“The Museum of Sex lends itself to the Misty aesthetic that we’ve been building for the last couple of years,” David Sinopoli tells New Times. “So we’re going outside the walls of Floyd.”
Sinopoli, co-owner of Club Space and co-founder of the annual III Points music festival, developed the party in 2022 at Floyd along with Bar Lab’s Elad Zvi and visual artist Veronica “Mokibaby” Gessa. Misty is a deeper and mystical experience than what one encounters at the usual ebullient affairs Floyd hosts. During an installment, Floyd's small, Twin Peaks-inspired Red Room becomes a smoke-laden dancefloor. Roses hang from the rafters; the red lighting seems to dip a shade dimmer, and the velvet curtains feel just a tad softer.
A typical lineup will include local talent for an opener, with Sinopoli and Zvi (AKA Maccabi) going for the rest of the night. Gessa, Misty's creative director, renovates an adjoining room, drawing inspiration from Audrey Horne, the elegant rebel from Twin Peaks. In one iteration, the space became Misty’s living room, complete with fruit and desserts for attendees to choose from. Another night, it was Misty's bedroom, filled with old television sets playing movies around satin fixtures. Always, the idea is that Misty has just vacated the premises.
The deep, hip-swaying music spans genres that include techno, house, disco, romantic house, and psychedelic sounds: melodies that breathe love into the room and foster a connection among attendees. The night often comes with a Misty-inspired giveaway item, be it a shirt, a necklace, or a candle.
The July edition will be carnival-themed, with a secret room for Misty.
The Museum of Sex — both the original location, which opened on Fifth Avenue in New York City in 2002, and the Allapattah spot, which made its debut in 2023 — has an official mission, stated on its website: to "preserve and present the history, evolution, and cultural significance of human sexuality.”
As with any museum, visitors are invited to browse artworks, exhibitions, including a robust section devoted to history, and a gift shop. Unlike most museums, there's a bounce house here, and a Tunnel of Love. The Allapattah location is a sprawling space replete with rooms and doors and decorated in bright retrofuturism and mod motifs.
For Misty, the expanded space sets the stage for 16 local artists to perform a range of music, from house and disco sounds by Camila di Marzo and Generous B, to the darker, bare-bones music of Bort, Souls Departed, and True Vine.
“We tried to pick all the people who can play that music and are from Miami, who either played with us at Misty or want to get to Misty down the line,” Sinopoli tells New Times. “A lot of them are really strong locals.”
When purchasing a ticket, attendees can arrive at 7 p.m. to explore the museum, which is located on the first and second floors. Misty officially kicks off at 10 p.m. on the ground floor and will feature two stages where DJs will be spinning all night.
"Of course, she [Misty] will have a presence there," Gessa explains. "It's going to be within the space of the museum — you kind of have to find her within the carnival." Gessa is also the creative director for the Misty dancers' wardrobes, collaborating with Club Space, entertainment company Iconique, and Club Space’s dance director, Elena Lee.
"Everything ties into the story," she says. "What I made for Elena is a very vaudeville-meets-burlesque-meets-1920s-glam. The museum is such an important place to find how sex was introduced into society, and that it actually was influenced by vaudeville and carnivals."
Sinopoli and Zvi took Misty out of Floyd once before for a private boat show, and last month they debuted the event in Capri, Italy. Sinopoli reached out to the museum’s management to explore hosting a larger party in the future.
He found that the 32,000-square-foot space could be a proper conduit for the Misty experience and a test piece for a bigger show down the road. Club Space’s sound and lighting team visited and concluded that the museum is suitable for a rave.
The museum has hosted events in the past, including the local "perreo" party, "Out of Service," in June. Rapper Travis Scott threw his birthday party there in May.
Sinopoli says that this Misty event will provide attendees with a chance to dance in a new location while still anticipating the same Misty production and ambiance. “I think it will be a night to get dressed up for an event that isn’t going to the club and get into the Misty vibes.”
My Friend Misty. With Sinopoli, Maccabi, Bort - Cami di Marzo, Generous B, and more. 7 p.m. Saturday, July 12, at the Museum of Sex, 2200 NW 24th Ave., Miami; 786-206-9210; museumofsex.com. Tickets are $20 until 10 p.m., $25-$30 thereafter, via dice.fm.
