nyctaper Recordings

The Mekons 30th Anniversary tour rolled into New York on Wednesday with a rousing and lengthy concert by the British legends. While the set did feature several numbers from their new album Natural, the set also was fine retrospective of their material. The set was punctuated with the standard Mekons oeuvre — extensive stage banter, some alcohol, and much humor.

The Mekons permit fan recording. As a result I was able to position myself in the identical location as the Bjorkestra / Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey recordings from last week, and use my best equipment. The results are outstanding, and a fine representation of this entertaining and enjoyable performance.

The photograph posted above is courtesy of twi-ny. There are more excellent high-resolution photos from this concert here. Thanks also to Club Mekon for advice and assistance. Visit Club Mekon here.

This recording is now available for download in FLAC and MP3 at Archive.org [HERE].

Mekons
2007-10-03
Blender Theatre at Gramercy
New York, NY USA

Digital Master Recording
Recorded from 1st Row of Seating Area
Directly Behind Soundboard

Neumann KM-150’s (AK-50 Hypercardiod Capsules) > Apogee Minime > digital coaxial > M-Audio Microtrack > 24bit 48kHz wav file > Soundforge 8.0 (set fades, level adjustments, resample 16/44) > Flac Frontend (level 7, align sector boundaries) > flac

Please support the Mekons
http://www.mekons.de/mekonhom.htm

Recorded and Produced
by nyctaper
2007-10-05

Setlist:
[Total Time 1:57:52]
01 [introduction]
02 Beaten and Broken
03 Dickie Chalkie and Nobby
04 [banter]
05 Wine or Money
06 Fletcher Christian
07 Thee Olde Trip to Jerusalem
08 The Hope and The Anchor
09 [banter]
10 Tina
11 [banter]
12 Diamonds
13 [banter]
14 Hey! Susan
15 [banter]
16 Cockermouth
17 Dark Dark Dark
18 Ghosts Of American Astronauts
19 Last Dance
20 Lonely and Wet
21 Lost Highway
22 Perfect Mirror
23 Curse of the Mekons
Encores
24 [banter]
25 Heaven and Back
26 The Letter
27 Hard to be Human
28 [banter]
[last encore Wild and Blue not recorded]

As with all artists featured at this site, if you download this recording PLEASE SUPPORT The Mekons and purchase their latest release:

What a difference a day makes. Animal Collective’s Monday night show at Webster Hall was consistently focused, mixed well, and was 30 minutes longer than Sunday’s “disaster” (Avey’s word). The highlight was the powerful 14-minute Fireworks/Essplode/Fireworks, the exact location in the set where Sunday’s show went wrong.

My recording location was about 5 feet to the left of Sunday’s night’s spot. The same equipment was used, but this recording is even better simply because the sound in the venue was much improved.

This recording is now available for download in FLAC or MP3 format [HERE].

Animal Collective
2007-10-01
Webster Hall
New York, NY USA

Digital Master Recording
Recorded from Balcony First Row Center
Directly Behind Soundboard

DPA 4021’s > Marantz PMD-660 (Oade BCM) > 16bit 44.1 .wav >
Soundforge (level boosts and balance, softening and some removal
of audience noise, EQ, set fades) > flac

Recorded and Produced by
nyctaper
2007-10-02

Setlist:
[total time 1:44:39]
01 Dancer
02 Material Things
03 Peacebone
04 Leaf House
05 Bearhug
06 Song for Ariel
07 Unsolved Mysteries
08 Daily Routine
09 Fireworks/Essplode/Fireworks
10 Brother Sport
11 Grace
12 Chores
13 We Tigers
14 [encore break]
15 No More Running
16 Derek

As with all artists featured on this site, if you download this recording, please support Animal Collective and the Paw Tracks website.

The Animal Collective tour in support of their new release Strawberry Jam came to New York tonight for the first of two shows at Webster Hall. This was an off night. The band seemed somewhat out of sync, and the show came to a screeching halt when Avey Tare stopped “Fireworks” in the middle because it was “too bass-y”. Three truncated songs later, no encore, and the show was over in a little over 70 minutes. We hope tomorrow will be better.

