“This website fuses old and new technology, the analog and digital, the playing and the programming, the deliberate and the unexpected. So sit back, relax and enjoy the swirling of music.”
Electronic music has fascinated me since I got my first synthesizer when I was 16 years old. It changed my perception and shaped my life. It still does. I had a vision of a vast landscape that was Music. In this sonic landscape one could travel. So for me it is possible to have different styles of music that are all connected and make perfect sense. This is my World.
On this page past and present of my electronic journey can be heard. At first my artist name was Leonardo Soundweaver. This journey goes from ‘Origine’ (2003) to ‘Mantra Electronique (2013) .
In 2015 I created electronic/kraut project Son of Ohm and the electronic journey continues.“Son of Ohm is organic electronic retro futuristic music. Experimental melodic kraut with vintage organs, trippy synth weirdness and electric space guitar magick with a slight psychedelic twist. You will find many traces of seventies electronic music and a general experimental kraut approach. Melodic, spacy and dreamy with lots of strange sounds and effects”. Also available on CD-r at Synth Music Direct.
Sadhana (2023)
Analog mono synths, sequencers, organ, electric space guitar, analog drum. Very dreamy and spacey…
These songs were born from spontaneous sequencer sessions. After that layers of sound were carefully added, over time. It was a joyful interaction of organic instrument playing and audio engineering.
“Sadhana is a Sanskrit term used to refer to a daily spiritual practice.”
This is how I approached the album.
For those interested: this album was recorded at 432Hz.
Son of Ohm: music, production & artwork.
Reflections (2021)
Reflections is a Berlin School sequencer album. The basic concept was repeating patterns, like a mantra.
“First I recorded a couple of sequencer sessions on two track. More layers of sound were added later on. Goal was to keep the sequenced energy and make the listening experience more interesting. To make it a journey or sound meditation. As the the album progressed and recordings were done it became more clear how I wanted it to sound. I spent quite some time mixing the whole thing and giving it a cosmic feel. It took half a year for this album to mature. I even put the project on the shelf several times, only to return to it with new insight and inspiration. What a trip!”
Instruments used: Three analog monophonic synths, two sequencers, electric guitar and a sprinkling of organ.
The painting was made like the album; in the same period of time and with long pauses. Where did the image and music come from? They are reflections…
Son of Ohm: music, production & artwork.
Wandering Monk (2020)
This year I played a lot in the studio without recording anything; without leaving a trace. The Wandering Monk sessions were an exception.
The root of the songs are studio live improvisations.
Instruments used: Synthesizers, sequencers, organ, electric guitar, analog drum machine, cymbals & tingsha.
Composed, performed, produced, mastering & artwork by Son of Ohm.
The End of Time (2020)
Impressionistic Organic Electronic Music in a Retro Sonic Style. Another echo of the good old Berlin School days.
These were live studio sessions with some overdubs Here & There.
Composed, performed, produced & mastered by Son of Ohm
Cover painting by Frans Meijer
Deeper Ground (2020)
For this production I used my collection of analog & digital synthesizers, voice and Linn Drum samples.
“There’s a Deeper ground behind it all
Where nothing really matters”.
“With Son of Ohm I had produced seven instrumental electronic albums so far. Main instruments being synths, organs and electric guitar. Some albums are more synth & sequencer driven, others electric guitar & looper or a mix of things. Most of the albums were in some kind of cosmic space/electronic psych/experimental mode, pushing boundaries.
Deeper Ground is different altogether, it has vocals. The songs are very structured and were composed on polysynths. First I played the basic chord progressions and recorded them with a click track. I programmed Linn Drum samples for rhythm after that, providing an 80’s atmosphere. I had sequences running and a lot of melodic stuff, space effects, solo’s and basses were played on mono synths.Vocals are on the first five songs. The last three are instrumental.No guitars or organs this time”.
Composed, produced & performed by Son of Ohm, 2020.
