Axel Thesleff

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Axel Thesleff
Born (1991-11-14) November 14, 1991 (age 32)
Helsinki, Finland
Genreselectronic, dance
Occupation(s)
  • Producer
  • Songwriter
Years active2010–Present
Websitewww.axelthesleff.com

Axel Thesleff (born November 14, 1991) is an electronic musician and producer based in Helsinki, Finland.

Career[edit]

Early life and career[edit]

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)[edit]

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)[edit]

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)[edit]

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]

2 Down (2020)[edit]

The cinematic music video released in December 2020, was nominated for multiple awards internationally and won the Best Music video award at both the Rome Prisma Film Awards[15] and Montreal Independent Film Festival.[16] The video is also a finalist at The Newport Beach Film Festival[17] which takes place October 28, 2021.

The video portrays a nomadic woman’s journey backpacking through Finland’s surreal landscape. Surrounded by sprawling greenery and awe-inspiring mountains, a woman embarks on a soulful adventure of solitude and self-reflection. While soaking in the serene beauty around her, she reflects on her turbulent relationship with her daughter. Painful memories from heated arguments that led her daughter to leave their home race through her mind.[18]

Performances[edit]

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), the Czech Republic (Hot Spot 2021,[19] Colours of Ostrava 2022[20]) Costa Rica (at Envision 2019 festival), and Georgia.[6][8][21]

Musical style[edit]

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][22]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b 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.
  2. ^ "Axel Thesleff releases new single "Unity"". Stitched Sound. 5 October 2019. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
  3. ^ "Axel Thesleff unveils new EP Two Worlds". Feeder.ro. 15 March 2018. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
  4. ^ "This Weeks Soundclouder of the Day". 20 May 2011. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ a b c Jansson, Panu (20 February 2017). "Tämän roihuvuorelaisoven takana syntyy satoja miljoonia kuuntelukertoja". CITY. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
  7. ^ a b c "Axel Thesleff Debuts "The Set That Never Happened" At 8,200-Seat Helskini Ice Hall". EDM Sauce. 30 August 2020. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
  8. ^ a b "Back to Mine with Axel Thesleff". DMCWorld Magazine. 4 March 2020. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
  9. ^ a b Murray, Robin (30 November 2018). "Premiere: Axel Thesleff - 'Two Worlds'". Clash. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
  10. ^ a b 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.
  11. ^ Beamish, Ben (23 March 2019). "Axel Thesleff's "Two Worlds" Gets Fresh Take In New Remix EP". Cultr. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
  12. ^ Powell, Karlie (31 August 2020). "Axel Thesleff Shares Arena Live Performance, the "Set That Never Happened"". YourEDM. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
  13. ^ Sunkel, Cameron (29 August 2020). "Axel Thesleff Turns Cancelled Live Set into Immersive Technicolor Film Experience". EDM.com. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
  14. ^ Lally, Bobby (4 September 2020). "Axel Thesleff Performs SXSW 2020 Set That Never Happened". That Drop. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
  15. ^ "Rome Prisma Independent Film Awards | 2020 – 2021 Annual Winners" (in Italian). Retrieved 2021-10-29.
  16. ^ arsalanbaraheni (2020-12-18). "Montreal Independent Film Festival Announces its Latest Winners". Toronto Film Mag. Retrieved 2021-10-29.
  17. ^ "NEWPORT BEACH FILM FEST". nbff2021.eventive.org. Retrieved 2021-10-29.
  18. ^ "Axel Thesleff Releases Heartfelt Music Video For 2 Down". Bass Feeds The Soul. Retrieved 2021-10-29.
  19. ^ "Hot Spot".
  20. ^ "AXEL THESLEFF".
  21. ^ 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.
  22. ^ Tanskul, Nicky (23 September 2020). "INTERVIEW: Axel Thesleff and his Set That Never Happened". Asia Live 365. Retrieved 16 November 2020.

External links[edit]

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