Popularity of Kali Sound Room hints at shift in Kansas City nightlife culture

Saxophonist Saxy Jay accompanied DJ Crossfire’s set for La Maison’s event at Kali Sound Room. // Photo by Sophia Lail

Kansas City club culture has seemingly been at a standstill for the past decade, with breweries, bars, and taverns adopting the patronage of the bumping clubs of the 2000s. As the metro transforms from a mid-sized Midwestern city into a trendy, growing metropolitan area, there has been a shift in local nightlife, as multiple nightclubs and event spaces have recently opened and are reshaping how Kansas Citians party. 

Nightlife here has taken a turn from the sweaty, sleaze-filled weekends of the 2000s. Instead of stumbling out of a bar with heels in one hand and a cigarette in the other, locals have shifted to a more casual take on the night out. For years, there has been no incentive to get dressed in your Friday best, as the jeans and white sneaker epidemic have hit bars all across KC. 

Yet, with the influx of club openings and events popping up, it seems that there is a growing counterculture that is set on reviving the lost art of house music. From In The Lowest Ferns to now Kali Sound Room, there is a growing amount of people in the metro who are challenging the casual “Let’s go grab a drink!” attitude of the past decade, and are early adopters of the renaissance of just going dancing. 

Kali Sound Room sits unassuming on a quiet street downtown, the only indication of its existence being a neon sign in a dark alleyway and a line of Ubers waiting in tandem with their hazards on. Past the unassuming exterior, you’re taken down a red lit hallway that increasingly shakes with the bass from the sound room with every inching step. Then, you enter a bustling dance floor. Suddenly, you’re not in Missouri anymore. 

It’s dark. It’s hot. It’s sweaty. Dare I say, it’s even a little bit raunchy, in a chic way. The space is small, but intentional. No matter where you’re standing, the deep bass and sound is designed to be inescapable, which for many is a part of the appeal. It’s easy to get lost on the dance floor and find your body moving in ways that you’d be glad the lights were dimmed for; truly the perfect spot to end up after one too many vodka sodas. 

In the metro, it’s rare that you find a club that does reggae, disco, latin, Bollywood, queer, and African dance music within the span of the month, but Kali Sound Room actively challenges that by hosting a range of local DJs from varying cultures that are representative of all of what Kansas City has to offer. Since Kali’s soft opening in August, it has prioritized exploring different genres of international music.

Kali Sound Room’s sign serves as a foreshadow for what to expect when inside. // Photo by Sophia Lail

“We’ve worked with the Kansas City queer house collective,” Kali Sound Room Co-Owner Salik Mansoor says. “They do a disco night here. Then I have my friend from Kenya; We do tribal parties with him. I have another group from the Kansas City reggae community—We throw a party called Roots. I’m trying to work with more local DJs, not just bring big names.”

Mansoor and his brother immigrated to KC from Pakistan in the late 2000s and early 2010s. After years of feeling uninspired trying to plan their weekends, they acknowledged the gap in Kansas City’s nightlife culture and transformed the basement of their house in Overland Park into a club as they craved a space more representative of their roots. 

“Then, we decided to go commercial with it,” he says. “I wanted to just give Kali more of a cultural theme. That’s why I’m trying to do different nights here. I do a Bollywood night, I do an African night, I do a Latin night. I’m trying to get more into cultural parties. Everytime you come in, it’s going to be a totally different vibe.” 

Kali Sound Room isn’t the only indicator of the rising dance music scene; DJ collectives such as La Maison, Room 96, and Queer House Collective are popping up across the metro, hosting a variety of themed events in similar spaces that have exploded with popularity. La Maison—an afro-house centric collective—hosts a party with Kali Sound Room monthly. Local Haitian DJ Crossfire mixed their last event, transforming the space into an afro-house club. 

“We have been around for a while under a different name,” Crossfire says. “We decided to rebrand and not just do parties. We do fashion shows and bring visuals to other businesses.” La Maison has also hosted events with In The Lowest Ferns, it’s most recent event being an “a.m. club” hosted at Blip Roasters in the West Bottoms. 

As a self-proclaimed retired DJ, it’s hard to ignore the excited whispers of fellow house music enthusiasts, inspired by the recent commercial growth of this scene. With this recent shift, it’s clear that Kali Sound Room is the tip of the iceberg in our ever-evolving nightlife culture. 

They have a full calendar of events in the coming months, from a reggae afro fusion night called Roots to Maya, a latin house party. All of their upcoming events can be found on their Instagram.

Kali Sound Room is located at 410 Admiral Blvd, Kansas City, MO 64106