The Lo-Fi Backspace Camembert Files (2019)
(Lo-Fi recordings 2014/15, remastered in 2019)
In 2014/15 I made a couple of spontaneous tracks without thinking too much. They are a bit dark & mysterious, cosmic/psychedelic/electronic with arpeggio’s swirling, random synth patterns, distant space guitar solo’s, gliss and of course hiss, hum, background noises and other things that make it lo-fi. I have remastered the songs for this special release keeping the atmosphere as it was.
Composed, performed, produced, mastering & artwork by Son of Ohm.
Zeitgeist (2019)
Son of Ohm goes psychedelic!
The core of this album are live studio sessions with synths, sequencers, space guitar & looper.
“Zeitgeist is an electronic album with emphasis on the electric guitar. The concept was the free floating spirit, direct and playful. The songs are based around sequences accompanied by live guitar loops, recorded on two track. Some overdubs were done here and there. I played drums on this one which gives Zeitgeist a special flavour. The nature of this album is much more psychedelic than the previous ones. It may not be everyone’s taste. But that is alright; this is where the Muse brought me and from here something very different may happen”.
Some notes: Telefunken Baby! was recorded mono on reel to reel tape, then mixed live through a space-echo device; only bass was added later. The Endlos session was recorded on two track; drums, tabla, lead guitar & additional synth were overdubbed. Third Rock is a long two track jam; drums & some synth/tape effects and a touch of gliss were added later.
The track ‘Telefunken Baby!’, featured on the vinyl ‘Head Rush’ was played on BBC Radio… Thanks to Fruits de Mer.
Instruments :
Four analog synthesizers, two sequencers, looper, floor tom, low tom, snare, tabla, cymbals, egg, tambourine, tingsha, electric guitar, bass guitar, effects.
Composed, produced, performed by Son of Ohm 2019.
Paradigma (Son of Ohm 2019)
Fifth album by Son of Ohm. The album contains a new sonic journey, 4 main tracks connected by three short electronic improvisations. There are no pauses between songs, the album flows with music from start to finish, giving it a sense of timelessness. One of my best works.
Instruments used: synths (Analog & digital), organs, electric & bass guitar, cymbals, sequencers and drum machine.
Composed, performed, produced, mastered & artwork by Son of Ohm, 2019.
Electronic Muse (Son of Ohm 2018)
Electronic Muse was an idea I had in my mind for a longer time. A certain sound and flow. It just didn’t happen, too busy doing other things. And then I made a new synth patch. Within four days the whole album was recorded + artwork painted, out of thin air. I spent another week for mixing, a few gliss overdubs and mastering. All in all this is a pretty spontaneous album in the Berlin School style.
I always make choices which instruments to use and not to use. This time it were 5 synths, both analog and digital, two combo organs and glissando (a blissful electric guitar technique) & two sequencers.
Composed, produced, performed & artwork by Son of Ohm
Blackbirds (Son of Ohm 2018)
Morning Dew and Blackbirds were recorded live in my studio on two track, in preparation of a live set played at the ‘Electric Spectrum Experience’ June 16, 2018 in Groningen.
Normally I spend a lot of time building up an album in my studio. It is a process in which an album slowly grows and I have all my synths at hand. Not this time. In preparation of the event ‘Electric Spectrum Experience’ I composed songs that can be played live with a limited setup. So I experimented with different instruments and in the end I came up with a small set which contained a Moog Sub Phatty, Nord Lead Rack, Reon Driftbox and an old Jumbo transistor combo organ. Next to that I used a Beatstep sequencer and the Gibson SG. Among the many effects there was a simple looper which enabled me to build up the track. I had several switches to lead the Nord Lead, organ or guitar to the looper. This is how I played Blackbirds in one take.
Morning Dew was done with a different setup earlier on and was all improvised. Velvet Sky was recorded in 2016 and was done with Moog, Nord Lead Rack, Farfisa organ and electric guitar.
