Indie, electro, Turkish rock or dubstep? Izzy Finkel and Tom Rouech� pick the best venues in Istanbul's thriving music scene? As featured in our Istanbul city guideDogstarzIt's impossible not to love this venue-cum-club space hidden high above the rooftops of Beyo?lu. Arguably the only venue in the city that hosts regular dubstep nights, it is frequented by Istanbul's clubbing cognoscenti. The punters come for the mostly local bands and DJs who play on the first two floors, but it is the fantastic top-floor bar they stay for. Up here, the music continues until the dancing stops, and watching the sun rise over the gardens of Galatasaray Lisesi far below (while the DJ plays surf rock) is a sublime surprise. Such a night can only end in ?ampiyon Kokore� ? the 24-hour restaurant across the road that specialises in barbecued intestine and deep-fried mussels.? Kartal Sokak 3, Kat 3, Galatasaray, +90 212 244 9147, dogzstar.com Arka odaA converted town house at the heart of Istanbul's alternative scene, in the charmingly hectic Kadik�y district, Arka Oda is a venue of choice for Istanbul's up-and-coming indie bands. Situated at the heart of Kadife Sokak ? the so-called "bar street" ? Arka Oda hosts intimate gigs in spaces that feel like sitting rooms. The louche aesthetic sits well with the grungy, shoe-gazy electro played by bands like regulars Kim Ki O (a local band increasingly gaining international acclaim, and whose cafe, Kutu, is just around the corner). Regular DJ sets celebrate local and international independent music, from funk and soul to dub, jazz, hip-hop and eclectic indie music, before a crowd of appreciative regulars.? Kadife Sokak 18/A, Kadik�y, +90 216 418 0277, arkaoda.comHayal KahvesiFor many of the young Turks who march up and down ?stiklal Caddesi on a Saturday evening, the night has only one endpoint ? Hayal Kahvesi. It's where up-and-coming Turkish rock, jazz and pop bands play to a more mainstream crowd than those at Peyote (see below) or in Kadik�y. Music from popular artists such as pop-funk act Bora Uzer draw especially large crowds. For those unacquainted with guitar-heavy, Turkish-style rock, Hayal Kahvesi is an education. As the night wears on, many bands play covers of Turkish rock songs. On a Saturday night expect to find it heaving; likewise its sister venue Hayal Kahvesi Bistro, just around the corner. ? Hayal Kahvesi-B�y�k Parmak Kapi Sokak Afrika Han 19, Beyo?lu, +90 212 244 2558, hayalkahvesibeyoglu.com/tr-TR/Kallavi MeyhanesiMeyhanes, traditional restaurants or bars, have always had strong links to live music ? particularly to Turkish Fasil music. For Turks, singing and dancing is all part of a night out, and in a restaurant it comes somewhere between the main course and the dessert. At Kallavi Meyhanesi, men with a drum and a violin emerge somewhere after the delicate south-eastern mezes and sumptuous kebabs, gradually warming up the restaurant until everyone is singing along. Soon after, the dancing starts. For Turks, the songs and dances are familiar and come easily, but they are easy for newcomers to pick up. People dance and return to their seat to catch their breath, before being dragged back up to dance some more. ? Istiklal Caddesi Kurabiye Sokak 16, Beyo?lu, +90 212 245 1213, kallavi20.com Otto SantralOver the past few years, Otto Santral has proven one of the leading dance-music venues in Istanbul. Some way out of the centre of town, it is part of a larger museum complex in the converted buildings of an old factory. A little more polished than most warehouses, Otto Santral's massive hall has built its reputation with fantastic seasons featuring international and local DJs, including a semi-regular night by London favourites Horse Meat Disco, and gigs by Hercules and Love Affair, and grungy Turkish rockers Duman. More recently, it has also hosted parties in conjunction with Another Magazine.? Emniyettepe Mahallesi, Kazim Karabekir Caddesi 2/7, Elektrik Santrali-ey�p, +90 212 427 1889, ottoistanbul.comBadehaneA tiny bar guarding the entrance to the back streets of Asmalimescit, Badehane is where the Roma clarinettist Selim Sesler got his first break. Sesler (best known to foreigners through his appearance in Fatih Akin's documentary of the Istanbul music scene, Crossing the Bridge) has long since made it big, but he still comes back to play here on a Wednesday night. At other times rebetiko bands fill the programme. Although its rickety stools increasingly bear the bottoms of backpackers, Badehane does retain some of its authenticity amid its increasingly chi-chi surroundings ? the beers are still cheap, for a start. At the time of writing (September 2011), Badehane's atmosphere is suffering from a Beyo?lu-wide ban on outdoor seating, but denizens hope the street life will soon return as capriciously as it went.? General Yazgan Sokak 5, Asmalimescit, +90 212 249 0550BabylonWhen it first opened, Babylon was Istanbul's first proper black box music venue. Immediately it drew the likes of Depeche Mode to Istanbul, and this is still where acts such as Wild Beasts and Mulatu Astatke will play when they visit the city. Babylon's programme is extremely diverse, and the atmosphere of its gigs varies accordingly ? sometimes you can't move for the elbows and knees, while when the best-known Turkish instrumentalists play here you'll find an older crowd who often choose to sit on the floor in reverential silence. In summer, Babylon is closed, while its sister venue in the resort town of Ce?me opens shop (in Ce?me it also curates a four-stage festival). Still, there's always the nearby Babylon Lounge to keep you busy in the interim. No live sets there, but DJs and bright young things on every floor. ? ?ehbender Sokak 3, Asmalimescit, +90 212 292 7368, babylon.com.tr. (Babylon Lounge is reopening in September, after a period operating under the name Nublu: Jurnal Sokak 4, Asmalimescit)PeyoteNot just a bar but also a successful music label, Peyote is a mecca for fans of Turkish experimental rock (and if you come on a Friday night, you'll find that there are many). Bands nurtured and launched show up here regularly, although their four- or five-gigs-a-week schedule is also bolstered by the names of those passing through. Peyote specialises in grouchier rock, but don't be surprised to find more esoteric offerings ? Dixieland group Billie Not On Holiday were recently billed. If the live bands are not to your taste, there are often DJs entertaining Peyote's clientele of (mostly) disaffected students on the third-floor terrace bar.? Kameriye Sokak 4, Nevizade, peyote.com.trMiniM�zikholMiniM�zikhol opened a few years ago and during "the season" (after the summer heat has ended) it serves up Turkish psychedelica in both live and turntable forms. A small venue on Siraselviler, which leads down the hill from the "sloppy burger" joints of Taksim square to the chicer-than-thou cafes of gentrified Cihangir, the venue attracts a crowd and acts who all seem to know each other, sometimes giving the impression that you have crashed someone's front room. Nevertheless, its impeccably curated gigs feature visiting DJs and an impressive range of musicians, often smashed together from different bands in impromptu MiniM�zikhol side-projects. ? So?anc? Sokak 7, Cihangir, minimuzikhol.comHarbiye AmphitheatreNear to the defence ministry, after which the district and the venue are named, Harbiye's enormous concrete amphitheatre has been a crucial part of the annual Istanbul Jazz festival for many years. It has hosted foreign names from Bj�rk to Bryan Ferry via Buena Vista Social Club, and in recent years its programme has filled out across the milder months, with Turkish pop heavyweights such as Sertab Erener (she of Eurovision 2003 glory) and the heartthrob Tarkan on the roster. It's easy to spot regulars ? they're the ones who've remembered to bring a cushion. ? Harbiye Cemil Topuzlu, Ta?ki?la Caddesi. 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