Fractal Guitar 4 continues Stephan Thelen’s mysterious cross‑continental quest, recorded between cities in Europe and North America. Nearly nine years after the first Fractal Guitar arrived on the MoonJune label, Thelen shows no sign of slowing down. Across volumes 1, 2, and 3, he has steadily expanded his sonic universe, but volume 4 is where he finally goes fully untethered, proving he’s far more than “just” a member of Sonar.
With co‑producer Markus Reuter at his side, Thelen assembles a remarkable roster of contributors. Yogev Gabay, Jon Durant, and Norwegian guitarist Eivind Aarset all lend their talents. Alongside Reuter, the album features electric pianist Fabio Anile, touch bassist Stefan Huth, percussionist Andi Pupato, and tabla player Giri Subramaniam.
This is an album that rewards repeat listening, top to bottom, inviting you into an adventure that feels both intimate and cosmic.
The opener, ‘In Search of the Miraculous’, draws its title from Russian philosopher P.D. Ouspensky, who wrote about his encounters with the mystic G.I. Gurdjieff. The track channels the spirit of Keith Emerson’s Tarkus era, with energetic exchanges between Huth and Reuter. Durant and Thelen weave a tightrope‑walking structure full of tension, while Aarset’s soundscapes simmer like a volcanic eruption waiting to detonate.
Gabay’s hefty percussion anchors ‘Fractal Guitar Goes to Africa’, where Aarset’s bass textures, hand‑claps, looping effects, and watery drips create a vivid rhythmic landscape. Thelen’s horn arrangements, kalimba, and backward tape effects lock into a tight, swaggering groove reminiscent of David Essex’s Rock On period.
‘Crossroads’ pays tribute to Bill Laswell’s sonic mythology. Subramaniam’s tabla adds a film‑noir shimmer, echoing Laswell’s Hear No Evil era while conjuring the stark, futuristic mood of Godard’s Alphaville. Durant’s acoustic work twists and gallops, setting the stage for a high‑gear instrumental surge.
Thelen then channels the temporal minds of Bowie and Ash Ra Tempel, building an industrial atmosphere that tightens like a vise before slicing open in an instant. His ideas remain mysterious, fearless, and uncompromising, he pushes forward with no intention of being stopped.
‘Creatures of the Night’ surrounds the listener with ghostly vocal effects and static‑charged dread, like a shadow creeping just out of sight. The two‑part ‘Eclipse’ suite, Into the Darkness and Into the Light, evokes early Porcupine Tree, shifting from cosmic madness to eruptive chaos before opening into an entirely new universe. It’s a fission‑like finale that brings the curtain down with force.
Instrumentally, Thelen delivers once again. He exchanges ideas with his collaborators in a way that elevates every theme, every texture, every moment. The result is an album of pure, otherworldly excellence, one that practically demands to be replayed again and again.