During the many times that I played Blackbirds I had my studio window opened. In the trees outside were so many birds singing. Among them the lovely Blackbird. I think I copied some of his tunes while playing the guitar.
Composed, performed and produced by Son of Ohm.
Astronaut (Son of Ohm 2017)
Astronaut is the second Son of Ohm album. Exploring the inner and outer space with vintage electronic sound waves. This album traces some of the roots in EM like Manuel Göttsching, Tim Blake, Kraftwerk.
Instruments: Synths, organs, electric guitar, analog drum machine & sequencers.
Composed, performed and produced by Son of Ohm (2017)
Syrinx (Son of Ohm 2015)
Son of Ohm is organic electronic retro futuristic music. Experimental melodic kraut with vintage organs, trippy synth weirdness and electric space guitar magick with a slight psychedelic twist.
You will find many traces of seventies electronic music and a general experimental kraut approach. Melodic, spacy and dreamy with lots of strange sounds and effects. Syrinx is an ode to Electronic Music Masters of the seventies.
Composed, performed and produced by Son of Ohm (2015)
Mastered by Michiel Cornelisse.
Electronic Music with old & contemporary influences:
….Like progressive chill, ambient, deep house….
Mantra Electronique (2013)
Introducing Mantra Electronique, a new instrumental electronic album! In my mind it is connected to Imagine and Quantum Generation in sound and feel. It marks a change and renewal. It was the last electronic album made as Leonardo Soundweaver (2013). After that I released my new EM works under the moniker Son of Ohm.
In 2022 I remixed and remastered the album.
Composed, produced and performed by Leonardo, 2013.
Remixed 2022.
Imagine (2010)
Having done Quantum Generation I moved on to Imagine, back to instrumental. Searching for a more contemporary sound. This album was influenced by new electronic sounds and rhythms I heard coming from ambient, deep house and progressive chill.
released April 18, 2013
Composed, produced and performed by Leonardo, 2010.
Quantum Generation (2010)
After Sabda, Elements and the Fascinating Vibes I needed to do something different. This album fuses many electronic styles in a more ‘modern’ style. An essential ‘cross-over’ album. It contains some beautiful instrumental tracks but also some vocal tracks with vocoder. The old school electronic roots always being present.
Electronic, vocal, ambient, dance.
Composed, produced, and performed by Leonardo, 2010.
Instrumental Old School and Retro Futuristic Electronic:
Albums that were influenced by Jean Michel Jarre, Kraftwerk, Kid Baltan, Tomita, Tangerine Dream, Kitaro, Vangelis, Mike Oldfield…
I love the idea of trilogy. It sometimes happens. Sabda, Elements & The Fascinating Vibes of Electronic Waves belong together in sound and progression.
Sabda (2008)
Sabda is a slow electronic album, with some electric guitar. You can either sit back, listen and go into it, or just let it float around in your room while doing something else.
There are amorph soundscapes as well as folk-like tunes and melodies, interwoven in a bed of spatial colour-sound.
Composed, produced and performed by Leonardo, 2008.
Elements (2009)
This album is beautiful and charming in its sound paintings and funny, deliberate primitive way of composing and sound processing. This album also contains remakes of very old songs of mine, coming from the nineties when I was doing my first attempts to make electronic music. The songs were there, but my possibilities were very limited. The colour of the sounds made in this album are leaning towards early electronic music. A sense of familiarity arises, and at the same time the notion that it sounds ‘old’ but new at the same time. It couldn’t have been made fifty years ago…or could it..? Elements is flirting with time…
Composed, produced and performed by Leonardo, 2009.
