WRE First Look: Jolene Sound Room Miami

Photography by Alejandro Chavarria on May 23rd, 2023 in Editorials

Miami, FL – May 23, 2023 – From the minds of the award-winning Broken Shaker, Margot Natural Wine Bar, Space, Floyd, iii Points and Factory Town comes a partnership for the decade between hospitality groups Bar Lab, Space Invaders, and Link Miami Rebels, teaming up to introduce Jolene Miami.

With an initial location opened in Brooklyn, Jolene began with a goal to showcase local musical talent that transformed into a unique atmosphere for a music-focused establishment. While the Brooklyn bar identifies closer to an 80’s punk vibe, Jolene Miami embraces a 70’s disco sound room atmosphere. The founders chose downtown Miami as the location for the action and culture of the area, envisioning a space with character and a story as unique as the surrounding establishments, many of which Jolene’s founders helped to create.

WRE: What brought you guys together?

Elad Zvi: Our partnership was born out of mutual respect and a shared passion for innovation. One of our first collaborations was during Miami’s iii Joints, founded by David and his team, and we’ve long been fans of what they created with iii Points. It felt very natural to work together and even during challenging times like COVID. We discovered that our collaboration was a perfect fit, despite bringing different strengths to the table. We love surrounding ourselves with creative people who inspire us and strive to be better.

WRE: How did Jolene come about and why was Downtown chosen as the location?

EZ: Jolene was created as a result of an introduction to the space made through our friend and partner over four and a half years ago, Shai Ben Ami. We initially envisioned a Japanese cocktail bar but ended up transitioning to a music-focused establishment. We decided to change the narrative and create a real sound room offering great cocktails, ample seating, and a unique atmosphere, setting it apart from other venues in Miami. Downtown is on fire – we chose Downtown Miami as the location because of the area’s thriving scene with up-and-coming businesses – spots like Tam Tam, Lost Boy, Miami Sound Bar, our own Margot Natural Wine Bar, and Mama Tried are part of the action and culture. Parking is also not a hassle. Every space in the area has its own character and story, and we are excited to contribute to the revitalization of Downtown Miami.

WRE: How does Jolene Miami differ from Brooklyn, and how is it similar?

EZ: Jolene Miami and Brooklyn each have their own unique identities. Considering Jolene Miami is not located in a hotel and is instead underground, visually, it offers a distinct experience. Jolene Brooklyn has an 80s punk vibe whereas Jolene Miami embraces more of a 70s disco sound room atmosphere.

In the same way that Jolene is showcasing Brooklyn talent, Miami will showcase the best of disco, house, and techno, with notable names and pillars of the international and Miami local scene running throughout. The cutting edge sound room has an audio system developed by Nicolas Matar and Scott Ciungan of Phonic Technologies. All of the design elements, spearheaded by Danya Hachey, including the walls, lights, and floors, were created to perfectly complement that sound experience. The cocktails will also be some of the best in town.

WRE: What does programming look like? How does this differ from Floyd – how do you program against it without taking anything away from your other concepts?

David Sinopoli: We are going to work with DJ Ray, a miami based DJ that has been working in the industry, as a DJ and throwing parties, for 10 years. He will be a catch all between Elad, Gabe, Davide, Coloma, and I. We’ll counter program this room to feel a little more disco and soulful deep house. It’s going to feel a bit different from Floyd and Space, a bit more sophisticated and accessible, centered around the music that will feel the best in the space and the sound system. You can expect classic house and disco tracks, Classic throwbacks; music that will properly fill the room with the sound system we have there. We’ll be targeting people like Moodymann, Theo Parrish, DJ Harvey, Jayda G to come through the room. On opening weekend we had Carlita, DJ Tennis, Jellybean Benitez and Soul Clap. We’ll also be programming a lot of OG disco, soulful house Miami DJs.

We decided to change the narrative and create a sound room offering great cocktails, ample seating and a unique atmosphere

Elad Zvi

WRE: How does Jolene fit into the larger Bar Lab and Space portfolio?

EZ: Jolene Sound Room Miami seamlessly fills a gap in both Bar Lab and Space’s portfolios. It is the most nightlife-oriented venue we have, staying open late and offering a distinctive experience. None of our other concepts match what Jolene brings to the table. By combining the best of both worlds, we have created something truly exceptional.

DS: For me personally, my background and introduction to Miami was curating Bardot for seven years, which was a middle ground of many other styles of music and paths of people going out in nightlife. It can be for those bar hopping, but also have a true elevated bar experience without being forced to a dance floor. For Jolene, I think people that we’re going to go to a big mega club could go to the sound room before to have a drink and warm up for the night. It’s also a great spot to get a nightcap after a really nice dinner. Jolene doesn’t require a full commitment to a full night out experience (or a few days in hangover recovery). Have a few drinks, get a table with a few friends, and finish out the night. I think it can be a very versatile spot in a little piece of nightlife for our portfolio. Being where I am right now in my 30s, I’m not always looking to rage, so I like that it can also be a spot to just turn up a little bit, which is something that I think Miami is missing right now.

WRE: What’s the next project between the two groups and where else can we expect to see Jolene?*

DS: The future is open right now; we’re coming out of biting off opening two Jolenes within the span of two months. We want to manage these and make sure they feel really good, properly operated, and well programmed to become the special gems we know they can be, and I think that will take some time. It’ll be cool to settle into these projects. We don’t plan on moving into anything new too immediately; what we have on our plate is plenty.