Composer and producer renowned for his electrifying, dynamic, and raw musical style. He masterfully crafts intricate sonic landscapes from a single idea, unfolding them with an organic temporality that is paradoxically both patient and explosive.

His music has graced the stages of various national and international festivals, including CAMPGround (USA), Festival Internacional Cervantino (Mexico), Foro Internacional de Música Nueva Manuel Enríquez (Mexico), June in Buffalo (USA), Festival Atemporánea (Argentina), Festival Aires Nacionales (Mexico), Encuentro de Intérpretes y Compositores (Argentina), Festival Ramificaciones (Mexico), and the John Donald Robb Trust Composers’ Symposium (USA), among others.

Retif’s compositions have been performed by esteemed artists worldwide, such as the Arditti Quartet, Splinter Reeds, Low Frequency Trio, Duo Yonx, Trio Siqueiros, Cuarteto Ruvalcaba, Loadbang Ensemble, Mushamukas Ensamble de Contrabajos, Slee Sinfonietta, Orquesta Sinfónica UACH, and Orquesta Sinfónica del Estado de Puebla. He has received various grants and scholarships, including the Programa Estímulos a la Innovación IMACP 2020, PECDA Puebla 2019, 2021, 2024, and Fomento de las Músicas Iberoamericanas 2020-2021 (IBERMÚSICAS). Axel has released two monographic EP albums titled «Sincronías» (2021) and «House of Flies» (2022), along with a collective album named «Ecos de Viaje,» featuring a recording by Mushamukas Ensamble de Contrabajos, all under the esteemed Tagma Records label. In 2023, he proudly represented Mexico at the 69th International Rostrum Composers with his piece «Taos» (2022) for four string players. He is currently working on his third monographic album, which will include compositions created during his residency in New Mexico.

Axel holds a master’s degree in Music Composition & Theory from The University of New Mexico (UNM) in Albuquerque, USA. In addition to his composition career, he serves as the director/editor and artistic director of the Tagma Records label and the Methexis Festival, both dedicated to the production and promotion of contemporary music.