Freaks, geeks and music lovers rejoiced over this past weekend and came together under one roof in their version of heaven - the WFMU Record And CD Fair. The independent freeform radio station held its annual three day music extravanganza from Friday 23 – Sunday 25 October, with over 100 dealers spreading their wares over 10,000 square feet. Jazz, soul, psych and other expected genres were also interspersed between the lesser known ‘cheesecake’ and ‘nudes and sex’, leading us to believe that any type of music imaginable could be found at WFMU.
Judging from the people in attendance (of which about 95% were male), the qualities that make for a serious beat digger and/or record collector also seem to cross that part of the diagram that overlaps with ‘one showing signs of possible obsessive compulsive tendencies’ (note: clearly not a medical phrase). Many strange people came crawling out of some wacky places to hunt for the holy grail of wax, with beer in hand and using the other to flick through records. One dealer, present for all three days, also told Mooks that she had seen hardcore collectors come every single day of the fair, wearing exactly the same clothes each time. We however were not convinced that obsession with music should also equate to neglecting of other areas (i.e. personal hygiene).
To add further to the record madness were live broadcasts throughout the day, as well as live performances from esteemed artists including Heavy Trash (project of Jon Spencer), beat technician Damu The Fudgemunk and Kevin Blechdom. A noted performance on the day also came from Nelson Loskamp, who performed his ‘Electric Chaircuts,’ a project he has embarked on since 1989. Loskamp taped unsuspecting victims’ eyes and mouths shut, whilst hacking at pieces of their hair in a seemingly random fashion with sound-wired scissors to create soundscapes. A terrifying sight, but one we are glad that exists. Only in New York.
