A reclaimed shipping container in Brooklyn has traded a life of hauling cargo for turning out tunes. French photographer Francois Vaxelaire transformed the corrugated metal structure into The Lot Radio, an independent radio station that’s set up shop in a formerly empty lot in Greenpoint. In addition to its creative setup, The Lot strives to be as independent and advertisement-free as possible, and offers both an audio stream and live video feed of its booth online.
Located on 15 Nassau Avenue near Williamsburg, The Lot Radio operates out of a shipping container divided into two halves: the audio booth is on one side, while a kiosk that sells coffee and pastries to fund the project occupies the other. Vaxelaire started the project last June after he discovered the triangular lot available for lease and decided to try his hand at Internet radio. To keep costs to a minimum, he bought a shipping container from Long Island and repurposed it to house the radio project.
By placing his station in a Greenpoint lot, Vaxelaire gives the project an advantage that goes beyond novelty. He envisions the live streaming station as an all-inclusive community hub. “Radio for so long has been this invisible wall; they’re at the station and you’re in your house and you can’t touch or connect or talk or see, and I feel like we have knocked down that wall: You can come here and hang out and meet the DJs, see them online and talk to them – we’re touching three, four, five senses
– I think that’s really cool,” Lloyd Harris, a DJ who helped Vaxelaire develop The Lot’s programming, said to amNY. The coffee and pastries sold come from local vendors including Luft Coffee, Ovenly, and Dough; makeshift seating around the lot invites people to stay and hang out.
Vaxelaire invites a variety of local and guest DJs who are scheduled to come on every two hours from 8AM to 6PM on weekdays, and from 10AM to 6PM on weekends. The diverse music program strives to showcase the best of every genre, from rock to hip-hop and everything in between. To get involved, DJs, artists, or even pastry vendors can reach out by contacting show@thelotradio.com.
