YtseJam Records
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YtseJam Records is a semi-independent record label set up by Dream Theater drummer Mike Portnoy in 2003. It is responsible for the distribution of Dream Theater-related material that would not normally be a candidate for general release, such as demos and 'official' live bootlegs.
YtseJam is operated exclusively through its website, with none of their releases being available in physical music stores or online outlets.
It is semi-independent in that it has the financial backing of Dream Theater's home label Elektra Records, but Portnoy has complete control over the contents and presentation of any material released. Elektra has also put limits on the scope of YtseJam, most notably restricting the number of pressings for each album produced.
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[edit] Origin
Mike Portnoy has an astonishingly extensive archive of Dream Theater-related recordings. It contains almost everything from the band's history, such as their first recorded performances in their teenage years, outtakes from Dream Theater album sessions, and every single live performance Dream Theater has ever done. Mike captures each gig they perform with a DAT recorder, and stores the tapes in the basement of his home along with a lot of other Dream Theater-related memorabilia.
Dream Theater fans have long discussed these archives, and lauded them as a gold-mine for any hardcore collector of the band's music. Community pressure to release some of the more important moments in the band's history led to Mike forming YtseJam Records, much to the delight of said collectors.
[edit] The name
The word "YtseJam," pronounced 'yit-say-jam,' is the word "Majesty" spelled backwards. As the story goes, Dream Theater were originally named Majesty but were forced to rename the band after learning of another Majesty operating in the United States. On Dream Theater's debut album When Dream and Day Unite there is an instrumental entitled "Ytse Jam," which was written before the band changed their name and is a reference to the now-defunct moniker.
As well as this, the word "YtseJam" has a strong place in the hearts of Dream Theater fans (who sometimes refer to themselves as "YtseJammers"), with numerous websites, magazines and the like being named after the instrumental. The most notable of these is the YtseJam Mailing List, which has been in operation since the early 1990s and was for a long time the main channel of online communication between Dream Theater fans.
YtseJams, Inc. is also the alias used by the band in publishing their music.
In keeping with this extensive use of the word "YtseJam" in Dream Theater-related ventures, Mike Portnoy named his label YtseJam Records.
[edit] Releases to date
[edit] Demo Series
- Majesty demos 1985-1986
- When Dream And Day Unite Demos 1987-1989
- Images And Words Demos 1989-1991
- Awake Demos 1994
[edit] Live Series
- Los Angeles, California 05/18/98 (18 May 1998)
- Tokyo, Japan 10/28/95 (28 October 1995)
- When Dream And Day Reunite (CD/DVD, recorded in Los Angeles, California on 6 March 2004)
- Old Bridge, New Jersey 12/14/96 (14 December 1996)
[edit] Studio Series
- The Making Of Scenes From A Memory
[edit] Cover Series
- Master Of Puppets
- The Number Of The Beast
- Dark Side Of The Moon (CD/DVD)
