Rebirth of Dolce Lounge: The only club with an online radio station across Africa

• The new look of Dolce Lounge will re-open its doors
• Today marks 25 years since the club first availed
• Dolce Lounge has also opened a radio station, the only one in Africa

The golden years of Kenyan music were unquestionably the 1970s, rolling gently to the mid-1980s. Being the capital city, Nairobi became the melting pot of not only music but cross-cultural activity that witnessed the influx of foreign musical acts blending into the local scene where the tunes on the street were ‘Benga’.

While Nairobi’s club scene at the time was dominated by live-band action, discotheque was slowly coming up, in the musical footsteps of the global trend where disco was taking over. Bands, though present, were relegated to the back. Club owners started thinking twice about maintaining the financially more demanding live performers. It became more cost effective to migrate to discotheques; giving birth to the now common Disc Jockeys with sound systems and disco lights.

Even then, exclusive discotheques survived the band phase. These were the likes of Club 1900, Ainsworth (Boomerang), Florida 2000, the iconic Florida ‘Madhouse’, which interestingly had a myriad of names to its credit including Bonanza, The Sal Davis Club, Arcadia, Mandulis and finally New Florida, all in Nairobi. Kisumu had Octopus and Le Chateau, as the Coastal region lay claim to the likes of Star-Dust in Malindi, Florida, Tembo, Mamba Village, Salambo, Tiffanys all in Mombasa. Nakuru had Pivot.

Nairobi also had several nightspots in the later part of the 1980s, and these included Club Annabelle’s; which hosted the Lipps Inc. discotheque, which is the precursor to Dolce VIP Club. Now, Dolce, has been reborn.

This weekend, the vintage-look luxury VIP new lounge will come to life as top entertainers, showbiz players and other patrons celebrate the return of Dolce.

Dolce VIP Lounge was initially opened by Annabelle’s featuring Lipps Inc. that was then situated in the Diamond Trust Building on Moi Avenue on the eighth floor. Founder and Director Habib Dan Kongo tells Pulse that while at Lipps, they realised that the space was small and being on the eighth floor posed other complications for the revellers who, on many occasions, had to use the stairs when the lift jammed or there were too many clients going up or down at the same time.

“It is during this time that the idea of moving the club to a more secure place arose and the Caltex members club in the basement of Cianda House, on Koinange Street, was acquired, renovated and renamed Dolce Restaurant and Entertainment Club,” says Kongo.

Dolce VIP Lounge opened its doors to the public in 1992 as one of the premier high-end entertainment spots in Kenya and Africa, entering the stage with much pomp and fanfare; the club’s mission was and still is not only to entertain but to be a one-stop shop for the young and old executives, where they wine, dine and dance; all under one roof.

“Dolce VIP Lounge is an exclusive members’ club, catering for the responsible members of the society ranging from business people, professionals, captains of industry, leaders in the public service, members of the diplomatic corps and tourists, among others,” says Topi Lyambila, a media consultant, one of the few media personalities who has interacted with the joint since its inception.

“Dolce is the epitome of an entertainment spot with an artistic fraternity that includes but not limited to painters, sculptors, architects, poets, photographers, filmmakers, writers, actors, and musicians among the members listing,” he adds.

What is New?

The new look Dolce offers a restful and cosy getaway.

Introduction of theme nights in this new era expands the entertainment menu.

The new VIP Lounge presents even more exclusivity and extra privacy.

A corporate membership card for organisations is now on the menu of memberships. Going forward, the club will open its restaurant to patrons during the daytime, serving the best delicacies from across the globe.

In maintaining its international exposure as a leading brand on the continent, Dolce VIP Lounge is in the process of partnering with other clubs of repute across the globe, among them is the Biblos de Paris, a 5-Star Night club, which will recognise and extend courtesies to Dolce VIP Lounge Membership Card holders.

Dolce Radio 1 (Africa’s Rainbow)

As part of keeping it real, Dolce VIP Lounge will also be equipped with an online radio starting broadcasts on Lounge Night, and can be listened to all over the world. Visiting members to the club will be able to interact with relatives and friends from around the globe who are able to tune in. This is also a Talk-Radio and anyone online can call in and air their views on matters of their concern, plenty of music and entertainment including quizzes where one can win big.

Working closely with the Nairobi Children’s Home and Rehabilitation Centre, which has two primary schools in Kayole and Makadara; Dolce has supported both orphaned and vulnerable children in the last fifteen years.

The Makadara Centre is now temporarily closed as it aims to build a vocational training Centre. The Kayole Centre has 420 students; 225 girls and 195 boys.

“The 25th Anniversary celebrations run from the 9th December through to the new Year 2018, in a series of celebratory appearances and special weekend delights, geared towards thanking and celebrating our members who have supported us through the years and our promise to keep the Dolce dream alive - as we play our role in keeping the Kenyan economy vibrant,” says Habib Kongo.