My name is Krister Axel.

I am a Technical Architect and Creative.

About me
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I built CHILLFILTR® as a creative vehicle to support the independent artists that I love.

We had a mildly successful independent submission channel open on SubmitHub for a number of years, but in 2023 we decided to focus on quality over quantity. We are always open to hearing new songs for inclusion on our radio channel, but you can no longer directly submit for blog coverage.

A logo for the music and lifestyle blog CHILLFILTR® that features a metallic triangle and circle design as a car hood ornament.
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A man thinking

We love music and we bring it to you free of charge.

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Please visit our radio page for a realtime example of our taste levels. The music we love falls very roughly into 3 categories: Indie Rock, Folk-Roots-Soul, and Electro Pop.

The best thing you can do to help us discover your songs is to have them available for sale on Bandcamp. If we hear about it, and we like it, then we will buy it and spin it. It's really that simple.

You can also send us your songs directly using the Contact page.

"I want to live in a world where internet radio doesn't live behind a paywall."

Contact me

I have spent most of my life writing music and producing albums. I fell in love with the piano at the age of 12, and the art of songwriting a few years later. I've written hundreds of songs and released many of them.

I am mostly self-taught on the piano and guitar. I took one year of composition school at UW Madison but that was strictly theory. I play lots of instruments: acoustic & electric piano, Hohner D6 Clavinet, Hammond B3, electric guitar, electric bass, acoustic guitar, hand percussion, harmonium, melodica, and accordion.

My music is online at all the usual places as Krister Axel and my roots band The River South (also on Bandcamp). I love music, technology, and the craft of writing: CHILLFILTR® was just the logical next step.

Krister Axel was born in Paris, France, and finished high school in a suburb of New York City. After finishing a liberal arts degree (Poetry) in Madison, Wisconsin, he moved to California and thrived as musician and producer while also holding down a day job as a database developer. Since then, his career has continued to expand in both music and technology. He's lived in both Oregon and New York, and speaks fluent French and a bit of Spanish.

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