The Fascinating Vibes of Electronic Waves (2009)
Sounds and music, generated by machines. Computers, Synthesizers, organs and various little devices, all connected and merged into a symphony of sound. And what a sound! Electronic music has come a long way and still there is so much to discover. Now we can bend and stretch sound, create marvellous effects, have total control of the sonic palette, use any kind of sound from the past, mix it up, turn it around, and all that without any loss of quality and at lightning speed and low cost. This record fuses old and new technology, the analog and digital, the playing and the programming, the deliberate and the unexpected. So sit back, relax and enjoy the swirling of music, for it may have come out of machines, but it was created by a living and breathing soul.
Composed, produced and performed by Leonardo, 2009.
Collective Memory Generator (2006)
This album marks a significant change because recording, programming, effects and mixing were done in a single virtual studio software program. Before I had to juggle between different programs to do the same things. Furthermore I had acces to virtual synthesizers…So now I suddenly faced this enormous potential. Collective Memory Generator consists of older (Mirrorgate, Parallel Dimensions and Astral, of which I made new versions) and new songs. I made extensive use of the virtual studio, trying to integrate my old ways and sounds. The music is instrumental, with lots of synthesized sounds and programming, and also contains a fair deal of field recorded and processed sounds, swirling within the songs.
Composed, produced and performed by Leonardo, 2006.
Electronic Reality (2005)
At first glance Electronic Reality might strike you as an odd album. It is the fourth album of my early days, when I was very much into electronic stuff. (After the first one, ‘Origine’, came ‘Dharma’ and ‘Samsara’) When I started working on E.R. my studio at the time had ripened, and I knew which possibilities I had within this micro cosmos. Lots of ideas that filled my head had found their way into the previous albums, and now I had the right peace of mind for my next musical adventure.
My aim was to make it pleasant sounding, old and new at the same time. There are beautiful melodies and sountextures inside the music that remind me of the early ages of electronic music, with the playfulness, humor and simplicity alongside the futuristic and experimental vibe it had in those days. It is colourfull.
For me to create this album was a natural and very rewarding experience. I really put effort in finding the right sounds, and because of that the album never bores me. All the sounds come from real synthesizers, organs, a tiny bit of electric guitar and a drum computer. Recording and mixing I did with the help of a computer, 16 bit, ofcourse. In retrospective it was all very pure and simple in comparison to the complex virtual studio environment I work in nowadays. Back then it was all high tech for me…
When I hear the album now it indeed sounds rather old, but at the same time…fresh…..
Composed, produced and performed by Leonardo, 2005.
Samsara (2005)
Samsara came after visiting some spiritual centres in the Netherlands. Maybe it can be called ‘a spiritual album’; it is true, but in a broader sense all my albums are spiritual. With this album the roots can be traced directly, that’s all. Spirituality, in a musical sense, it has everything to do with resonance. In this case I was resonating with the impressions, seen and unseen, caused by visits to places where people meet and connect with a deep ancient spiritual path. We went there with our Yoga teacher, just to have a look and an impression. And out of curiousity!
Composed, produced and performed by Leonardo, 2005.
Dharma (2003)
harma I made soon after I finished Origine. I would say that it is more clear and a bit less spaced out. In my mind it is also simpler, but having said so I have to deny that right away. The songs are relatively short, but inside the songs a lot is going on in terms of sound synthesis as well as the programming and choice of sound. There are also more ‘concrete sounds’ on the album, field recordings. The music didn’t take long to present itself and that may be the reason that the album sounds so fresh. There are also some poppy synthi-songs that are on the edge of painful, but I think I managed to just keep them within the non-defined musical no-go area. It was fun making them!
There’s plenty of sci-fi, or how would you call it, going on. Nice imaginary soundscapes, swirling melodies, and strange changing coloursounds…
Composed, produced and performed by Leonardo, 2003.
Origine (2003)
Origine is an electronic album with an analogue feel. My intention at the time was to create music the way it could have been in the seventies; not to replicate it. Like a time traveler that came back from the year 2003, induced by the sounds and possibilities of that distant future.
Composed, produced and performed by Leonardo, 2003.