The recording offered for download below has superior sound quality. Avey was right about the bass, and as a result I equalized the low-end in post-production. I had an excellent place for recording, and used DPA microphones that can handle the booming bass of this concert without distortion or saturation.

This recording is now available as a direct download in FLAC or MP3 [HERE].

Animal Collective
2007-09-30
Webster Hall
New York, NY USA

Digital Master Recording
Recorded from Balcony First Row Center
Directly Behind Soundboard

DPA 4021’s > Marantz PMD-660 (Oade BCM) > 16bit 44.1 .wav >
Soundforge > flac

Recorded and Produced by
nyctaper
2007-09-30

Premiere Download offered at
https://www.nyctaper.com
nyctaper@nyctaper.com

Setlist:
[total time 1:14:11]
01 #1
02 Bearhug
03 Song for Ariel
04 Peacebone
05 Who Could Win a Rabbit
06 Daily Routine
07 Unsolved Mysteries
08 Dreamer
09 Firewords/Essplode
10 Brother Sport
11 Grace
12 Leaf House

As with all artists featured on this site, if you download this recording, please support Animal Collective and the Paw Tracks website.

Bjorkestra at Bowery Ballroom
January 20, 2006

Travis Sullivan’s Bjorkestra headlined the Blender Theatre last Saturday with a ninety minute set of jazz excellence. In anticipation of the release of their first CD (to be entitled Enjoy and due for release in January), Bjorkestra went on a brief tour in the Northeast. The Blender show featured the addition of a track from Bjork’s Volta album in the setlist.

The sound quality in the venue was outstanding, and my equipment and positioning were ideal. This recording accurately reflects the excellent venue sound, but perhaps the horn section was mixed too low. Thanks again to Travis for permission to record.

This is the third time I have recorded Bjorkestra. Excellent recordings of the February (here) and the June (here) performances are still available for download in the archives of nyctaper.

Direct download of the complete show in FLAC is [HERE].

Travis Sullivan’s Bjorkestra
2007-09-22
Blender Theatre at Gramercy
New York, NY USA

Digital Master Recording
Recorded from 1st Row of Seating Area
Directly Behind Soundboard

Neumann KM-150’s (AK-50 Hypercardiod Capsules) > Apogee Minime > digital coaxial > M-Audio Microtrack > flac

Many thanks to Travis for permission to record.

Setlist:
[Total Time 1:38:09]
01 Overture
02 Hyperballad
03 Alarm Call
04 Enjoy
05 Jòga
06 Army of Me
07 Pneumonia
08 Pluto
09 Show Me Forgiveness
10 Hunter
11 Who Is It
12 Cocoon
13 Human Behavior

Please support this unique and compelling interpretation of the music of Bjork and visit the Bjorkestra website.

If Bjork’s May performances in New York–her initial return to touring after nearly four years off–were perhaps somewhat timid and apprehensive, tonight’s Madison Square Garden performance was powerful, aggressive, and vocally outstanding. Bjork has regained all of her vocal chops after four months on the road and she seems to be relaxed, in charge, and having fun. Additionally, the band was tight and fluid, and the setlist has added a several new numbers.

My recording was made from the 5th row of the seating section, directly in line with the right PA stacks. As a result, the recording is clear, and rich in bass presence. I utilized the DPA uni-directional microphones so that much of the chatter behind and to my left is hardly noticeable. This is the same recording rig and similar position to the White Stripes MSG recording from July.

Download the complete concert in FLAC [HERE].

