Mode Hopes to Reinvigorate Nightlife in Downtown Miami

Downtown Miami's core received another jolt to its nightlife scene with the opening of Mode last month. The venue took over the South Miami Avenue space formerly occupied by the jazz bar Le Chat Noir. The 80-year-old building initially served as a fallout shelter during the Cold War, which is why it has one of the very few basement spaces in Miami.

Upon entering at ground level, you're greeted by Mode's friendly staff. The distressed wooden ceiling and walls give the room a relaxed feeling, inviting you to enjoy a nightcap as the DJ spins music that doesn't drown out the conservations happening.

Walk downstairs, and you'll encounter Mode's dance floor, an open space lounge with an L-Acoustics sound system engineered by William Kennedy of Third Coast Stagecraft. The basement hosts local and international DJs spinning house and techno until closing time at 5 a.m.

Many people are involved in Mode's operation, each bringing an enviable amount of nightlife experience, according to the venue's marketing director and nightlife veteran Richard Barrenechea. "We said, 'You know what? There feels like an opportunity here. Why don't we do a venue?' So we made calls and got partners and tastemakers who have always been at the forefront in Miami," he says.

The partners and tastemakers include Anthony Mejia, a former resident DJ at Pacha New York and COO of Momento Hospitality Group, which oversees the venue. Miami-native Barrenechea worked for Opium Group and Minimax. And the venue's group of six owners includes nightlife kingpin Louis Puig. As the founder of Club Space, Puig is largely responsible for making Miami nightlife what it is today. "I've known Louis for over 20 years, going back to Mad Jacks in Miami Lakes," Barrenechea recalls. "We already had a relationship. He guided us on what this project will take. He's a big mentor who trusts us and knows we care about the music scene."

But, according to Barrenechea, it's not about the who. "It's about the movement. We believe we can operate this venue without bringing in $20,000 talent," he explains. "We can do it with people who can just play good music and give everyone a chance."
Mode's team originally planned to take over the former Electric Pickle spot on North Miami Avenue in Wynwood, but the inside was too bare to make the renovation cost-efficient.

The partners eventually landed on the former Le Chat Noir digs, a stone's throw away from another recent basement nightclub, Jolene Sound Room. "Le Chat Noir felt like a movement back then," says Barrenechea. Mode secured a lease on the venue and began construction with cooperation from the Downtown Developmental Authority.

As a hat tip to Le Chat Noir's legacy, Mode hosts a weekly jazz night on Tuesdays. "We've had four weeks of jazz nights already, and Jennifer Torna from WDNA has been helping us book jazz talent in her spare time and has been killing it," Barrenechea says. "The music is beautiful, and the room and its acoustics resonate so well. This week, we're bringing it downstairs to give it a real feel." The team is also considering hosting acoustic, rock, and punk nights.

Ultimately, Barrenechea hopes Mode will resurrect fallen scenes that formerly had a home at venues like Le Chat Noir, Churchill's Pub, and Tobacco Road. "There are jazz nights at other venues, but no one is really saying, 'We are a live music venue.' So we definitely want to start leaning that way and bring more live nights to Miami."

With the venue hoping to host various genres and styles, you can't help but wonder how one sound system can adapt to all that diversity. "We put our blood, sweat, and tears into having the best sound system by putting these speakers in that wouldn't take away from the dance floor and tuned in a way where you can be right in the middle of the room and still be able to talk to someone right next to the speaker," Barrenechea explains.

Mode's team hopes to be part of downtown's nightlife fabric for a long time. "We don't want to rush things; we want things to permeate the right way," Barrenechea adds. "We want to bring music that is so far ahead that it is opening the minds of what music is and building trust with the people who can say, 'I don't know this act, but I know these guys will blow my mind.'"

Mode. 2 S. Miami Ave., Miami; 305-942-7240; mode.miami.