9th August 2016

The Lot Radio

– by Karen Day

It's a Wednesday afternoon in Brooklyn and the blazing summer sun has turned the city streets into some sort of urban sauna. But here at The Lot, an internet radio station located along the imaginary line that separates Williamsburg and Greenpoint, things are very chill. It’s hard to imagine that just a year ago the sliver of land the station sits on was nothing more than a weed-infested eyesore. Cycling past it on his way to work every day, photographer Francois Vaxelaire noticed a “for lease” sign hanging from the chain-link fence and saw it as an opportunity for change.

"I don’t believe in signs and shit, but I decided to take it as a sign,” he says. "I thought, 'Francois, this is your chance. Think for a little while and do something more interesting than what you’re doing now.'” The frustrated Belgian had been plugging away in New York for six years already, after having worked extensively in Africa shooting for NGOs and UN agencies. To him, this triangular piece of property represented a chance to shift gears and become professionally involved in an area he’s always remained passionate about: music.

"I respect music a lot. And I realized that I’m not going to make a club, not going to become a DJ; the night is dangerous,” he says. I listen to online stations like NTS in London, Red Light radio in Amsterdam, and I love what they’re doing and I think it’s great. I realized in New York, I didn’t have a radio station that I felt connected to. I know there’s East Village radio, but I wasn’t excited about it. So it came like a spark. I thought, 'This place, if you put a radio station on it, it’s a good idea.' You know when you feel it from the gut? It felt rock solid, this idea."

Thankfully he listened to his instincts, because Francois has not only built a physical radio station (housed in a shipping container complete with a coffee kiosk), but he’s also created a community of like-minded people who have a place to celebrate and talk shop about all genres of music.

We caught up with Francois to find out more.

What was the process like to bring The Lot form concept to fruition?

The technical aspect was easy, but then I discovered a whole world of New York City regulations. The nine months after discovering the little “for lease” sign were spent trying to get information and fighting with every department of New York City. I didn’t fit into any category and they just don’t have the time, resources, nor the energy to understand what you’re trying to do. If you’re opening a bar or a restaurant, they know what to do. But if you come to them like, “I’m putting an empty container on a vacant lot to do a radio station and a coffee shop,” it’s too much for them. Now I understand better and I am less hateful. At the end of the day, I went there so many times to harass them that they knew my name. So after months of hell, in mid-February [2016], the shipping container was dropped on the lot and not in a good position. It took another week to move it.

What kept you going?

To be honest, I have a hard time with modern society and how harsh and cold it can be on the commercial side. For me, the only magical moment I ever live in my life is with music, and people who love music, because it’s irrational; it’s not towards business, it’s not towards themselves, it’s something that’s higher than everyone. It makes everyone agree. It’s sacred and I wanted to give a platform for all the things I was witnessing and all the people who are incredible in all different scenes. I wanted them to have like a blank canvas where they could come and do whatever they wanted, invite whomever they wanted. They have the code of the door. I want them to take over the radio.

How many DJs do you work with now?

The structure is basically that we have people in the studio doing two-hour slots from 8AM to midnight. At midnight we re-stream the video of the best or most interesting show of last week. We try to keep it varied and eclectic.

And you’re putting on concerts with the church across the street?

Early in the game, when I was cleaning the lot and it was empty, I met the people from the church across the street. It’s a Roman Catholic church, really small, run by Franciscan friars. They liked the project and have been really helpful since the beginning. I learned that the organ in their church badly needed repair, but it’s a massive organ from 1918 or something and the price to repair it is astronomical: $200,000. They asked if I could come up with an idea to help raise money, so I proposed that we do a series of events in the church and we give them all the donations from the door and money from the bar. For us, it was a way to invite people we respect to do something different in a church, and for them it was a way to make money for the organ. We did four or five already and we’re going to do another one soon.

What’s been a highlight for you?

We’re extremely honored and happy to have some international guests coming and joining, like Brodinsky and Busy P. There are personal highlights: I knew that if I didn’t have Joakim and Mike Simonetti on board, for me, it was not a solid project. They’re based here, and I thought not having them would mean it wasn’t strong enough. They took longer than the others, but they understood the project and I think they’re happy to be on board. Joakim has a monthly show that is extremely interesting, and Mike Simonetti comes every two weeks and also is extremely interesting. I’m really honored to have them on the radio. And then a personal, one-show highlight: Antal, one of the co-founders of Rush Hour from Amsterdam, came and was supposed to play maybe a half an hour, or an hour, and ended up playing five hours. To see someone of that stature and that musical category who doesn’t know us...I think people understand it’s a magical little space and when you’re inside the DJ booth people are chill, there’s no brand behind us, we’re absolutely 100% independent.

How do you envision The Lot in the future?

The most important thing for me is that the radio station remains 100% self-sufficient and independent. I don't want any external funding or any brands behind it. We fund it through the little kiosk. Right now it works; it pays for everything. (Well, I’m not paid but that’s why we’re working on a beer and wine license.) We did have a brand come to us, and we decided not to do anything because we didn’t want to and we don’t need to. We don’t need plays, we don’t need likes, we don’t need shares. We do love it and are super happy that it’s spread, but it’s not our core. We sell coffee; people from the neighborhood love us, they come every day and it gives us enough money to hire six baristas and pay the rent, electricity, and internet. And I think that’s why it’s beautiful and strong.