t offer an environment permissive to the quiet pre-club drinks that might please people.

The Atmosphere
Korsan seems to buy into the idea of Old Street as an East End destination. It presents itself as part of this scene, but the distance between itself and the bars and clubs of Hoxton and Shoreditch mean that the place attracts people that are there for the specific night, rather than the wanderers that pass through Old Street. The bouncer is friendly but apart from that the atmosphere can be cold and flat. However, Korsan does have definite potential with the right thing done in its space.

The Music
Korsan is a good venue to go and hear music. The dark interior is a perfect foil for the minimal techno and dubstep nights that occur frequently. These seem to be the most popular although there’s a range. The club hosts a lot of up and coming promoters’ nights, whilst establishing itself it is also providing a base for the new music coming out of the area.

The Drink
One of the positives of being located a little way out of Shoreditch is the price of drinks. Pints were reasonable, as are spirits and mixers. The bar has various different brands of the same spirit, which gives variety, and it almost seems rude not to at least try and have a drink out in the front court, despite the heavy traffic passing by.

The Last Word
Korsan is a messy kind of club that doesn’t seem to mind displaying its flaws. The darkness isn’t there to hide the lack of imagination, it’s just dark - and people seem to like it this way.

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