Photo: Richard Gray
"If my record label tried to put me on the radio it would be like trying to teach a fish how to climb a tree," says Berlin-based electronic star Thomas Azier, as he reflects on his debut album Hylas, which was released in early 2014. He may not have received much in the way of radioplay to date, but it's not a worry - he's playing long game, and this is just the beginning. "I am very happy. I think I have set very good ground for my career and I firmly believe in development."
Azier first came to international attention in 2012 when his track, 'Red Eyes' (his one song he admits could become a radio hit) appeared on the 14th Kitsune Maison compilation, the album's standout track. He followed this exposure with two hugely impressive EPs and his brilliant debut album, a brave and ambitious collection recorded in isolation at his home, a deserted factory in the German capital.
Listen to 'Red Eyes' below
Now, far from the industrial stomping grounds of his home city, we meet the singer/songwriter in a tiny chapel in Brighton, during his recent visit to the UK to performance two showcase gigs at The Great Escape Festival, 2014. An afternoon gig on a Saturday afternoon in a seaside town perhaps isn't the most suitable place to experience Azier's dark, brooding electropop, but this Holland-born boy brings to Brighton the grandeur and drama of the Berlin electronic scene, where he first cut his teeth in the city's most infamous night spots.
"I had my share of clubs," he says, as he recalls his early years on the Berlin scene. "Places like Berghain, Panorama Bar, I used to play a lot in those clubs with DJs. It was like a school for me, but I didn't get lost in it like a lot of people do. They get lost in it for a couple of years and then they have to go back home to their country. It's interesting, but i'm not there every weekend."
Berghain has an reputation across the globe as an international destination for hedonistic party animals and the sexually adventurous, with rumours of no-holds-barred sex parties and more taking place at the venue. Azier, however, stresses that its reputation has been blown out of all proportion - particularly by the UK press.
"There are a lot of myths but I don't want to start a new one," he says of the superclub. "It's all a little bit blown up. It is a very special place and it should stay that way.
"There was recently an article in a UK paper about Berghain, it claimed guys were using dildos made out of a frozen turd. It's just bullshit. A lot of things are happening there, but not that weird stuff."
Thomas Azier, live at The Great Escape 2014 (photo by Richard Gray)
Azier isolated himself entirely, not just from the Berlin nightlife, while recording his Hylas album, and while the likes of Nirvana, Elvis Presley and Freddie Mercury are not the most obvious touching points on the album, it is these artists who he quickly references when discussing the artists who inspired him to make music.
"Nirvana were amazing," he says - before claiming Kurt Cobain and co were one of the greatest pop acts of all time. "Not only because of the sound at the time but because the songs are so fucking incredible. Nirvana aren't a major influence for me necessarily, but it was in my childhood. If you perform 'Smells Like Teen Spirit', that guitar solo is just the melody of the first verse - and it can't get any more simple or more pop. Three minute track, strong hooks. It can't get any more pop.
"What I like about Elvis, and also Roy Orbison, is guys who perform, guys who sing," he adds. "What I like is guys like Freddie Mercury or guys who can fucking sing, you know? Performers. I don't believe in entertainers being 'born entertainers'. It's work. I like male singers who are really into performing."
Watch Azier's 'Angelene' video below
Azier is touring and performing festival dates throughout the rest of 2014, and while he is inspired but superstars who can cut it live, he is looking forward to getting off the road and getting back into the studio to record his second albu,, where he plans to use what he has learned promoting Hylas - and get some company second time around.
"I miss creating. I can't get back to work on my new record. I have to work hard. I want to work with more people, because I have been so alone. Songwriters, producers, some interaction. I have been on my own for years," he says. It would be sad, if he hadn't already toured with, and found support from, other major European musicians in his short career already.
"I learned a lot from Woodkid - just think big, you know?" he adds "I think it is cool that artists getting their own sound up and running like Moderat, Apparat, or Modeselektor from Berlin, Woodkid from France or my good friend Stromae, he had a huge hit all over Europe.
"He sold over 2million records. What I learned from them was that we're getting stronger, and cool stuff is coming."
Watch a live performance of 'Ghostcity' below
For fans in the UK who weren't lucky enough to catch Azier at The Great Escape, it may be quite a wait until his next shows on the British mainland. Having visited the UK for both his support slot with Woodkid and his Brighton shows, he admits that he finds the sheer number of indie bands on the scene bizarre - and somewhat intimidating.
"There are so many guitar bands. Holy shit," he says, reflecting on the UK music scene and his experiences in the country. "I am here and I see all those guys, everyone trying to make it. One part of me just says 'go into social work, stop making music, do something with your life' because it feels horrible in a way, without being disrespectful or negative. On the other hand, I just keep trying to do what I do.
"I don't know who knows me here though," he laments, when pressed about further UK shows. "It doesn't make sense for me to come to London right now. I'd rather do less shows than keep selling something that no one wants to have. I'd rather work on the next record and just keep on going."
Thomas Azier's debut album, Hylas, is out now - with hopes of a second to drop before the end of 2014.
Below: 6 exclusive photos of Thomas Azier, live at TGE 2014
