I Wear Experiment refuses to fit into one genre

I Wear Experiment does not define itself by a single genre, musician Hando Jaksi said in an interview with Vikerraadio, according to ERR. The band has released a recording of a concert at the Jazzkaar music festival last autumn, titled “Live At Krulli”.

Jaksi said the band had performed at Jazzkaar several years earlier in a club-night format and had apparently made a good impression. Last summer, organisers contacted them about doing something new. The band reunited after deciding to revisit acoustic versions of its songs, which had gone down well with audiences and the musicians themselves. Johanna Eenma’s father, Imre Eenma, agreed to join them and helped find Finnish harpist Katri Tikka. Jaksi described the process as chaotic, but said the result was unexpectedly good.

The band recorded the concert so it could release it as an album if it turned out well. While preparing for the acoustic performance, the musicians also revisited old, unfinished songs. One was “Let Me Loose”, which Jaksi had considered incomplete five years earlier. Hearing it again, he felt it worked as it was and did not need anything added artificially.

Jaksi said he had previously lacked the confidence to sing on stage, so he made more instrumental music. When Johanna came to the studio, they would work together on adding material to the tracks.

The band has also played songs from the Jazzkaar concert at metal festivals, while it performed the album’s final track, “I’m Loving It”, at Weekend Festival in Pärnu. Jaksi said the group was continuing its tradition of avoiding a fixed genre and hoped listeners would give the music a chance.

The members also have day jobs, and their personal lives affect how much time they can devote to the band. Jaksi said he had become a father in the meantime, while Johanna had also experienced major changes in her life. He added that the process of making new songs had sped up.

The band has deliberately reduced its touring in Asia. Jaksi said the pandemic had been a setback and touring there had become expensive, meaning the group would have to rebuild its presence from scratch, despite receiving some enquiries and interest. As the person responsible for the band’s finances, he said he weighs the costs and whether they can afford to fund the trip themselves.