Kasar, born in Tartu, was classically trained in violin, composition, and conducting. While these influences are embedded throughout his work, his musical oeuvre has expanded in every direction, including hip-hop and rap in the early 2000s—during which he wove his witty lyricism into a larger, jazzy sonic territory laden with “orchestral strings and bossa nova beats,” according to The Baltic Times.
At that time, Kasar was more interested in the group performance aspect of rap, serving as a testimony to the golden age of hip-hop groups in the 1990s. “These days [in the early 2000s], rappers [in Estonia] are thinking more about instrumentals,” Kasar said in the same article. “They want to create more music. I like having a live band. It is more interesting than just having a DJ. It is more inspiring to watch a group of musicians get into it,” he added.
Now, some twenty years later, Kasar is still an artist who embraces the human, communal aspect of music-making. “I don't like using computers or machines when I'm making music. It has to be analog—I like the human error that it [offers],” he told Eesti Elu.
With experience “playing virtually every instrument, from the sitar to guitar,” Kasar has released two albums and four singles on Spotify, each varying in style and genre. While his 2014 album Liiga Palju Viiuleid is a playful embrace of his jazzy-pop style, his most recent single, “kellad,” is an ode to his talent for spoken-word lyricism.
“My ideas come from the things I've seen around me, from [observing] the world. My genre is hard to define. It's usually singer-songwriter or soul stuff. Many times, it's a fusion of multiple things. It's everything I'm interested in, from gospel to hip-hop and classical.”
Kasar's inspiration seems deeply intuitive. “I don't believe in finding inspiration in other music because I think of [my music] as work,” he told Eesti Elu. “My ideas come from the things I've seen around me, from [observing] the world. My genre is hard to define. It's usually singer-songwriter or soul stuff. Many times, it's a fusion of multiple things. It's everything I'm interested in, from gospel to hip-hop and classical.”
Sunday's concert highlighted Kasar's status as a highly-skilled, multifaceted artist. Over the course of a few hours, Kasar performed some of his original songs, ranging from soul to spoken word, on the piano to an intimate crowd.
With food prepared by Estonian chef Joel Ostrat, the whole experience was warm, welcoming, and quite engaging; Kasar is not only a talented musician but a very personable, funny performer whose charisma demands your unabated attention. His ability to connect with the audience so well earned him a standing ovation, where he played an additional few songs before answering some questions in an informal Q&A, offering witty anecdotes and tales of his experience visiting Toronto.
Be sure to keep your eyes peeled for an interview with Kasar for an upcoming episode of EstoCast!
This article was written by Natalie Jenkins as part of the Local Journalism Initiative.
