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[Photos by acidjack]
NYCTaper isn’t known for live hip-hop, and I believe this is a first for us. Having now had the experience of seeing The Coup, I hope it’s not a last. The leftist, legendarily excellent Oakland crew blew my mind in this performance at the unofficial DC Against The World SXSW day show put on at the New Movement Theater improv club by CHIRP (the Chicago Independent Radio Project) and Fredericksburg All Ages together with sponsors Rogness Brewing Company and Bitch Beer. As a live act, it’s almost not fair to call The Coup “hip-hop”, as their sound is at least as firmly rooted in funk and vintage soul. Sure, frontman Boots Riley spits out rhymes like a machine, but behind him is a crack band of incredibly talented players whose virtuosity goes well beyond what lifted samples can do. Not to mention Silk-E, the band’s singer, who’d be a force on her own anywhere in the soul/R&B genre.
Boots asked us if it was our first Coup show, and a majority of hands went up. Too bad for us, because they are one of the best live bands I’ve ever seen. It didn’t matter that it was the middle of the day on a Thursday in a poorly-lit comedy club, or that they had another show to crank out just a couple hours later. From the first seconds of “Everythang” The Coup were bouncing, hands and bodies in the air, and so were we. Boots kept whipping the crowd into a frenzy with songs from all over the band’s catalog, including “The Guillotine” and “You Are Not A Riot” from their latest, Sorry To Bother You, as well as nuggets from their earliest work, including the previously-mentioned “Everythang” and “Five Million Ways to Kill A CEO” from their breakout 2001 record, Party Music. If the point of playing SXSW (if there’s any at this point) is to introduce yourself to an unfamiliar audience, to broaden your fan base by proving your worth the old-fashioned way, then this Coup set was a resounding success. Then again, it would’ve been by any measure. This is a group of master showmen, and they’re gonna bring it no matter what the circumstances.
I recorded this set with Schoeps MK4V microphones hung from a pipe up close and dead center in the venue, combined with a soundboard feed from the engineer of the day, Mike. Keep in mind that the New Movement Theater is designed for improv comedy and not music, and realize that this is the sound of a massive band using less than all of their equipment (not enough DIs were available) on a rented PA through a minimal board. While the sound quality is an accurate reflection of the room and the heroic efforts of all involved, there are a few technical glitches (feedback, etc.) here and there. The fault for those lies in the circumstances and limitations of the day, and not any deficiency on the part of the band, the organizers or the production crew. I believe this is a compelling set, and if it gets you off the fence about seeing The Coup, it has done its job. Enjoy!
Stream “Five Million Ways To Kill A CEO”
Stream “The Guillotine”
Download the complete show: [MP3] | [FLAC]
Permanent Links (please, don’t use unless the above are not working) [MP3] | [FLAC]
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The Coup
2014—03-13
DC Against the World SXSW Day Party
New Movement Theater
Austin, TX USA
Exclusive download hosted at nyctaper.com
Recorded and produced by acidjack
Schoeps MK4V (FOB/DFC/PAS)>KC5>PFA + Soundboard (engineer: Mike)>>Edirol R-44 [Oade Concert Mod]>2x24bit/48kHz WAV>Adobe Audition CS 5.5 (mix down, edit SBD)>Izotope Ozone 5 (EQ, effects, imaging, compression)>Audacity 2.0.3 (fades, tracking, amplify, balance, downsample, dither)>FLAC ( level 8 )
Tracks [Total Time 45:57]
01 Everythang
02 Get Your Hands Up
03 The Magic Clap
04 [banter]
05 Five Million Ways To Kill A CEO
06 The Gods of Science
07 [unknown]
08 [banter2]
09 The Guillotine
10 You Are Not A Riot
11 [banter3]
12 Fat Cats, Bigga Fish
If you enjoyed this recording, PLEASE SUPPORT The Coup, visit their website, and buy Sorry To Bother You from ANTI Records.
I think yes I enjoyed it. I never use to like them but I think their SXSW performance was better than the previous lot. GOOD :)