Catch up with KK Disco Square at the end of European and American popularity, and dance with thousands of people in its heyday
In p>1994, Mr. Yan, an immigrant from Jiangyin, came to Changzhou and opened KK Disco Square opposite the Cultural Palace, which was one of the earliest public entertainment evenings in Changzhou. In addition to bringing the popular entertainment that swept Europe and America in the 198s, he also brought a Dutch DJ, Andy.
Strictly speaking, Andy is not a real DJ, but hundreds of square meters of dance floor, gorgeous laser lights and fashionable music make him like a king on the stage. As long as Andy exists, even if he plays with the disc player casually, Changzhou young people firmly believe that KK is the place that is in line with international fashion.
as a matter of fact, discotheques have long been in decline in Europe and America, and the 199s were the world of rave and House music. KK imitated JJ disco, the hottest dance music in Shanghai, and its rhythmic and joyful dance music attracted all the fashionable Changzhou young people at that time.
"At that time, the ticket for the weekend was 8 yuan, which was very high, but it was still crowded, with thousands of people at most." Mr. F, a senior night player in Changzhou, told the reporter that unlike the current bars, discotheques in the early years all collected tickets, which was also the source of most of their income.
Most people come to KK to dance, but they don't buy much wine and drink, let alone chat. Mr. F explained: "On the one hand, there is no place to sit and drink, on the other hand, the wine is not cheap. All the people who come are young people in their twenties, even junior and senior high school students. As soon as they buy tickets, they are ashamed."
39-year-old Ge Zhiyi used to be a popular singer at KK. He said that the grand occasion at that time was probably not as good as the most popular bar now. "Absolutely eye-opening, the music and hardware inside are unprecedented, and some gimmicks are made during the festival, which makes people want to stop." Ge Zhiyi said that every holiday, a silvery flying saucer will slowly fly from the track above the dance floor, and with the music of Star Wars, it will suddenly open and countless balloons will float out, and everyone will fight for it. "There are tickets inside, everyone is crazy!"
The "old house", known as the utopia of the post-6s and post-7s, became a legend with its founder.
Also in 1994, two restless young people in Changzhou embarked on another "night show road", and the birth of the old house bar announced the arrival of the "clean bar" era in Changzhou. "In the 196s, there was a band called Underground Velvet in the United States. When it debuted, only a few hundred records were sold, but everyone who bought their records formed a' awesome' band, which affected the progress of rock music. The old house is Changzhou's' underground velvet'. " This bar carries many memories of the post-6 s and post-7 s, and some people are still crying when they recall it.
Once managers, bands and singers who live in bars, and lonely artists have all become well-known figures in the industry. The old house is a part of their youth and a utopia for discussing life and dreams. As soon as it opened, the old house attracted some foreigners who lived in the hotel, as well as pilots and flight attendants from Changzhou base of Xinjiang Civil Aviation, and many local young people who liked western culture, including painters, avant-garde poets, advertising designers and music creators.
The old house became popular within half a year, becoming another fashionable place for young people in Changzhou outside KK. The two young people who built the old house by themselves had never been to a bar before opening the shop. "We thought that there was a place to go at night, and our mind was full of art salons, but we didn't know what to do, so we decided to go to Shanghai to have a look."
Mr. W, the founder, said that a group of four friends went to hengshan road Bar and made a lot of jokes. "When I walked in, I saw that I was a foreigner, and I couldn't even order wine. I was guilty. I asked for a bottle of beer with a piece of lemon in the bottle mouth, and I don't know how to drink it. " Mr. W pretended to be calm, rubbed lemon slices on his teeth, and the other three followed suit, staring at the foreigners around him blankly. "That make a fool of oneself, that stupidity is exposed."
At the advice of friends, the four depressed people went to the bars around Fudan University and finally found their way. "Most of them are from China, with pool tables, darts and resident singers. The atmosphere is casual. This is the bar in my mind." In July, 1995, Mr. W, who came back from stealing a teacher, cooperated with others to open an old house bar. The bar was built by two people, with a 2-meter-long bar, a log countertop and a manger in the corner. "A bottle of beer is pushed from the head of the bar to the end, which is especially like a Hollywood movie."
After that, there was a resident band in the bar, and then there were resident folk singers. The two founders have no defense against the sudden success. "The crisis has actually slowly emerged, but we don't know it. When we opened the bar, we were too young, eager for quick success and instant benefit, and many practices were too advanced in those years. We are pioneers, but pioneers want to hang on the wall, die, and then be seen. "
When talking about the old house, the founder Mr. W described it as "the most splendid time in his life", but it seems untrue to recall the past. "It was a memory that I didn't want to touch, and the bar and people became legends".
the second movement:
minuet
the combination of bars and dance halls created the era of Changzhou performing arts bar
whether imitators or latecomers, the "letting a hundred flowers blossom" is pregnant with innovation and change
KK and the popularity of old houses have attracted many imitators, such as Meihua, Feiyue, AA, lofty sentiments and Lanling, who still stay here today.
Mr. W said that in the 199s, entertainment workers had two places to go in the evening, KK was the first half and the old house was the second half. At that time, disco and pub were both new things, and keen businessmen learned from each other's strengths and evolved a new bar form-performing arts bar.
In the late 199s, Casablanca, Space Moonlight City and other nightclubs appeared, which belonged to the newly rich Changzhou boss. At the beginning of the new century, beautiful women in prosperous times, Champagne Avenue and Oriental Prosperity have gradually become new fashionable places for young people in Changzhou. Performing arts bar is the embryonic form of modern nightclubs, with music, good wine and various gorgeous performances. Singers and dancers are all essential elements.
Ge Zhiyi worked as a manager in these performing arts bars. He said that the turnover of performing arts bars is much higher than that of disco and pub. It is not surprising that Changzhou people who did business in their early years chose such places for entertainment, and they spent tens of thousands of dollars on red wine and foreign wine overnight. "Although Shengshi Jiaren still puts disco, there is already a box. Oriental Shengshi has made great efforts in decoration, personalized design and painted red peony on the wall."
At the same time, the first all-night bar, Piao Bar, was opened in Changzhou. It was still disco music, but there was no dance floor, and it was all changed into a booth and a box. Qingba also has an heir-Donglan Pear Flower, and its operator is a loyal fan of the old house. At this time, in Changzhou, the bar industry blossomed and the performing arts bar became the mainstream.
The third movement:
Allegro Enthusiasm
Foreign chains came one after another, and Changzhou Bar ushered in the "Western Yingli Era"
The entertainment mode that was in line with the first-tier cities made the passion of fashion surge
25-26 was the watershed of Changzhou Bar Industry. Hesheng Culture Group's Las Vegas Bar opened in Changzhou, and the following year, Zhuo Fan Industrial Group's Baidu Chain Bar settled in, which brought an impact to local bars. Some performing arts bars found that high-quality singers and dancers were poached by powerful chain bars.
Chain bars not only bring entertainment methods that are in line with first-tier cities, but also have a unique business model. Tao Zi, the stage director of Weitu Bar in Xiyingli, said: "In our view, a single store is a' wild field', and there is no concept, order and rules, so it is difficult to compete with the chain." Foreign chain bars "invaded" Changzhou, almost leaving local performing arts bars helpless.