Any band would be thrilled to count the crowd that assembled for the D.C. Record Fair at the Black Cat on Sunday as an audience. Not just the crowd’s numbers — the upstairs was certainly packed — but its character. Among the throngs of vinyl nerds were band members, DJs, and scene stalwarts all in search of the same thing: records, and good company.

What draws many to the Record Fairs thrown by Som Records, DC Soul Recordings, and The Vinyl District is less the vinyl than the atmosphere. No doubt, there’s plenty of vinyl: Some 30 vendors carted crates of 33s and 45s, lined up along huge aisles that conveyed hundreds of vinyl shoppers. This writer found a convincing bin of J Dilla staples, but digging was tough: There were too many people to look through every single thing, the way you hope to when you’re shopping but not quite sure what it is you’re looking for.