Short Reviews [Pakt - 2021 - "Live in Pawling"]

Nearly a year on from the recording of their debut album, PAKT performed four shows in front of an audience, each of which was recorded and has been made available by Moonjune Records. As each set is fully improvised, all four concerts are very different, apart from the musicians involved, and this was the first of the four which were recorded on consecutive nights in different venues. Markus Reuter again undertook the mastering, and the result is an album which showcases a quite different side of the band. When there is an audience, things change, and one of the most notable is the change in approach from Jones who is far more active, and his sound much higher in the mix. The different styles of Skolnick and Motzer are again apparent, and while Grohowski is also much busier, it is to those two which the ear is most aware. The two very different musicians have such contrasting approaches as to be playing unrelated instruments, with one having a much cleaner approach while the other is using effects and divergent styles to create something quite unusual. It must have been a stressful time for the musicians, as the music they are creating is very much “out there” so what would the reaction be from the audience? Thankfully that was nothing to worry about, as there were cheers and shouts to keep them going, providing the confirmation that they were on the right track. All four live releases are available digitally from the Moonjune site, while that is also the place to get the studio album as the physical release has already sold out. If you want your music to be improvised and pushing the boundaries, then this is it.