Axel Thesleff
Axel Thesleff is an electronic musician and producer based in Helsinki, Finland.
Axel Thesleff | |
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Origin | Helsinki, Finland |
Genres | electronic, dance |
Occupation(s) |
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Years active | 2010–Present |
Website | www |
Career
Early life & career
Thesleff grew up in Roihuvuori, Helsinki, where he started playing the piano at the age of 9.[1] As a teenager he began focusing on production, releasing his first album Waste Land in 2010 inspired by the T.S. Eliot poem The Waste Land", for which he was recognized by SoundCloud as their Soundclouder of the Day in May 2011.[2][3][4] He continued producing music in his spare time while studying musicology at the University of Helsinki.[5] As an adult, Thesleff spent time in Helsinki clubs which influenced how he used bass in his music.[6]
"Bad Karma" (2014)
Thesleff released his single "Bad Karma" in 2014, which he uploaded to SoundCloud to celebrate surpassing 300 followers on Facebook.[7][6] The song was featured by the YouTube channel Trap Nation which helped it spread significantly, and has since amassed over 500 million streams.[8] The song has been heard on BBC Radio and as part of Adidas' 2020 'Faster Than' campaign.[1][7]
Two Worlds EP (2018)
In November, 2018, Thesleff released his Two Worlds EP alongside a 30-minute film.[9] The project, which consists of five tracks and videos, explores the perspective of three individuals living in between two worlds, as well as "aspects of duality, determinism, existentialism and the human condition" according to Thesleff.[10][9] Thesleff released a remix EP of Two Worlds in March 2019, featuring artists including CloZee, Alex Banks and SickFlip.[11]
Arena Live (2020)
In August 2020, Thesleff shared a video of an hour long live set titled Arena Live which he had developed for his SXSW showcase, which was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[12] Filmed at the Helsinki Ice Hall with a 12-person crew, Thesleff worked with visual artist Petri Ruikka to develop the project over the course of 6 months.[7][13][14]
Performances
Over the course of his career Thesleff has performed in Finland, North America (where he supported CloZee and Beats Antique on a 30-date tour), Romania (including a performance at the Electric Castle festival), and Georgia.[6][8][15]
Musical style
Influenced by western classical music and eastern musical traditions, Thesleff has described his style as a blend of a number of genres, including progressive rock, metal, post-rock, indie, IDM, and EDM.[10][16]
References
- Wetterstrand, Ninni (28 October 2016). "Suomalaisen Axel Thesleffin biisiä on kuunneltu netissä yli sata miljoonaa kertaa – silti et ole todennäköisesti vielä kuullut hänestä". YLEX. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
- "Axel Thesleff releases new single "Unity"". Stitched Sound. 5 October 2019. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
- "Axel Thesleff unveils new EP Two Worlds". Feeder.ro. 15 March 2018. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
- "This Weeks Soundclouder of the Day". 20 May 2011. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
- Valencia, Eric (22 March 2020). "I Was Able to "Find My Way" to Axel Thesleff and His New Single | Interview". Fresh Music Freaks. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
- Jansson, Panu (20 February 2017). "Tämän roihuvuorelaisoven takana syntyy satoja miljoonia kuuntelukertoja". CITY. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
- "Axel Thesleff Debuts "The Set That Never Happened" At 8,200-Seat Helskini Ice Hall". EDM Sauce. 30 August 2020. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
- "Back to Mine with Axel Thesleff". DMCWorld Magazine. 4 March 2020. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
- Murray, Robin (30 November 2018). "Premiere: Axel Thesleff - 'Two Worlds'". Clash. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
- Dahake, Chetan (13 February 2019). "Axel Thesleff's 'Two- Worlds' EP Is An Eclectic Audio-Visual Project Bringing Cultures Of India And Finland Together!". EDMLI. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
- Beamish, Ben (23 March 2019). "Axel Thesleff's "Two Worlds" Gets Fresh Take In New Remix EP". Cultr. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
- Powell, Karlie (31 August 2020). "Axel Thesleff Shares Arena Live Performance, the "Set That Never Happened"". YourEDM. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
- Sunkel, Cameron (29 August 2020). "Axel Thesleff Turns Cancelled Live Set into Immersive Technicolor Film Experience". EDM.com. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
- Lally, Bobby (4 September 2020). "Axel Thesleff Performs SXSW 2020 Set That Never Happened". That Drop. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
- Tervo, Toni (10 January 2017). "Suomalaisen Axelin, 25, omakustannekappale räjäytti potin – yli 120 miljoonaa kuuntelijaa ja huomiota BBC:ltä". Helsingin Uutiset. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
- Tanskul, Nicky (23 September 2020). "INTERVIEW: Axel Thesleff and his Set That Never Happened". Asia Live 365. Retrieved 16 November 2020.