Thomas Azier

Hailing from Berlin with an uncompromising, dark and broody electronic pop sound, Thomas Azier is set on making his own impression on the music world. In 2012, he released two EP's, Hylas 001 and Hylas 002, on his own label Hylas Records / BMG, which, amongst other things, led to a tour with Woodkid and Stromae, and a worldwide record deal with Universal Music France (Island France / Mercury Music Group). Azier planned to release an EP trilogy, but Hylas 003 grew into a proper album. This debut – simply titled Hylas – will be released early 2014 and comprises all of the meticulous work he's done to develop himself musically over the last five years.

Thomas Azier was born in the Netherlands, but relocated to Berlin at age 19. "I was looking for a place to experiment", he says. "I didn't know much about Berlin, other than it was cheap. So I bought myself time to help develop my producing and songwriting skills." In the beginning, Azier struggled to find an audience for his music. He started playing guerrilla sets in dance clubs at 4 AM in the morning, breaking the endless loop of Berlin's minimal techno parties with a short 20 minutes electronic set, playing actual pop songs. In these clubs he learned a lot about pop music, which is "all about making sure you come to the point".

The artistic network Thomas Azier was hoping to find in Berlin turned out to be an environment that was mostly ironic and sarcastic. "I felt disconnected from the postmodern scene, which is prominent in Berlin", he explains. "As a 19-year-old, my music had a romantic, naïve touch. I also was looking for something more 'crafted' and felt music was drowning in this sea of deconstruction." He immersed himself completely in his own music and wrote more than 100 songs. "Sometimes I was by myself for weeks," says Azier. "It makes you really start to observe your surroundings and so I discovered this strange dark side of the city." The constant transformation of Berlin left a big impression on him and led to the overall theme of his music, which he describes as "metamorphosis". It is also expressed in the artwork for his EP's and the album, where he depicts the stages of a stone transforming from a rough rock into pure crystal.

After hundreds of sketches and pre-productions on his computer, Thomas Azier eventually started to lay the final touches on his debut in fall 2012. In an old East German factory where the church bells for the Kremlin used to be manufactured, he set up his studio. That old factory proved just the right place for the truly industrial twist on pop music Azier was looking for. He had a vision of pushing boundaries, combining analogue sounds and dramatic, warm vocals with violent noises and the natural sounds of the factory. The entire album is written, composed, played and produced by the 25-year old multi-instrumentalist himself, only assisted by sound designer and co-producer Robin Hunt. "I tried to work with different producers before but it didn't really work, because I had a clear inner vision of what I wanted. I just needed time to be confident enough to express it," says Azier.

The album that took five years for him to make, is a reflection of his development from the 19-year-old boy he was back then to the young adult that he is now. It's about the naivety of youth as well as the struggles of growing up. "If people ask me to describe my music, I always call it a play between hope and despair."

Thomas Azier's story is a truly pan-European one: a Dutch guy singing in English moves to Berlin and ends up signing a deal in France. His sound bridges gaps between cultures as well. Combining factory sounds derived from the Dutch gabber and hardcore scene, the German electronic scene and the epic and profound emotions you would find in French artists, he may well have defined the sound of European Pop Music in 2014. With his debut album Hylas ready to be released, his own metamorphosis is complete – for now. The rough rock that turned into a plain monolith eventually became a crystal.