This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Oxy chapter.
RAWRecords is a club that has recently come back to Occidental, and it is making waves. From their eye-catching posters all around campus to their weekly artist showcases, it would be surprising if you hadn’t heard the buzz about this new org. We at Her Campus decided it might be nice to get to know the people at RAW Records and look a bit more closely at what they’re about and where they’re going.
Q. First off, what is RAW Records?
A. Raw Records was established in order to create an integrated and accessible musical community at Occidental College by providing students with access to professional equipment and a platform from which to promote their music. We want to create a diverse musical community at Occidental by encouraging all types of artists to record their music.
Q. Who started RAW Records? How has it evolved since then?
A. Ryan Bartecki, Michael Ursu, Eleanor McQuiston and Redd Barua-Norton were the original creators of RAW Records. Since then, the club has evolved into an organization intended as a student service. The RAW studio used to be located in Johnson but has temporarily moved to Booth 105 due to ongoing construction.
Q. Do you have any events planned for the future?
A. As of now, we are hosting weekly artist showcases outside the cooler during lunch. These usually take place on Tuesdays. We have tentative plans for other future events, including more showcases, concerts, and eventually dances.
Q. Are there any student artists that you guys are particularly excited about?
A. We are really excited to have so many awesome artists recording right now. As of now, we have released music from Rounak Maiti, Nina Carlin, Soraya Sebghatti, Lillian Krovoza, and Killstreak. We will be releasing more music from additional artists in the coming weeks.
Q. How can students either record or get involved with RAW Records?
A. If a student would like to record in the RAW studio or become involved with our organization, email rawr@oxy.edu. We can usually get an artist in the studio with a sound engineer a day or two after they send an email requesting a time slot. We are always looking for students interested in getting involved so we really encourage them to reach out to us.
Q. What else should we know about RAW Records?
A. It doesn’t matter what genre of music you play, RAW Records is available to any Occidental student. Although we have had a great first year and built a foundation for our club, we are always looking for ways to expand, innovate, and become the best organization possible.