Axel started releasing electronic music on Soundcloud back at 2010. Just a year after his first release, Axel was notified as a "Sounclouder of the Day" with his concept album "Waste Land" inspired by poet T.S. Eliot. During that time Axel also started studying musicology at the University of Helsinki, where he got interested in sound design and electroacoustic music. From 2011 onward, he released couple EP's where he further developed his skills as a music producer as well as a composer.
In 2014 Axel experimented with some eastern vibes and samples from India, which lead to the smash hit Bad Karma. After Bad Karma Axel released a couple of singles and continued his endeavors with Mr. Eliot, releasing his musical interpretation of the poem "The Hollow Men".
His single releases "Done & Reincarnation" in 2016 were the beginning of a new era, which led the way to even more diverse style. With songs ranging genres like Future Bass, Future Garage, World Bass, Eastern Impacts, Tribal, and even Tropical sounds.
The year 2017 began with his first music video release, Bad Karma. Single "Need You" was released on Valentine's Day and reached high-end playlists like Chillout Lounge (500k+ followers). Followed by double single release Your Voice / Like a Lullaby in April and a vocal song Fighter made with a Brit singer-songwriter Richard Walters in May - the song got previewed on BBC.
In early July, Axel continued his musical endeavor collaborating a song Free with an upcoming Finnish artist Ronja. Free got good traction on its first week of the release, by being added on 6 different New Music Friday playlists on Spotify (Finland, Sweden, Norway, Turkey, Italy & Iceland).
In 2018 Axel continued his eastern influenced style and released the Two Worlds EP. A few months later, it was followed by an eastern influenced single Piya Mora. On November 30th it was the time for an Audiovisual EP based on the Two Two worlds EP. the 30-minute long visual journey to human condition was released on Youtube and have received an amazing response from the crowd.
Moving on to developing his live performance build around multiple instruments such as keytar, drum pad, and a midi mallet Axel made his US debut by touring with Beats Antique at the beginning of 2019. Followed by his first overseas festival performance at Envision festival held in Costa Rica.
iii
Axel Thesleff Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
This is cactus land
Here the stone images
Are raised, here they receive
The supplication of a dead man's hand
Under the twinkle of a fading star.
Is it like this
Waking alone
At the hour when we are
Trembling with tenderness
Lips that would kiss
Form prayers to broken stone.
The lyrics of Axel Thesleff's song III are inspired by T.S. Eliot's poem "The Waste Land." Through the verses, Axel Thesleff refers to the desolate and barren lands that represent death, in which stone images are raised to receive the supplication of a dead man's hand. The opening lines - "This is the dead land, This is cactus land" - set the tone for the bleak, hopeless, and harsh world that he is describing. The imagery of the supplication of a dead man's hand is an allusion to the idea of the afterlife and how it is uncertain and unknown to the living.
The second stanza moves on to explore the idea of love and its significance in the other kingdom. The lines "Is it like this in death's other kingdom, waking alone, at the hour when we are trembling with tenderness" suggests that in the afterlife when we are at our most vulnerable, we are left with a broken heart, torn between tenderness and the harsh reality of death. The last two lines - "Lips that would kiss, form prayers to broken stone" - indicate that what once may have been love, passion, and desire is now just a mere formality, a lip-service that has migrated to fulfilling the superficial gesture of prayer.
Line by Line Meaning
This is the dead land
The land is barren and lifeless, devoid of any signs of growth or vitality.
This is cactus land
The only vegetation that grows in this desolate land are cacti, which are known for their ability to survive in harsh, arid environments.
Here the stone images
The only signs of civilization in this dead land are the statues and monuments made of stone that have been erected by those who have passed through.
Are raised, here they receive
These stone images have been raised up by someone, presumably as a way to mark this desolate place and give it some semblance of meaning.
The supplication of a dead man's hand
These stone images receive offerings and prayers from people who have passed through this place and left something behind, as if hoping that their pleas will be answered by the dead spirits who inhabit this land.
Under the twinkle of a fading star.
The only source of light in this land is the faint glow of a distant star, which is slowly fading away.
Is it like this
The singer is asking if this is what it's like in the afterlife, or in another dimension beyond our own.
In death's other kingdom
The artist imagines that there is another realm beyond death, which is separate from the physical world that we know.
Waking alone
The artist is imagining waking up in this other realm or afterlife, and feeling utterly alone in this strange new world.
At the hour when we are
The artist is suggesting that this moment of awakening may come at a time when we are most vulnerable, perhaps in the middle of the night or during a moment of crisis.
Trembling with tenderness
The singer is feeling a mixture of emotions, including fear and a deep sense of longing to connect with something, anything, in this new world.
Lips that would kiss
The artist is imagining a desire for human connection, to feel the warmth and touch of another person's lips.
Form prayers to broken stone.
But instead of finding another person, the singer is left to pray to the stone monuments that have been left behind by others who have passed through this desolate afterlife. These monuments, like the singer, are broken and devoid of life, but they are the only connection to anything that the singer has in this new world.
Contributed by Lily K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
quarnet
This is the dead land
This is cactus land
Here the stone images
Are raised, here they receive
The supplication of a dead man’s hand
Under the twinkle of a fading star.
Is it like this
In death’s other kingdom
Waking alone
At the hour when we are
Trembling with tenderness
Lips that would kiss
Form prayers to broken stone.
Maarika E
This is one of the most beautiful things I've ever heard. The 8 minutes of perfection after a stressful day: just to lay in bed in a dark room with earphones on and let the music take you away.
Fernando Barradas
i just heard this song while smooking in my room , earphones, lights off and hell yeah , this took me to another dimension
Cassie Dindinger
I totally agree!!! Can't get enough of this song🍍🌴
Blarg Kliggle
A grand tribute to a great poet, a shame that most who listen will never see it as such but that only underlines the theme.
pullmeoutofthis
Who is the poet?
cannotchooseaname
@pullmeoutofthis T S Eliot
Beico
I spent ten hours of my life just listening to this music and I can't get tired, Axel best producer for me.
shymickey6
Best 🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾
Anon2150
When that bass drops, my mind exploded into a thousand dimensions.
Cassie Dindinger
Me too!! Does every time!!