Nordic inspired electronic darkwave music, created by Qdobenus

Qdobenus Music

This track was recorded some time ago. It is my first attempt of recording a multi-track, using Heavocity and Native Instruments components.

Q-ed

Synth In C

This track was created as part of a Native Instruments online synth building course. Each track uses a custom-built synthesizer, using NI's FM8, Absynth5 and Massive components.
Pohjoiselämää is Finnish and translates roughly to Nordic Life

Pohjoiselämää

This track has strong heavy beat and some repetitive melodic patterns. The main beat uses Heavyocity's Damage. This version is a remix and remaster of the track by the same name that was uploaded previously.

Damage Control

This track was inspired by a preliminary demo of a song Elinborg Pálsdóttir was working on. The intro is using Elinborg's original melody. She kindly allowed me to publish it.

For Elinborg

This track originally started out as a Hania Rani inspired piano track with heavy use of echoes, but developed in its own direction with the addition of percussive instruments, synth background, a drone-like base and synth elaborations.

Reflections on a Dark Wave

This song starts with a pumping, arpeggiated baseline. Next both a strong synth line and subtle, cascading piano kick in. The synth melody moves through a number of melodic and dynamic variations. Most of the synth track was recorded in a single take.

This song is a mixture of dark electronic and minimalistic music and creates a haunting atmosphere (which gave it its name). Recent spells of wet and stormy weather gave the song an extra push forward.

Storm Brewing

Sprutthol (Faroese for “blowhole”) is inspired by recordings made at the Sprutthol near Sandur on Sandoy, Føroyar. You will hear some sound samples recorded at this blowhole throughout this song as background waves.

A sample has been used to create a rhythmic instrument, which is featured with a pumping bass in the middle section. For this song new synth instruments have been created, using Native Instruments’ Massive X and Conflux, which feature in the melody. The melody reflects the stunning and calming coastal environment of Sandoy, where the original Sprutthol sounds were recorded and the anticipation associated with blowholes: will it be a big splash or not?

Sprutthol

This track developed from experiments with stacked instruments and a sequencer. It has a driving beat in the main section, supported by an organ-like synth melody. In the background you’ll hear a rotating beat created from a popping sound put on a loop with a heavy reverb.

Dark Water Run

A subtle background rhythm and a pumping bass pattern. That is the essence of “Caught in a wave”. An undulating melody played by synthesizers adds to the feeling of waves. Additional percussive elements, some created from recordings of water sounds add to the beat. The overall effect is a feeling of being immersed in a choppy sea of music.

Embrace the waves and see where they take you.

Caught in a wave

Qdobenus is the alias for Jaap van der Toorn, a Dutch electronic instrumentalist. The name Qdobenus comes from a fascination for marine mammals (Odobenus is the scientific name for the walrus) and for the letter Q.

He started playing acoustic guitar and later picked up electric guitar (using Native Instruments' Guitar Rig for effects). More recently he picked up playing keyboards and synthesizers and started recording and producing.

His songs evolve from experimental sounds, rhythmic patterns or basic melodic patterns. His style can be described as Nordic inspired electronic music, with some dark and rhythmic influences.

His main inspirations come from Nordic music styles (pop, jazz, folk and even "Viking" metal) and from neo-classical music.