THOMAS AZIER – Photo by Ben Roth
Shorty THOMAS AZIER released his brilliant debut album Hylas. An album about change. Changing cities, changing lifes, changing time, and last but not least about growing up. Since change doesn’t necessarily has to be something good, also music doesn’t necessarily has to be beautiful.
There are many reasons to ask the truly pan-European artist what his contemporary influences are. NOTHING BUT HOPE AND PASSION met THOMAS AZIER and talked about seven songs that influence him as a person and as a musician.
Enjoy THOMAS AZIER‘s contemporary inspiration on the following pages.
THOMAS AZIER – Photo by Ben Roth
Contemporary Inspiration with THOMAS AZIER: 18+ – drawl
This is one of the tracks I came across on the intertubes. The gritty features an animated stripper doing a little dance for us in, what seems to be, the sea. The dark r&b flavored sound excited me, and the dirty lyrics.
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THOMAS AZIER – Photo by Ben Roth
Contemporary Inspiration with THOMAS AZIER: ADEPT – The Wrestle
I’ve been to the same school with these guys. Around the time I moved to Berlin, when i was 19, they released their one and only album: ‘adept’. The sound was extra ordinary. Electronic, cold, concrete sound, and even though it featured heavy noise and chaos it also featured, if you listen closely, good songwriting. It taught me music doesn’t necessarily has to be beautiful. It can also excite.
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THOMAS AZIER – Photo by Ben Roth
Contemporary Inspiration with THOMAS AZIER: ESSER – Enmity
Met this guy through GUM, a small french label (WOODKID, THE SHOES). His EP enmity contains a few tracks that can be described as minimal wave. Retro and current at the same time.
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THOMAS AZIER – Photo by Ben Roth
Contemporary Inspiration with THOMAS AZIER: MIT – Pudong
These guys are from Berlin. There are not many cool pop bands from Berlin but this is definitely one of them. I lived with the drummer in the same house for a while. I heard one of the KRAFTWERK members was helping out during the recording process. Their song ‘Pudong’ is inspired by the trips they made to China. This song reminds me of ‘Warschauer Strasse’, a street in Berlin.
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THOMAS AZIER – Photo by Ben Roth
Contemporary Inspiration with THOMAS AZIER: RICARDO VILLALOBOS – Dexter
This is one of the tracks that my friend and artist Ion Ludwig showed when we started hanging out and playing live in various small clubs in Berlin. Stripping the production down to its essence, a loop, that dark bassline, makes it standing out. Hypnotic.
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Contemporary Inspiration with THOMAS AZIER: APPARAT – Ash/Black Veil
A Piece of art. His melody is haunting.
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[/one_half] THOMAS AZIER – Photo by Ben Roth
Contemporary Inspiration with THOMAS AZIER: SOAP&SKIN – Vater
Took me a few times to get into it after my friend highly recommended this track. If you don’t speak German: there’s some beautiful dark poetry in this song. This girl has a certain weight in her voice that makes her music special. Especially because it’s not in English I think these acts are important. Even if you don’t understand the lyrics, the mood will carry you and will take you to several places.
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