The Underrated Mastermind of the Alien IDM: Qebrus

by Ümit Altar BİNİCİ

Imagine, one day you come across a song that you have never heard anything similar to before. I am sure you would feel alienated from the song itself, and that is rhetorically what Qebrus possibly planned in his creation! If you are some pop music fanatic of some sort, be warned that Qebrus’ underrated unique style might sound irritating for your ears. Yet that does not change the fact that his art is most certainly worth appreciating for many reasons.

I bet, not until this article is published, had any of you readers heard of Qebrus, real name Thomas Denis, before. If so, that is perfectly fine. Qebrus’ fame consists mostly of people following him via certain IDM forums and Reddit, and nothing more. However, regardless of his ‘unknown’ stance within the pop-culture, Qebrus‘ unique experimental style was heard by many well-known artists such as RJD2, Tom Middleton, Otto von Schirach, and most importantly Aphex Twin.

Nevertheless, many things about him still remains a mystery yet to be unearthed. Maybe the time where an email interview with Qebrus was arranged by Snare Rush, an online fanzine, was the closest we have come to attaining a genuine insight into him and his art, during which he stated his commitment to originality: “I try to inspire me more than anything. To fight my influences and never to be like others.” However, this was one of those rare occasions where he reflects his own personality, rather than answering the questions with alien-like concepts of his music. When asked where he was currently based, Qebrus cheekily responded: “I am an egnamien so hermaphrodite. I reside now hidden in Micronesia, where I could set up my laboratory research on different plant samples I’ve found on your planet. I would also like to create music in my spare time.”

When it comes to the concrete facts about the artist, what we only know for sure is that Qebrus passed away in February 2018 from unknown causes. While his blossoming career fell short, his unique style and music remain immortal within his tracks for us to remember. Rest in peace, Thomas Denis, also known as Qebrus. (1)

As a tribute to the artist, I would like to leave here one of my favourite songs of him:

Qebrus - Vlcnmtr

EXOPHOBIA (Bedroom Research, 2012)