Bjork
2007-09-24
Madison Square Garden
New York, NY USA

Digital Master Recording
Recorded from Front of Board
Section 5, Row E

DPA 4021’s > Marantz PMD-660 (Oade BCM) > flac

Recorded and Produced by
nyctaper
2007-09-25

Setlist:
[total time 1:27:22]
01 Brennið Þið Vitar
02 Earth Intruders
03 Hunter
04 Pagan Poetry
05 I See Who You Are*
06 Unravel
07 The Pleasure is All Mine
08 Dull Flame of Desire**
09 Jóga
10 Desired Constellation
11 Army of Me
12 Innocence
13 I Miss You
14 Cover Me
15 Wanderlust
16 Hyperballad
17 Pluto
Encores:
18 [encore break]
19 [band introductions]
20 Oceania
21 Declare Independence

*With Min Xiao-Fen
**With Antony Hegarty

As with all artists featured on this site, if you download this recording, please support Björk and visit her website.

Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey is a prog-fusion jazz trio consisting of Brian Haas (keyboards), Reed Mathis (bass), and newly-added (2007) drummer Joshua Raymer. Their most obvious influence is Bitches Brew-era Miles Davis, and their most obvious comparison is Medeski Martin and Wood. Mathis has built a solid reputation, as he’s played recently in different bands with Steve Kimock, Bobby Previte, and Mark Benevento.

Their opening set last night at the Blender was nearly 90 minutes of profoundly excellent jazz improv. Haas provided the backbone as he performed primarily on a series electric keyboards and effects, and Raymer kept up with his new bandmates providing a solid rhythm. The lead bass and various effects utilized by Mathis were quite impressive during his several solos.

JFJO permit live recording, and as a result I was able to use my best equipment from a center spot directly above the soundboard in the first row of seats. After the show I chatted briefly with Brian Haas who was not only modest about the outstanding set that the trio had just performed, but also thanked me for recording the set.

Enjoy this outstanding recording of new jazz improvisation at its finest.

The Bjorkestra set was also recorded and will be posted in the next couple of days.

This recording is now available to download in FLAC and MP3 at Archive.org [HERE].

Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey
2007-09-22
Blender Theatre at Gramercy
New York, NY USA

Digital Master Recording
Recorded from 1st Row of Seating Area
Directly Behind Soundboard

Neumann KM-150’s (AK-50 Hypercardiod Capsules) > Apogee Minime > digital coaxial > M-Audio Microtrack > flac

Recorded and Produced by
nyctaper
2007-09-23

Setlist
[total time 1:21:25]
01 Improvisation
02 Santiago
03 Song of the Vipers, The Maestro
04 Twin Star
05 Oklahoma Stomp
06 Hover
07 Happiness is a Warm Gun
08 Dove’s Army
09 Old Love, New Love

As with all artists featured at this site, if you download this recording PLEASE SUPPORT Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey by visiting their web site.

Old 97’s were the second act in Monday’s opening night of Music Downtown. Old 97’s have always been pretty loose live, and Monday was no exception–the band is more about fun and entertainment than simply mimicking the albums. The setlist contains a nice retrospective of their material, including four songs from the brilliant 1999 release Fight Songs

This recording was made from the same location with the same equipment as the Hold Steady recording posted below. The wind was stronger during this set, so that there are moments when wind noise is audible, but it does not retract from listening enjoyment.

The direct download location of the complete show in FLAC is [HERE].

Old 97’s
2007-09-17
Music Downtown Concert Series
7 World Trade Center Plaza
New York, NY USA

Digital Master Recording
Recorded from Front of Board Center
Approximately 50 feet from the PA

Neumann KM-150’s (AK-50 Hypercardiod Capsules) > Apogee Minime > digital coaxial > M-Audio Microtrack > flac

Many thanks to Michael Dorf for permission to record.

Recorded and Produced by
nyctaper
2007-09-20

Setlist:
[Total Time 47:51]
01 [introduction]
02 Won’t Be Home
03 Barrier Reef
04 Lonely Holiday
05 Crash on the Barrel Head
06 Rollerskate Skinny
07 Doreen
08 Busted Afternoon
09 Smokers
10 Murder (Or a Heart Attack)
11 Big Brown Eyes
12 The New Kid
13 Timebomb

As with all artists featured at this site, PLEASE SUPPORT Old 97’s by visiting their web site.

