17 May 9-15, 2024 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com New Times | Contents | Letters | news | night+Day | CuLture | Cafe | Music | in 2023, vinyl made up 47.1 percent. Studies also show that today’s vinyl boom has been aided by acts like Swift and Harry Styles, who’ve embraced the format, and retailers like Target and Walmart that stock records in their stores. In fact, Swift’s discography accounted for 7 percent of vinyl sales in 2023, or one out of every 15 vinyls sold. Indie retailers, though, see themselves as spaces where music thrives and is celebrated — a role D2C and big-box retailers can never replicate. “Big-box stores are not really engaging with the customers,” Reskin asserts. “Low- price CDs or vinyl are a way to get people in the door to buy towels and candles and com- puter printers and stuff. Whereas we live, eat, and breathe music. People come in for our expertise because they know we’re going to have indie exclusives, and they know we’re going to have an awesome staff who, you know, can recommend something else that will blow their mind.” And if last month’s Record Store Day is any indication, independent shops can still rely on loyal customers who appreciate the shop- ping experience. “We just had Record Store Day, and I thought, compared to last year, that there’s no fucking way we’re going do what we did last year because we did so well, and the world is in an even shittier place now,” Ramirez says. “But by the end of the day, not only did we match the numbers, but we exceeded them.” “It shows the loyalty and impact that these stores have on the local community because they’re being honest with the consumers. I appreciate the people who keep us going; I appreciate the community. I appreciate the fact that there are all these different stores in South Florida. None of those stores are com- petition — those stores are allies.” Press Pause Club Space to close this summer for renovations. BY OSVALDO ESPINO O n May 2, legendary Miami nightclub and dance music mecca Club Space announced it will close this summer to make way for much-needed renovations. As first reported by Resident Advisor, Space needs to alter its emergency exits, currently lo- cated on the south side of the building, due to the construction of the E11even Hotel and Resi- dences next door. In order to remain up to code, the stairwell currently used to access the exits on the ground from the terrace will be shifted to the north side of the building and connected with a new passage that will take patrons from ground level to the upstairs area. So fear not, as there is no looming threat to Space that will force it to leave its current home at 34 NE 11th St. Co-owners Coloma Kaboomsky, David Sinopoli, and Davide Danese assured Resi- dent Advisor that the club isn’t going anywhere. During the downtime, several pop-up events will take place at its sister venue in Hialeah, Factory Town. While no specific reopening date has been given, the venue should be back in operation sometime this fall, according to the announce- ment made on Instagram. In the meantime, Space will host a closing party marathon May 23- 26 and May 30-June 2. Some are saddened that the club is going of- fline for a long time. But Sinopoli tells New Times he’s encouraged by the response they’ve re- ceived so far. “I think we learned a lot during COVID on how to handle these types of situations,” he says. “It’s usually about having all your information concrete and clear and be as transparent as pos- sible.” Sinopoli recognizes that with nightclubs around the world closing because of develop- ment, clubgoers are on edge. Rest assured, though: Space continues to coexist with its neighbors despite the Park West area’s change from a blighted industrial area to a condo can- yon filled with multimillion-dollar residences. “We felt pretty lucky to figure out a way to continue on Space with what’s happening in the development of downtown,” he adds. “In this sit- uation, we worked kind of hand in hand with the Downtown Neighborhood Association (DNA), our landlords, our partners at Insomniac, the E11even Group, and the Property Markets Group to figure out a way for us to be part of what the future development of the city is, and that part of the city, and that neighborhood.” Space opened its doors in 2000 at a spot right down the street, not too far from its current location. It was lured to the Park West area thanks to its special zoning for 24-hour liquor li- censes meant to spur development. Over the years, several 24-hour bars and nightclubs around the Park West area have come and gone — Metropolis, Studio A, Nocturnal, Heart, the Hanger, Will Call, Goldrush — but only Space has managed to outlast them all. “Louis Puig, the actual creator of Space, was in downtown before anybody else, before any of these buildings,” Sinopoli says. “He paved the way for everyone in our district.” Kaboomsky, Sinopoli, and Danese — who took to calling themselves the “Space Invaders” — took over the storied venue in 2016. At the time, thanks to the changing trends in dance music, the venue was quickly losing its rele- vancy. Under their stewardship, the trio re- stored Club Space’s reputation as downtown Miami’s premiere dance club and a must-stop for any DJ. Insomniac, the event company be- hind Electric Daisy Carnival, also acquired an ownership stake in the venue in 2019, helping assure its future. It remains to be seen whether additional changes and tweaks will be made to the venue during the closure. Sinopoli says they will do “whatever we can do, what we can accomplish without changing the summer timeline. Some- times, if you add everything you want to do to these projects, it just takes longer to get them done. We want to be lean and mean about what we need to get done.” Beyond the new stairwell, Sinopoli says the same terrace everyone knows and loves will be there in the fall. When asked if there were any calls for noise abatement from city officials or DNA, Sinopoli says no, that hasn’t been the case for a while. “We’ve been really at peace with the DNA. We’ve worked hand in hand with DNA president James Torres and other people from the sur- rounding buildings to get a directional sound system to play at a certain level for it to be.” Sinopoli adds that noise issues only really pop up as new buildings go up but that the club is always responsive to any complaints and wants to be a good neighbor. As far as what everyone can expect at Fac- tory Town this summer, Sinopoli clues us in. “The Factory Town programming is some- thing we’re still putting together, so we’ll an- nounce what it is and how frequently we do it here shortly,” he says. “We’re going to be experi- mental with how we use Factory Town over the summer, with the weather being as hot as it is and the rain.” For the closing parties later this month, Sin- opoli says to expect names like Solomon, Fisher, and Honey Dijon, along with a focus on Space’s resident DJs. “Every three to five hours, some- body else is going to come on and rock it and give it a kiss goodbye,” he says of the planned marathon parties. [email protected] “WE WANT TO BE LEAN AND MEAN ABOUT WHAT WE NEED TO GET DONE.” Club Space co-owners David Sinopoli (left), Davide Danese, and Coloma Kaboomsky. The 11th Street dance mecca announced it will be closing this summer due to renovations to its emergency stairwell. Photo by Chris Carter Radio-Active Records in Fort Lauderdale mainly focuses on stocking used records, with a small selection of new vinyl releases. Radio-Active Records photo Vinyl Exam from p16
