In Depth: Axel Holy

When Wordplay last interviewed Axel in 2019, he was promoting two huge releases; Still Fresh, his second multi-artist production album as Baileys Brown, and also AR£ W$ GOD$ Y£tT? as Dedw8, alongside Blanka from Split Prophets. Afterwards the Covid pandemic temporarily halted his momentum, however it wasn’t long before Bailey’s decided “to bang out a load of music and just drop it as Axel Holy,” he explained. “Last year in 2021, I probably made more music than I had done for years before that.” His releases over 2021 include multiple collaboration singles, the God Comflex EP with Jack Danz and the Grubby Mits EP with Datkid. “We started making the Grubby Mits EP before Datkid started making the Confessions Of A Crud Lord project with Leaf,” revealed Axel, “This project was stupid years old that ended up being a proper mixtape - it was just sat there on my computer, so I thought 'You know what, let me finish a few of these off and just drop it.'” The Jack Danz collaboration initially came together after Danz featured on Axel’s debut LP WONDERWORLD, for a single called Change Lanes. Besides that, Axel and Danz have been collaborators for years, through the close affiliation of their Bristol/Leeds rap collectives Split Prophets and Defenders Of Style. “I just hit man up and I said 'Yo listen, should we just do a quick project where I do a couple beats, you do a couple beats, we both do a verse each and that's it, done?'” recalled Axel. “Then he was like, 'Yeah, I'm on it.'”  

Aside from these releases, Axel made approximately 4 albums and 4 EP’s over the course of the pandemic which feature him rapping solo, as well as producing a few of them. This renewed focus on his solo music was partly born from a frustration with other artists not upkeeping with his own workrate, he claims. “I thought 'You know what, I fuck with my rapping more than I fuck with the majority of people's anyway,'” continued Axel. “If I'm really keeping it really, truly 100 - let me just be fucking focussed, sit down and smash out a load of shit whilst we all have to sit down and do fuck all anyway - I thought, ‘Let me make the best of this.'” Although a couple of Axel’s projects were released through the London based label Potent Funk, most of his current releases are dropped through his own imprint, Toe Tag Records - which allows him to drop music whenever suits him best. “When the pandemic hit, it took a year or two for Potent Funk to really get back out there,” added Axel. “So they have had to really dig in to get shit going - I am still with Potent Funk, but especially with the stuff I am dropping now, it's super boom-bap and that is not what they do.”

Amongst his most popular Toe Tag releases is an EP with Micall Parknsun, GOT IT DOWN. This project came about last year, after Axel hit up Micall to buy some beats. Axel then flipped them, by isolating the drums and adding samples to it. “‘BoomBoomDahDah’ and ‘Talkin Landscape’,” said Axel. “Those are the ones where I flipped something new into them - the other two is all him.” The pair had already originally made a tune, ‘Got It Down’ which was released in June 2021. It was off the back of this single that they decided to drop the GOT IT DOWN EP, which dropped in February 2022. According to Axel, Micall posted the beat onto Instagram and Axel instantly commented, showing his appreciation. Not long after, Fly Hooligan also commented saying that he was feeling the beat. “And obviously that's his cousin, right?” added Axel. “So I dm'd him, like 'Awh, you're not even gonna give it me because he's your cousin?' and he was like 'Nah man, that's you!'” The same night that Axel received the beat, he wrote and recorded a verse for it, before mixing it over the coming week. It was over the course of making the GOT IT DOWN EP that Axel began mastering his own music, which he mostly learnt over lockdown and started putting into practice on his own projects. He credited Jamal Jinxsta from Bristol for “showing me some shit,” and also a YouTube channel called ‘Help Me Devvon’ -  “I would say I learned a lot more in the past year or two because there were literal weeks where I was doing it myself,” continued Axel. “I was just going back and forth with tutorials on YouTube and... You know, real trial and error shit, which is the best way to learn anyway.”

Dropping a string of EP’s was Axel’s plan to rebuild momentum, leading up to the release of his own independent LP’s. The decision to drop collaboration EP’s as opposed to independent ones was based on finding artists talented at beatmaking and rhyming, to let people know that he’s also one of the hardest. “That was the theme for the EP, this Parky one,” explained Axel. “This is the first of many releases and all along the line it's just going to be levels, I am just trying to set levels so people understand that is what Axel Holy represents.” Aiming to expand his following whilst adapting to the times, Axel made a TikTok account, believing it to be the next big social app - crediting the lack of restrictions the app offers for creatives to promote their material. “Even though it's all weird and that, especially if you're older it's like, 'What am I doing?'” laughed Axel. “But if you post the same content on your Tiktok that you would post on your Instagram, I guarantee you in a year's time, your Tiktok will have overtaken your Instagram - I am willing to guarantee it.” 

As well as TikTok, Axel has also taken an interest in Twitch, after seeing other artists build strong followings through streaming live mixing and production sessions. He believes this type of interaction is key to building a fanbase nowadays, as people want to know more about what’s going on. “I follow Mixed By Ali,” added Axel. “His fucking mix sessions, literally 50,000 people turn up for that shit. Trust me bro, because the algorithms ain't all fucked up over there or on Tiktok because they're newer, there's less business involved. The more business that is involved, the more drowned it's going to be - that's because there are other people’s agendas being played to.” Using Soundcloud as an example, Axel explained how algorithms can hinder self-promotion. “There is a whole genre of people called 'Soundcloud Rappers' yeah, because 10 years ago you could blow up off of Soundcloud,” continued Axel. “You can't now, because the algorithms are there now, because the business is involved, because it got so popular that corporations came with adverts - there are all the agenda driven algorithms and that. That's why as an artist, you are better off leaning into anything new that is moving, especially when you're older man - you've got to accept that you still got shit to learn.”

