Axel Thesleff is an electronic musician and producer based in Helsinki, Finland. Best known for his hit “Bad Karma” which has had 323 million views, his style weaves western and eastern influences through a diverse electronic music approach, never forgetting about the emotion and story behind each piece of music. His previous singles amassing over 50 million streams, the Finnish producer’s latest visual installment is yet another example of his game-changing talent. His style is very diverse, ranging from bass heavy bangers to more relaxed and deep tracks, never forgetting about the emotion and story behind each piece of music. His tunes will make subwoofers purr, but also deliver an emotional impact which resonates with your soul. Axel always keeps on stunning the industry with songs ranging genres like Future Bass, Future Garage, World Bass, Eastern Impacts, Tribal and even Tropical sounds.
Two – Worlds is a cinematic journey that brings to life the perspective of three unique individuals living in between two worlds and is compiled of five interlinking tracks and videos – ‘Akasha’, ‘Salamon’, ‘Eco’, ‘Cascade’ and ‘Dunya’. Filmed in Delhi and the surrounding areas, each story is blended together to curate one seamlessly crafted narrative as the characters grapple with the elements – attempting to overcome their own personal obstacles.
“Everywhere you look, one can find the two worlds or a.k.a “the two sides of the coin”. Especially in the human mind. So we created the story around three individuals who need to find peace by letting go of their ego, each by its own way. The themes were vaguely emerging already during the production of the tracks and I decided with my team to make it into a visual narrative to really bring those ideas from the background to the forefront.”
Beginning his musical journey almost 20 years ago, Axel was classically trained on the piano before developing an interest for electronic production, drawing influence from the likes of Aphex Twin, Sigur Ross, and Telefon Tel Aviv. Axel has never been an artist limited by genres, instead of creating music which is a reflection of the self – transforming thoughts and opinions into visual sound waves. He unveiled 5 amazing videos for his singles. Every single video holds a deep meaning and he successfully portrays them in the videos.
Talking about Akasha he said,
“Akasha is a story of an Indian, who is fighting a battle of being trapped in her mind. We decided the part needed a stronger impact and realized it could be accomplished only by shooting it partly in India. We shot primarily in Delhi and the surrounding areas. This gave more contrast to the video and emphasized the ”Two Worlds” aspect of it, mobility and immobility, freedom and constraint, hot and cold, India and Finland. That is also represented in the music, with fiery and danceable parts, and calmer more melodic parts. The point of the narrative is not cultural, but it’s being presented in a multicultural way. The point of the story of Akasha is being set free from your inner fears that are attached to the ego and holding you back. It’s about courage”
Check out the Official Video of Akasha here:
Explaining the concept of this video, Alex elaborated “We try to make sense of it all and find structure amidst the chaos, but often to no avail. Depression, unrest and sadness are forces that keep us from finding inner peace. Salomon is lost in his mind and tries to fight off the desperation in his soul. He must face the dark force that nests deep within himself to find his way into the light”.
Talking about the official video for “Eco”, Alex explained “Eco has managed to climb the corporate ladder to the top, but there still seems to be this emptiness inside him, just like in the people who surround him. He can’t deny his connection to nature anymore and finds himself in a fantasy of purity, beauty and calmness of the Mother Earth. He must find a way to the present moment in order to find happiness again”.
Alex explained the main concept behind the official video of “Cascade”, Since the beginning of time, there has been a cascading flow of events – cause and effect… brute force. Atoms clash to one another, forming molecules, matter, galaxies, and planets. We, as organisms constructed of those atoms, are a part of that flow, not apart from it. It is an eternal feature of reality, and events occur under it’s rule. To which degree are our thoughts our own? Is there a force behind the curtain of matter, a conductor of the symphony of time? One thing is certain – something seems to be occurring and the nature of it is deeply mystical.
And ultimately he relates all the 4 videos with this official video of his single “Dunya”. Alex stated, We carry with us the burden of ’me’. It defines our being and we see the world through its eyes. Akasha, Salomon and Eco find themselves in a new place, the final destination. There is a force that draws them in, and they have no choice but to surrender. They need to leave behind their identities and let go of the stories that define them in order to find the spaciousness that rests behind the ego.
You can stream the amazing Axel Thesleff – Two Worlds (Audiovisual EP) here:
‘Two- Worlds’ a first of its kind audio -visual project celebrating and bringing together the worlds and cultures of India and Finland!
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