Upon entering the Chocolate Factory, Sights and Sounds transported to a world where music and art took center stage. Each artwork felt intentional with the live music. The crowd emulated a unified hyped energy that was in sync with their movements through their appreciation for the music, as if the entire space was harmoniously choreographed.
Sam and Ronaldo - a duo that’s shaking up the scene by mixing music with immersive art through projections, hanging installations, and interactive art, hosted their latest gig at the Chocolate Factory in Bushwick last month, housing around 700 people. Featuring DJs Patrick Holland, Sunflwr, Paluma Sound, and Shaolin Cowboy – who came out specially to make his US debut – and creatives IT-Studio and Entroplay, the event was quite the spectacle.
Sam’s journey to creating Sights and Sounds stems from a lifelong passion for crafting experiences. “I’ve always just had a passion for creating experiences. I used to make films in high school; we’d do dumb things like Chipotle versus Qdoba, all this different stuff.” His enthusiasm for film and music and a knack for creating engaging experiences naturally led him to blend these interests into a cohesive event format. “I guess I always just liked creating these experiences for people. My favorite part about creating the films was not just the act of creating them, but sharing them with others and seeing people’s reactions.”
Ronaldo considers himself a creator, with his love for art and music making its debut in high school - where he would, without fail, always find himself on aux, with friends and strangers coming up to him asking “What’s this song?”. “That always felt really great”, he shared. “Sights and Sounds is kind of building off of what I was doing for Clarendon” – Ronaldo’s personal brand, fusing his creative interests that take shape through art, design, and gallery spaces. “The reason I started that was because it uses things that I enjoy, and like-minded people enjoy; uniting them all through a way of curation and selection of art, design, music.”
Sam and Ronaldo’s initial connection was rooted in a mutual appreciation for creating immersive, artistic experiences. This later resulted in creating the core vision of Sights and Sounds – to create an event series designed to introduce these new sounds and immersive experiences to a wide audience. Sam and Ronaldo aim to transcend traditional event formats by integrating a narrative structure into their events, featuring themed acts and visually captivating elements.
The concept of “Reconditioning Sound” was specifically explored for this event, a creative experience tailored for New Yorkers. “This means reconditioning your brain. For example, when you see the negative sounds, like subway doors closing or hearing horns honking; walking on the Brooklyn Bridge and hearing all this traffic. Reconditioning your brain in a way with the music and the visuals to associate those sounds with positive rather than negative emotions.”
Sam and Ronaldo’s ambition and dedication are clearly driving their swift rise in the nightlife scene, both in New York and beyond. Their efforts to craft not just an enjoyable experience, but a meditative journey for their attendees are evident. During our conversation, Ronaldo hinted at what’s next: “I think our next event will actually be in New York again, but after that, we might head to Mexico City or Austin —or vice versa.”Sam and Ronaldo have no plans of slowing down - while they are newly established and have only done their first gig, they have many events lined up and will continue to infuse the nightlife scene with their own exciting perspectives.
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