November 8, 2018

Christy Dokbua
REVIEWS

November’s edition of "Artist in the spotlight" series is dedicated to the 24-year-old Danish electro-soul musician Nörberg. He recently joined Low-Fi and is already playing a concert on November 14. We thought this is the perfect occasion to get to know Nörberg a little better and to shine some light on what he does.  

Nörberg, otherwise known as David Nørlund Wiberg (Nörberg being a compound between his middle and last name) is a new talent on the Danish electronic scene, creating music that is a refreshing take on Nordic-electronic-soul. Despite being relatively new in the music game, he has been hard at work the past couple of years - performing all around Denmark, working on the soundtrack for the Danish movie “Natsværmer” and preparing his debut EP.

The first single of the EP “To Invent a Color” came out just recently. It’s a track that is perfect to dance to in the early hours of the morning. That time before dawn when time is moving slower, the party is winding down, but you are not ready to let go of the night. Lyrically, the song is darker and tackles sometimes neglected themes such as mental illness, and the struggle to cope, and regain control over one’s life. In David’s own words:

“To Invent a Color” was inspired by my own experience with anxiety and depression. Subjects that are far too commonly experienced in this day and age. This is my attempt to explain how it feels like. When your world is shattered into a million pieces, and getting back together feels like trying to invent a new color.”

Anxiety, loss, mortality, the sense of existential dread that looms underneath the surface of a regular routine - the things that keeps us up at night are in focus in Nörberg’s creations. But he is not afraid to look them directly in the eye and try to explore them from a positive angle. David is personally committed to creating music that could be a source of bravery to cope with existential angst.

Currently, David is finishing his education in Electronic music at the Syddansk Musikkonservatorium in Esbjerg. Living in a town, away from the busy urban lights and sounds, he finds a lot of musical inspiration in melancholy and alone time. He relates to musicians like Bon Iver, James Blake, and Thom Yorke, who similarly create music that is personal and introspective in nature.

David’s approach to creating music is very hands-on: he composes, writes, produces, records, sings, and mixes all of his songs himself - being 100% in creative control. He even edited his latest music video for “To Invent a Color” by himself. This DIY approach can also be seen in the way Nörberg performs, it appears that he takes every opportunity to perfect his craft by playing live. As a result, he is no stranger to the format of intimate concerts, having done his fair share in Esbjerg and Copenhagen. We asked him what is he looking forward to in terms of his Low-Fi gig at Hotel Danmark.
 

“I have done quite a lot of intimate concerts, and I really love how I get to connect with my audience on a much more intimate and intense level. It definitely brings out a tension and presence that I rarely experience in the modern life of quick fix entertainment and FOMO.”

We couldn’t have said it better ourselves. We are looking forward to seeing more of what Nörberg has in store for us.