A guide to Qebrus, the Aphex Twin-approved producer who created alien IDM

Listening to intelligent dance music producer Qebrus feels a lot like entering another dimension, his music stumbling its way through electronic chaos, leaving the listener unsure over what just happened.

The arcane nature of this music can sometimes be unsettling, nightmarish even. However, at his best, Qebrus creates a thrilling atmosphere that’s distinctly alien and forward thinking.

Having developed a cult following via Reddit and several IDM forums, Qebrus’ experimental sound went on to catch the ear of RJD2, Tom Middleton, Otto von Schirach – a frequent collaborator – and Aphex Twin. Yet the French IDM artist, real name Thomas Denis, largely remains an enigma, with his independent releases, released on indie labels including Love Love Records, Detroit Underground, and 5YN7H Rec, barely getting any promotion and little information known about Qebrus on a personal or artistic level.

Perhaps the closest we’ve come to gaining a genuine insight into the inner workings of Qebrus is via an email interview he granted with online fanzine Snare Rush, during which Denis reiterated 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 a rare glimpse at Denis on a human level, with the majority of his answers keeping with the 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 concrete facts about the artist, what we do know is this; earlier this year Qebrus passed away from unknown causes, his blossoming career unexpectedly cut short. For his fans, the fact a Facebook video emerged of Qebrus smiling in the audience at the Day For Night Festival in Texas as Aphex Twin played his song Vclnmtr provided solace, serving as validation that the late artist was indeed something special.

“At that Houston gig there was that guy Qebrus,” Richard D. James remembers in this month’s Crack Magazine cover story. “He had this crazy ASCII syntax for all his track names, really alien sounding music. He died recently, just after that gig. And somebody had found him in the crowd, they were just scanning through the crowd and someone identified him and he’s smiling away while I’m playing his track.”

That someone was Qebrus’ agent and manager Sarah Lachhman, who got in contact to flesh out the story: “I booked him to perform at my Day For Night Defunkt Records after party the night that Aphex was playing, although we had no idea Aphex had even heard his music.

“It took months of planning and he was hesitant but we finally convinced him and got him to fly over. I also briefly introduced him Aphex backstage right before the set but I don’t think it clicked with Richard that he was Qebrus. Thomas was ecstatic when we heard his music being played and I hurried to snap a quick video. He was awestruck.”

Tokyo-born DJ Object Blue is another Qebrus fan. “I just loved his attention to detail plus his total commitment to having fun. All of his tracks are so fun, full of energy, and unconcerned about any limitation of style or genre,” the Tobago Tracks affiliate tells me. “His song Argq was an immediate favourite, I’ve played it out during techno sets too, the crowd loses their shit. I cried during my first listen of his album EXOPHOBIA [which was released on indie French label Bedroom Research] because every single track is breathtaking.”

More somberly, she adds: “I just regret not writing to him in the three month window between my first listen and his passing. I would have loved to have told him how much his music moved me and to have thanked him personally! Now it’s too late.”

With his discography feeling almost overwhelming in density – both in terms of output and sound – we’ve chosen five key tracks that offer the perfect entry point into Qebrus’ universe.