A new music and events venue is coming to Wynwood

The former Soho Studios, which once served as the first location of Rolling Loud festival, has a new owner. Unlocked, a London-based events company, has taken over the 45,000-square-foot industrial building with plans to utilize it as an event space. Located in Wynwood at 2136 NW First Ave., and with a capacity of 5,000 guests, the space aims to host everything from large-scale concerts to fashion shows to brand activations to cultural productions. It has three distinctive rooms: Studio 1, the larger room; Studio 2, an adjacent smaller spot that can be used for smaller activations, overflow, or as a green room; and a large courtyard.

“The vision is for Unlocked Wynwood to be a true hybrid space, unlike anything else in Miami. We want to be known for incredible production and a genuinely exceptional sound system, the kind of infrastructure that lets us deliver standout events across the board,” Sonny Hall, owner of the company, shares with New Times via e-mail. Hall grew up inside a family of nightclubs, restaurants, and bars across Spain and London, before entering the music industry as a co-founder of Yours Collective, a Defected Records-signed house collective. “We’re building an amazing music program that runs through the venue’s DNA. One night it’s a fashion show, the next it’s a major music residency, all without ever compromising on quality.”

The new space is slated to open in October, and while none of the upcoming events at Unlocked Wynwood are ready to be officially announced, Hall says there will be plenty of parallels with the inaugural Unlocked in the UK.  “Unlocked Shoreditch in London has been a huge reference point, particularly in how we think about layout, sound and adaptability,” Hall added after stating, “It’s essentially the same DNA, a neighborhood defined by galleries, street art and a fearless creative community.”

A look at the upcoming concert calendar for Unlocked Shoreditch includes the Atlanta-based hip-hop artist Kenny Mason, the electronic-pop duo Sistra, and a house music party featuring a quintet of acts.  Previous shows on their calendar have a heavy electronic bent, including an Alison Wonderland Warehouse Rave and the tech house of Mason Collective.

Hall mentions that he hopes Unlocked Wynwood will put a uniquely South Florida and specifically a Wynwood spin on the events it hosts. “As we’ve done in London, we plan on being a strong pillar of the community here too. That means working with local event producers, local artists and charities, and becoming a real source of added value for other businesses in the area. We’re bringing new energy and exceptional programming into Wynwood, and we want the whole neighborhood to feel the benefit of that, not just witness it.” 

Unlocked Wynwood. 2136 NW First Ave., Miami; 310-579-6083; unlockedx.com/wynwood.