Kansas City nightlife scene is divided. Tech entrepreneur creates app to bridge gap

On a rainy evening, Joshua Lewis huddles with his team on an empty dance floor.

The 30-year-old tech entrepreneur makes sure they know where they are supposed to be and what they are supposed to be doing. He’s completely undeterred by the less-than-ideal weather outside.

Lewis, the creator of the Up Down Night Life app, fully expects the empty Sweet Comforts in Westport to soon fill with partiers.

Lewis launched the app two months ago, a service he describes as “social media for night life. Adding in the tech element to the nightlife experience.“

He didn’t want to create just another app. He set out to shape an experience, to help plan every facet of an amazing evening, from the pre-game at a bar, to an after set at a late-night lounge.

Users can click on a Kansas City nightlife district — Westport, Power & Light, etc. — and see right away which events are happening and if their friends are already there.

In eight weeks, the free app has drawn 3,500 subscribers.

“People have been receptive,” says Lewis, who moved to Kansas City from Dallas eight years ago and graduated from Park University. “3,500 in eight weeks is a hard task. We have accomplished a lot, but I always feel like we can do better and do more. So that’s what we are going to do.”

Lewis has assembled a crack team of 10, including content creators, designers, a videographer, and social media manger. Quintin Randle, aka DJ Q, is one of Kansas City’s premier DJs with 17 years of experience in the club and party scene. Randle oversees the music for the events and doubles as the company’s consumer marketing specialist. The Kansas City native remembers the days when options were few and far between for Black club goers.

“There was a big lack in diversity because you could not play hip-hop anywhere,” Randle says. “Especially if you’re a Black DJ. My first 10 or so years, Westport was the spot that it was hard to break into. Then Power & Light was built, which still doesn’t have any hip-hop nights. You will have hip-hop sprinkled in, but it’s most older music. But if you wanted to hear something current, you wouldn’t go to Power & Light, let alone go there and see a Black DJ.”

Lewis is looking to not only bring together the Black community for a fun, safe evening, but also to build a bridge across social divides within Kansas City’s historically segregated entertainment districts.

“We try to do these events to change the culture in places most Black people don’t usually go to or might feel unwelcome,” says Lewis.

It’s a daunting task. Black patrons have long faced discrimination in the Country Club Plaza, Westport and Power & Light. In the past, patrons have complained that dress codes are only enforced against people of color. That clubs are reluctant to play the latest rap music.

“The people who are in control are white and don’t understand our culture, which I don’t understand,” says Lewis. “When you think of what drives traffic to places, it’s our culture. From music to fashion and dancing. It’s what drives everything. Black people traditionally create those fads and waves.”

Lewis understands that part of the apprehension is due to the perceived violence that follows his target demographic. He believes fear makes venues hesitant to open their arms to “urban markets.”

Lewis and his team, however, are hopeful. For him it is a matter of rebranding the culture of nightlife in KC, and that begins with bringing people together.

“Kansas City is super segregated when it comes to the people and businesses. It’s tough getting everyone on the same page and acclimated to how important this app could be for everyone, “ says Lewis.

Part of the mission of Up Down Night Life that sets them apart from competitors is to give back control to the consumer to show a true interpretation of what’s happening at these events.

“Similar nightlife apps being introduced aren’t focused on the user experience. It’s geared more toward the business. The businesses have their own agenda. To make money. But people control the culture, so people should dictate what it comes down to when choosing where to go. We make sure the people are heard, and so they come out,” says Lewis.

Lewis teamed with eight venues genuinely interested in growing clientele from all walks of life, from the predominantly African American-frequented Sweet Comforts in Westport to The Scarlet Room in the Crossroads Arts District.

To create the change, standards are important.

“We are all trying to build up nightlife in the city. KC has always been clowned for its nightlife. People are constantly saying there is nothing to do, and nowhere to go. Like tonight, people may think there is nothing to do on a rainy Thursday evening. If you go to the app you can look through the districts and see what places have things going on,” says Lewis.

Lewis has seen a gradual change in what makes what Black people would call an enjoyable night out.

“It was very bland when I got here due to a lack of culture from our community. Outside what DJ Q was doing, our community was focused on Vine. Now you are seeing a lot more people in the industry moving into different places and areas. In that way KC is still playing catchup,” says Lewis.

The endgame for Lewis and his team is simple. Make the Up Down Night Life app the go-to destination not only in Kansas City but around the world. This dream of a universal nightlife scene, however, isn’t possible without the cooperation between venues and subscribers.

“It’s more than just playing Black music in a white club or bringing white people to Vine,” says Lewis. “Its about changing the way that people think where it’s not a need for events for people to have a reason to cross into new places.”

Despite the rain on this night, the club goers start streaming into Sweet Comforts. It’s party time.