Why throw away your savings on tickets to Ultra or E-Zoo when you can get your dose of electronic dance music for free? On Thursday night, the WHRW 90.5 FM Space department hosted a music and arts festival called Spacefest in the Undergrounds Coffeehouse.
The event, which was organized by WHRW and Binghamton’s hula hooping team Hoop Troop, shook the walls of the Undergrounds as it blasted all types of electronic music from 9:30 p.m. till midnight.
The base director of the event Thomas Legnard, a senior majoring in electrical engineering, said he hoped to introduce more students to space music.
“[Space] covers all types of ambient music that includes mainstream electronic dance music and more experimental music,” Legnard said. “Really, space music is anything you can dance to made with a computer.”
Ryan Malon, a freshman majoring in computer engineering, said he was glad to see what students were doing with the genre.
“I’m interested in what other people on campus are doing in terms of making music,” Malon said. “A lot of this type I’ve never heard of before, and it’s actually really good.”
The mini festival wasn’t limited to music and dance. There were other displays of art set up throughout the room, like intricate spray-paintings of the galaxy by Eli Portman, a senior majoring in studio art, and body paint stations. Students could get their faces and the rest of their bodies decorated with glowing paint.
The ladies of Hoop Troop hypnotically moved to the quick beat of the music at the center of the room, silhouetted by trippy cartoons projected behind the main stage. The LED lights of their hula hoops matched the bright lights lining the walls of the Coffeehouse, and it made for a fun, party-like vibe for the students to dance to. The event also featured local DJs Ian Miller and Jizzy Fra, who played electronic music for the students.
Daniel Kadyrov, public affairs director for WHRW and a junior majoring in mechanical engineering, wanted to emulate Binghamtronica, an electronic music and media festival Binghamton last held two years ago in the Mandela Room.
“Ultimately, Spacefest will lead something bigger. We’re throwing this free event showcasing student talent to create something like Binghamtronica for the future.”
Kadyrov said that WHRW’s Space department doesn’t limit what people can play or listen to, which will only capture more students’ attention and introduce them to the world of new, expansive electronic music.
“We organize these events because we want to bring electronic music and arts back to popularity,” Legnard said. “We love music and we want to connect more to students on campus. This is the best way we know how.”