Around 3 months ago I received an e-mail telling me that a new club was under construction on NE 11th St, and inviting me to meet with the team behind it.

Although I had a healthy skepticism regarding the potential of any downtown clubs without the word 'Space' in their name, I agreed to meet with the people behind Nocturnal.

I'm glad I did, as during the meeting it became clear that these guys came to play, with strong plans for the club layout and substantial financial backing.

Fast foward 3 months - construction is well underway and the team has expanded to include former Shadow Lounge owner Dade Sokoloff as Club Director, as well as several other major Miami nightlife figures.

I had the opportunity to talk with Dade about his plans for Nocturnal, and the guys also kindly agreed to release never before seen renderings of the club exclusively on CoolJunkie (click images for large versions).

CJ: Can you give us an overview of the club?

DS: Nocturnal will be something completely different from anything that’s been done down here before. All I can say is that we’re building the most amazing nightclub venue I’ve ever seen.

CJ: Have you set an opening date?

DS: We’re on schedule for a mid-January opening but we’re reluctant to announce an exact date until we are certain we’ll be able to make it.

CJ: What kind of experience can we expect at the club?

DS: The one word that comes to mind when you ask that question is FUN. We believe that’s what people want when they go out… to have some fun.

CJ: Can you talk us through the venue?

DS: The venue is about 20,000 square feet on three levels.

The Main Room (first floor) is designed to have a real “dance club” vibe. It’s big and open with four bars. There are also places for people to sit without having to buy a table and a sushi bar for those who want a late night bite to eat. The room has incredible effects and visual elements designed to enhance the overall experience.

The second floor is split into three distinct areas. In the center is a balcony area open to the Main Room. Around the opening are tables for bottle service; however the floor is open to all.

On one third is our Hip-Hop room. The Hip-Hop room is separated from the rest of the club by a floor-to-ceiling glass wall and has its own VIP sections and bar.

At the opposite end is the restaurant. When we open the club in January this space will serve as our VIP room but it is actually a full service restaurant capable of operating independently or acting as an in-house caterer for any type of event.

The third floor is our open-air rooftop deck. This floor is simply outrageous. It has waterfalls and huts and is just beautiful.

CJ: What’s the club’s coolest feature?

DS: For me it’s all the technical elements.

The sound is all Funktion One and was custom designed for the club. Even the roof-top has a full Funktion One rig.

The lighting is a combination of fixtures from Martin, High End, and Coemar and is wild. All three levels are full of innovations that will enable us to provide a higher level of customer service than anyone else in the industry.

The servers in our VIP areas will take orders on hand-held PDAs that transmit the order directly to runners. The result is that your bottle and drinks arrive at the table before the server has even finished taking your order.

We are taking advantage of a lot of new technology in all parts of the facility to raise the service and entertainment standard.

CJ: Which nights of the week do you plan to open?

DS: In the beginning we’ll be open Friday and Saturday. We’ll see after that.

CJ: Do you have a specific musical format that you’ll follow on those nights?

DS: We have three rooms, which in combination with the extended hours, gives us an opportunity to be diverse in what we play. We intend to be different. We intend to throw some surprises at people.

CJ: Any resident or guest DJ’s that you can tell us about?

DS: I’ve spoken to a lot of people both locally and out-of-town and everyone who has gotten a look at the project has been really positive. For now we would rather keep that end quiet though.

CJ: Aside from yourself, who is involved in Nocturnal?

DS: Nocturnal is owned by Kore Entertainment. We are starting to build a strong team here. Gary Quitoviera and Marc Olivera have moved here from Chicago. Both have long nightlife backgrounds in the Windy City.

Also on the team at this point are Bob Jones (Level, Rain, Space) and Eddie Smith (Liquid, Bar Room, Opium, Joia, Rumi). We're also pleased to announce that Ingrid Casares will be joining us as our PR Director.

CJ: You enjoyed a lot of success with Shadow Lounge during the formative years of dance music in Miami, how will that experience influence your approach to Nocturnal?

DS: It will obviously influence everything I do. I learned a lot of valuable lessons from Shadow Lounge that we’ll apply at Nocturnal.

The reality is that the market has evolved since then and is very different now. This will be something completely different from Shadow Lounge but I do hope we’ll capture some of the magic that place had.

CJ: Clubs downtown have had mixed fortunes, with Space succeeding, but venues such as Living Room Downtown, Exile, and The Beach falling by the wayside. How big a challenge is it to open in that area?

DS: I don’t think it’s as big a challenge as most people think. Space34 set the bar pretty high and no other venue that has gone into that area has been able to offer customers as much as Space does, which has made it very tough for them.

CJ: Louis Puig decided to close Space34 in reaction to the negativity he experienced from the press and authorities. Do you expect to get similar pressure to that which Space experienced?

DS: The honest answer is I don’t really know. What I can tell you is that we intend to do everything in our power to work with the authorities and keep the place open and safe.

CJ: How do you see the NE 11th St. area developing over the next few years?

DS: I would love to see every building on the street open. I hope to see cafes and bars and a “street scene” with foot traffic. I think we’re a few years away from that but it will happen.

CJ: OK so, it’s 3am on the opening night of Nocturnal – how does it look?

DS: It looks like a clubber’s dream-come-true. The place is full and the music is clear and amazing. Most importantly, everything is working and the customers are happy.