Following this conversation, the topic became more involved with self-promotion, especially for independent artists. With decades of experience under his belt, Axel spoke first on the importance of not taking shows until there is a genuine demand for the artist to perform. This way, it makes it easier to simply put on their own shows, once the demand is there. “I feel like every independent lane of artist should do this,” began Axel. “Don't take any shows, yeah, until you have got multiple promoters hitting you up about a show. By the time five or six promoters are hitting you up, you can put on your own show and take the door.” As well as helping to secure the success of independent events, this can also help starting artists prevent getting stuck in the rut of accepting small cuts for live performances. Axel claims he still has promoters offering him free shows, due to him taking up those offers as Baileys Brown years ago. “There isn't a high demand for Baileys Brown,” admitted Bailey’s. “So if I go through now and do what I'm doing and I build a demand for this Axel Holy ting - you've gotta treat it like a commodity to yourself. If your product is of high quality, but you do not put it in every single shop, you put it in select shops - you then become more valuable because you're not as obtainable, that's simple business and it is equally transferrable into artistry.”

On the day this interview took place, Axel was rehearsing for back-to-back headline shows in Slovenia, where he planned to only perform music he released this year as well as forthcoming exclusives. Amassing a small following in Slovenia off the back of his Dedw8 & Axel Holy releases, a Grime/Dubstep DJ called Marka San reached out to Axel, to see if he would be interested in promoting his music on Axel’s monthly radio show on Swu.fm. “So he sent the beat tape, I listened to it and was like 'Yo, this is insane,’” recalled Axel. “I played some of his shit on my show that month anyway, but I asked if he wanted to work on a project and then he started sending me beats.” There was a musical synergy between both artists, which led them to create some big tunes together. Marka sent these unreleased tracks to promoters, who had already booked him for a string of Summer shows already - the reception he received led Marka to offer Axel slots to perform on his Slovenia bookings.

Another European connection which Axel made this year was with a Portugese beatmaker known as Slice Em Up, who became involved with a project on Axel’s own label, Toe Tag Records. This project was the PRELUDE TO RAPTURE EP, by Toe Tag Klan - aka Axel and Wishmaster. “Basically, with the Toe Tag Klan thing, it's not even really nothing mad official about it,” shrugged Axel. “It just seemed like the easiest way to put out a project with multiple artists, we have got another Toe Tag Klan project that’s probably going out on Potent Funk Records next year.” Wishmaster is a Bristol based rapper who Axel began working with over lockdown, despite living in the same city for many years prior, after being introduced by a mutual friend called Vard. Vard brought Wishmaster to Axel’s so that Axel could master some music Wishmaster recently made, but Axel ended up hooking him up with another artist called Roller Rock, who used to mix and master Axel’s old music.  “I just sent Wish to him and basically just patterned him up,” revealed Axel. “He used to do it how most people used to put out music: rip shit off the internet, rap on it and that's that. I just kind of showed him that there is a little bit more to it than that, which he has taken on board and run with which is cool.” 

After that meeting, Axel and Wish began to collaborate more frequently. During lockdown they recorded a 12 track LP over the course of a couple weeks, which is currently set for release early September. Featuring a mixture of rap melodies as opposed to being straight Trappy or Boom-bappy, the mixture of instrumentals highlights both artist’s lyrical versatility. Throughout the project there is only one other rapper who features, Axel’s longtime friend Confusion. “I am pretty much certain that he's the only other person that put a bar down on the thing,” continued Axel. “Because like I'm saying, we just kind of smashed the ting out and rather than wait for features etc, I am pretty sure Confusion was here when we made one of the tracks, you know what I mean?”

Aside from his own releases, Axel also made a big impression by featuring on Farma G’s most recent £10 Bag release - a mixtape series prominent in the early 2000’s which Axel used to bump regularly. “I grew up on that era of UK hip-hop, you know what I mean?” stated Axel. “So for me, it was like, an honour to try and get on that.” Despite not having met Farma personally beforehand, Axel reached out to him over Twitter, which led Farma to send him a ton of beats. “This guy, Farma has probably got over a million beats, bruv,” laughed Axel. “So he sends this massive batch of beats, I found the beat which spoke to me, I laced it and he loved it - that was the end of it.” This single is called Wheel Up!, which Axel raps on and produces himself. Off the back of this feature, Axel also produced an exclusive track for Farma G, due for release on his upcoming solo album. 

On top of releasing music, Axel was also building consistent renown through his regular shows on Swu.fm, a radio station that was a force for promoting underground music in Bristol up until the recent decision to close down the station early in September. Axel had a prime time slot, on Saturday nights between 9-11PM. “We had a Dedw8 show on Swu.fm before lockdown,” explained Axel, revealing how be became involved with Swu.fm. “But after lockdown, the whole Dedw8 thing kind of just petered off. So I just thought, let me hit up Oli, who runs the station, to see if I can just get my own show.” Described by Axel as ‘the sound of the city,’ it is a tremendous shame that Swu.fm decided to call it a day.

Axel Holy, thank you for your time. Have you got any more projects set to drop you can let us know about?

“Yeah, I have got an EP with BadHabitz that will be dropping over on SP's label. I have got a joint LP with Wishmaster which is dropping on his label, I have got... I have got a few things init, but I'm also still working on a load of other things. I mean, I might drop a couple singles produced by myself this year as well - maybe in a month where I have got a lull between projects. But yeah, expect loads. Expect to see me a lot this year, to the point where you're like, 'Rah, man's dropping again?'”

Words by Evo
Photography by Chris Lucas