Cassette Review // Trance Macabre "Live @ Redscroll"

My warning going into this cassette review is that I picked it up at a live performance by Trance Macabre and I cannot seem to find anything on the internet about it.  I went to Bandcamp first, naturally, but even doing a Google search seemed to not really work.   So I'm not sure if you can order this cassette online or not, but it is worth checking out the Trance Macabre YouTube channel at least.  

The sound of Trance Macabre starts with driving horns, percussion and it just feels like experimental jazz but on another level.   The flute comes through and what amazes me the most about this entire cassette is how well they all work together.  I know that Trance Macabre, as a collective, exists in different forms, with different members, so I always wonder if they get together and rehearse before playing like this (they must) but then it also becomes a matter of how often they rehearse.

Without having that studio recording but rather a live performance, it just feels like this is something the musicians would have to play together for years to create a sound this in sync.  There is this one part of the first section on the cassette where it feels like we're running from danger and then it all quiets down as big cymbal crashes take over.   This is how the first part of the cassette ends as you can hear a "Thank you" from the artist, but the show isn't over yet.

A strong bass line starts off things next, which then makes the sound turn into something closer to funk.  There is a little bit of singing, but the majority of the singing on this cassette seems to be done with the musical instruments.   After another thank you, the music begins with a slow build and just gets this steady groove highlighted by the horn section.   The flute is back as well and this whole show just feels like something so well planned out but also so much improvised at the same time.  

Perhaps the biggest part of this cassette remains the power of the members of Trance Macabre to work together as one.  In doing so, this sound created is so unique that even those who oppose the genres you might be able to place it in would still be able to appreciate it.  I especially enjoy though that this just feels like something you have to see live not just because of the experience but because it's not something you can just stream on Spotify.