Kria Brekkan is the current stage name for Kristín Anna Valtýsdóttir, former and founding member of the Icelandic avante-ambient band mum. She is also the wife of Avey Tare from Animal Collective, and they collaborated on the 2007 release Pullhair Rubeye.

Her intimate show at St. Mark’s tonight was certainly in a similar vein to her career output thus far. Yet as the focus was on Kri­a throughout, it was more personal and intense. She is a classically trained musician who is a superbly gifted piano player, with a unique sense of melody and time structure, and a boundless performance energy. Kri­a performed her set straight through without a break, and at the end of the set she looked up from the piano and seemed to be surprised that she was in a room full of people.

The recording is captured with all the inherent flaws of this performance room–namely surrounding noise and the limits of a small sound system. However, even with all the obstacles, this recording still provides an enjoyable listen of this unique artist.

Download the entire performance in FLAC [HERE].

Kria Brekkan
2007-09-09
St. Mark’s Church
New York, NY USA

Digital Master Recording
Neumann KM-150’s (AK-50 Hypercardiod Capsules) > Apogee Minime > digital coaxial > M-Audio Microtrack > flac

Many thanks to Kristin for permission to record.

Unfortunately, due to my unfamiliarity with the particular songs, and with the
proper place for track breaks (she played straight through), I have left the entire
set as one track.

Setlist
[Total Time 48:49]
01 Kria’s Set

As with all artists featured at this site, PLEASE SUPPORT this wonderful and unique artist and purchase her latest release.

Bjork began her 18-month worldwide tour in promotion of the new album Volta with a week of three concerts in three different venues in New York. The first night at Radio City was her first concert in the U.S. in almost four years, and with new material and an all new band, the result was the most restrained of the three NYC shows. Nevertheless, the concert was a triumphant return to the stage for Bjork, with several pleasant surprises in the setlist.

I recorded this concert from a prime location with pro-quality DPA microphones. However, in my rush to upload this concert to a bit torrent site within 3 hours of the end of the show, I did not perform any post-production work. The remaster posted below was the result of many hours of post-production work in Soundforge which improved the initial recording drastically. The volume levels were increased significantly and balanced, dozens of instances of close clapping or other audience noise were softened or removed, and the high-end peaks were accentuated through equalization.

This recording is dedicated to my friends in the Bjork Hub, the most reliable and dedicated fans of any artist anywhere.

This recording is in an indirect way responsible for the existence of the nyctaper website. Prior to the establishment of this site, I posted my masters on various bit torrent trackers, and in several instances my recordings were then compressed to low-quality mp3s and re-posted without any credit or attribution on bottom-feeder blogs.

In this case of this recording, the blogger not only failed to give credit, but also deleted my comments and insulted me when I sought credit. One of those insults ironically “suggested” that I create my own blog where I could host lossless downloads and pay the server fees. Eight days later, I did.

Download the complete performance in FLAC [HERE].

Bjork
2007-05-02
Radio City Music Hall
New York, NY USA

Digital Master Recording
Recorded from Front of Board Center
Orchestra Row PP, Seat 509

DPA 4021’s > Marantz PMD-660 (Oade BCM) > Soundforge (Remaster) > flac

Recorded and Produced and
Remastered by
nyctaper
2007-09-03

Setlist:
01 Earth Intruders*
02 Venus as a Boy
03 Aurora
04 I See Who You Are**
05 Oceania
06 Dull Flame of Desire***
07 All is Full of Love
08 The Pleasure is All Mine
09 Pagan Poetry
10 Jóga
11 Where is the Line
12 Army of Me
13 Innocence
14 Wanderlust
15 Pluto
Encores:
16 [encore break]
17 [band introductions]
18 Anchor Song
19 Declare Independence

*With Konono N°1
**With Min Xiao-Fen
***With Antony Hegarty

As with all artists featured at this site, PLEASE SUPPORT this wonderful and unique artist and visit her web page and purchase Volta: