Photo by Kevin Ponce.
The famed American mythologist Joseph Campbell was a passionate advocate of sacred spaces — i.e., “symbolic environment[s] where spiritual life is possible, where everything around you speaks of the exaltation of the Spirit”; places not only where one can “simply experience and bring forth what you are and what you might be,” but also spaces of “creative incubation.”
Now, with the opening of The Sound Library in Coral Gables, Miami has its own accessible, welcoming sacred space.
“The universal language of the world is love — and the most effective, impactful, profound, pure and intentional way to express that language is music,” co-owner Bryan Andrew Medina tells New Times, the hum and bustle of a couple dozen creatives, musicians, and culturally engaged people in cross-pollinating conversation providing a backing soundtrack. “We created The Sound Library to provide a home for the lacking communities in art, music, film, and in every single creative and independent contractor business that gets wronged and abused within this city. We are here to lift up the residents of Miami, who are in need of a real cultural hub.”
In practice, this means The Sound Library will serve as equal parts cultural salon, high-level botanicals/coffee bar (it is, after all, revamping the space once occupied by Vice City Kava), performance space (Open Mic Mondays, Jazz Wednesday, a slew of other planned and impromptu jams and themed art events) — a “third place” designed to replenish the soul. It takes inspiration from the most human-centered parts of the festivals Medina and co-owner Steven Delgado performed at around the globe. (New Times covered the pair’s collaborative EP, Electric Glue, here.) Think of it, Medina says, as “that really chill, vibey, unique and experimental tent situated in that middle ground between festival stages that exists only because the community demanded it.”
“After years of traveling the world through music and film, we realized that the greatest masterpiece isn’t something you create — it’s the people you bring together,” Delgado says. “We believe every person carries a story, a gift, and a purpose waiting to be shared. This space exists to reconnect people with one another, to spark conversations, collaborations, friendships, and the kind of community that reminds us that we’re never meant to walk through life alone. When people truly connect, everyone grows. That’s the future we’re trying to build.”
Conceptually, The Sound Library has existed for nearly five years. Initially, as a collection of instruments used as an open-access, open-source collection of non-copyrightable sounds, instruments, and samplers — the Digital Audio Workstation — Medina and Delgado brought for people to use at festivals, events, shows, and workshops. Yet as engineer and Singularity University co-founder Peter Diamandis noted, “Space is an inspirational concept that allows you to dream big” — and 2395 SW 22nd Street, in this respect, has expanded into its own universe. The moniker The Sound Library is an amalgamation: “sound being symbolic for peace,” Medina says, “and library being symbolic for one of my past endeavors as an elementary school teacher as well as a place where peace, skill, education, and humanity are brought together.”
“This to us is about much more than a business; this is about making people’s lives truly better and more fulfilling,” Medina adds. “We will have random event nights to lift our communities, random epic open jams, open mics, random DJ parties, random art events, random fucking everything… because in the random there is and always will be the constant of human connection.”
Or, as Campbell put it: “If you have a sacred place and use it, something eventually will happen.”
The Sound Library. Open Daily 10 a.m. – 1 a.m. 2395 sw 22nd St, Miami; instagram.com/thesoundlibrary305.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.miaminewtimes.com ’
