Vic Records Studio Sessions: Live-recording event continues club’s promise

Following a year of growth, Vic Records hosted a live recording session on September 28th with over twenty acts. With a full house, a comprehensive amount of equipment, and a variety of performances in a range of genres, the event provided an opportunity for students to benefit from the club more tangibly than ever before.

Despite the technical difficulties that are expected with a live recording event, each performer was given the opportunity to record a five-minute live performance of a song of their choice—whether a cover, original song, or instrumentation. Co-president Sean Kudryk spent the evening doing sound checks for each performer, and then mixing their instrumental and vocal tracks on the spot.

The atmosphere of the event was supportive and eager with many students remaining in the Cat’s Eye until every single performer had their moment on-stage. With VicXposure present to take artist’s portraits and Caffiends providing catering, the event was an opportunity for students to collaborate effectively with one another.

After an extended period of radio silence, the club has undergone a renewal through the dedication of the club’s executives in the last few years. Former student JJ Wong reinstated the club in January 2015 after he saw an opportunity in the idea. It is clear that after clearing the dust, the aim for Vic Records going forward will be to reemerge as a service meant for students first. The group has set a youthful and dedicated tone following their debut event of the school year. I spoke with Aaron Rambhajan, co-president of the club, the following day and asked about the team’s plans for the club now that they have hit the ground running.

“Community is what we are aiming to create for the club this year, as an addendum to the initial interview we had [with The Strand],” Rambhajan noted, referencing the coverage of last year’s first live session. “Sean and I had an extreme approach as both purists and as people who didn’t understand what DJing and production meant for others. They are two very elusive components to music that people are particularly [unaware of]. It happens, but few people understand how it works. We embodied the illusionism behind those methods… We want to turn [Vic Records] into something students can find value in.”

The live recording sessions are the club’s way of approaching Open Mic events with their own specialty added. Rambhajan said of the event style that “it feeds into everything we want the group to expand into. Getting students out for the Open Mic is a provocation for them to record in our studio. That reciprocity is the architecture of what we want to do this year.”

The club plans on hosting two more live sessions this year, one at the beginning of next semester and another to wrap up the year. The community aspect of these events will likely foster a growth in awareness of the club and provide students with the ability to utilize the tools Vic Records is trying to make accessible to student musicians. As Caleb Labbe-Phelan, a Vic Records executive member and MC for last week’s Open Mic said on stage before the event, “Though we have had some technical difficulties, it is the music that brings us together.”

To keep up to date with Vic Records, check out their Facebook page at vicrecords.club