There have always been nightclubs, with some reports having it that they appeared as early as the 1840s, almost 200 years ago. The modern version probably became popular about 100 years ago, in the 1930s Initially, nightclubs had live bands and acts, but that was expensive. The invention of the jukebox in 1928 meant places could play recorded music without having to pay for a live band, and the modern nightclub essentially came into being.
Initially, these nightclubs were for the rich and elite of society, but eventually, they became a mass attraction. Sometime in the 1940s the person who played the music in a nightclub began to be referred to as a ‘disc jockey’, eventually shortened to DJ. The first DJs were on the radio, and they introduced songs before they were played. This soon spread to clubs.
The first ‘discothèque’ is credited to a woman singer named Regine, who in 1953 in Paris, ‘laid down a dance floor, suspended coloured lights, and replaced the jukebox with two turntables that she operated herself so there would be no breaks between the music’. This became the world’s first discothèque.
The modern discotheque, also known as ‘disco’, with special effects and powerful music systems, took root throughout Europe and the US in the 1970s, and gave its name to the genre of music that developed around that time.
In Uganda, clubs existed right from the early 20th century, but probably reached their greatest popularity in the 1960s, with places like Susana in Nakulabye, White Nile in Katwe and New Life Bar in Mengo. But the club scene died with the insecurity of the 1970s and 1980s.
The first real disco in Uganda was probably Tropicana 110, opened by Patrick Bitature on Udyam House in late December 1987. A plethora of other discos followed, like Club Clouds, Pulsations and Echoes.
In the meantime, a young lad was finishing his university studies in Makerere. His small room in Livingstone was full to the brim with music equipment he had collected from sojourns in London. While others stayed on during the holidays and ate lousy hall food, Charles Lubega went to London and worked. Each time he came back he would have another piece of music equipment.
After Makerere, he had enough equipment to start a mobile disco unit, and Soul Disco was formed. His was an innovation, and he was in high demand. With proceeds from the mobile disco, he decided to set up a shop at the then Kololo Night Club in Industrial Area.
Those days it was a real industrial area, messy and dirty and few people went there for leisure. But Lubega would change all that. During that time, he still regularly travelled to Europe to check out the club scene, and he brought back ■ what he saw to Kampala.
He soon bought out Kololo Club and renamed it Ange Noir. The rest, as they say, is history. Charlie, as he is affectionately known, redefined nightlife = in Kampala. He continuously brought innovations to the club – and stayed on top of his game. When Ange Noir became the go-to place in town and the numbers were overwhelming, he introduced Ange Noir Executive. When even that was not enough, he created Ange Mystique, which was effectively a three-floor discotheque.
As competing clubs opened in several suburbs around Kampala, he came up with Guvnor, which up to now is still the premium nightclub in Uganda.
But sometime in the second decade of the 21st century, things started to change. For no discernible reason, the number of people going to nightclubs started dropping. Many reasons have been put forward to explain this, with the plethora of ‘lounges’ in suburbs drawing the biggest blame. With nightclub-like décor and sound but with free entrance and cheaper drinks, they are blamed for the demise of discos.
Ange Noir’s biggest competitor and neighbour, Club Silk, was the first to close. They even sold the building. Other less popular clubs went out almost without a sound, but Guvnor hung on. They introduced live-band Friday nights with the very popular Afrigo Band, and the crowds came back.
But then came the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, and Kampala nightlife has never quite recovered. Even Guvnor’s extremely popular Oldies Night every first Friday of the month failed to draw the crowds, with pubs all over town having their version of oldies nights. Some even played nothing but oldies, and they were nearer home than far-off Industrial Area. And the demographic that partied to oldies music was slowly growing old, and less inclined to go out.
So, when the announcement came a few days ago that Guvnor would no longer be opening on Saturdays, we were not very surprised. Sad, yes, but not surprised.
An era that has lasted for almost 200 years is coming to an end. The young ones, also known as Gen X, are not going to nightclubs anymore. I have no idea where they do their dancing, or if they dance at all. It is difficult to refer to the movements I see them make on YouTube as actual dancing. Breakdance, the Moonwalk, the Thriller Dance, Running Man. The 90s had dance moves like the Creep, the Harlem Shake, the Butterfly, the Reebok and a whole lot of different ones that hip hop brought with it. That was dancing.
So, wherever you are, pour a glass of wine (or whatever it is you partake), and let us pour a libation to the nightclub, which has made people happy for 200 years.
Editor’s Note ; This article was first published by the New Vision
