Singled Out: Genre Peak's Wear it Well

Genre Peak's track "Wear it Well" came about when Martin Birke and Mick Karn had been discussing ways for Karn to join the band in 2007. After approaching Karn to join Genre Peak as a full time member of the band, when Chapman Stick player Daniel Panasenko departed the band in late 2006, it soon became clear that money, travel and lack of label funding wouldn't allow Genre Peak to blossom with the new line-up of Birke (electronics/vocals), Stephen Sullivan(guitar-synths/guitars) and Karn(bass) as a touring trio.

Karn had been living in Cyprus and Birke was across the globe in Sacramento, CA. So plan B was developed for Mick to record his parts for the new album (Preternatural) at his home by sending the track sessions by post. Birke presented the instrumental of "Wear it Well" ,made up of parts from an existing album track called "Wear Your Ruin", to Mick who then recorded a very thick stereo bass track to it. Birke brought in Canadian singer Tara C. Taylor to sing the vocals whose soft lilting voice provided a lighter contrast the heavily synth-layered sound together with co-producer and guitarist Christopher Scott Cooper's engineering and superb mixing talents the track became a strong and very well constructed complete song. Beginning with voice samples and electronica elements the track does a linear build of beats, bass and synths to the ending of overdriven guitars and emotionally charged vocals. "Wear it Well" became the most purchased album track of Preternatural in 2008-09 and was naturally selected for the new Genre Peak compilation "Redux".