Interview: Rana "Arcee" Chatterjee, Co-founder Of CrateryCon

CrateryCon brings together some of the biggest names and local legends in all things vinyl.

This year's attendees include Chris Flannagan of Shella Records, who has documented Toronto’s reggae scene, and Gil Masuda, who keeps Toronto’s nightlife alive through vinyl. You'll also find Play De Record's social media personality and talented DJ Fion, acclaimed musician Mayer Hawthorne, and vendors known for carrying some of the deepest cuts and rarest records.

At the heart of it all is Rana "Arcee" Chatterjee, a key figure in shaping Toronto’s underground hip-hop community. Respected by artists, DJs, producers, and fans alike, he’s a living archive of the city’s hip-hop history. As a former host of The Real Frequency, an influential Toronto hip-hop radio show, he helped introduce listeners to new music and provided a platform for underground artists.

To learn more about the event, its roots, and the community that continues to grow around it, we caught up with Rana, CrateryCon's co-founder.

How did CrateryCon get its start, and how has it evolved over the years?

In 2025, we launched CrateryCon and entered its next chapter. This is CrateryCon's second official year, but it previously ran as Live Convention from 2016 to about 2024.

It's a huge event that brings together people from all over who love digging for records. Dedicated collectors, casual collectors, and newcomers attend. People come from all around the country, and sometimes from outside the country. We're fortunate to have sellers from abroad, sharing space with people deeply invested in records.

Aside from buying and selling records, what else can attendees expect if they're new to the culture?

Many people come here not just to buy records, but to make musical connections and meet others who are into the same stuff. You'll meet people from all walks of life with stories to tell about the records they've found here. You can spend all day talking to people about what they like and, hopefully, help shed light on records that might become a new favorite.

You also come from a community radio background. How does that experience connect to what you're building with CrateryCon?

I started in community radio years ago, and it's always been close to my heart. I think what attracted me to radio was being around different communities and musical movements.  Community radio is how I learned about and connected with music. I tried to bring that same principle to CrateryCon. It's just another way to connect with like-minded people.

Finally, as someone who has spent so much time around records, how many are in your own collection?

I would estimate somewhere between 7,000 and 10,000.

To learn more about CrateryCon, please visit craterycon.com.