Piloted by the singular approach of Swiss composer and guitarist Stephan Thelen, best known for minimalist groove band Sonar and his collaboration with Kronos Quartet, Fractal Sextet is an aptly named meeting of musical minds who, at Stephan‘s invitation, have created an album worthy of deep listening and showcasing a remarkable synergy between all the participants.
Despite a highly disciplined and seemingly restrictive rhythmic formatting, and the interdependence of each instrumentalist, the Fractal Sextet material allows each player a remarkable musical freedom and the album displays a highly developed sense of collective, ensemble improvisation. With each musical element having an equal weight, the traditional sense of soloist/accompanist is superceded by an overall sense of communality across the album’s five lengthy tracks.
Perhaps a comparison could be made with Krautrock legends Can, King Crimson whose internal discipline, trance like compositions and strong group aesthetic is mirrored in the Fractal Sextet dynamic.
Exploring infinite variations on never ending patterns, Fractal Sextet displays a beguiling and inviting hypnotic landscape, which reveals multiple layers and ever more intricate unfolding connections throughout.
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Stream the album teaser through the YouTube player below:
Fabio Anile / Piano, Electric Piano, Synth & Sampled Instruments
Jon Durant / Fretted, Fretless & Cloud Guitar
Colin Edwin / Bass Guitar
Yogev Gabay / Drums
Andi Pupato / Percussion
Stephan Thelen / Guitars, E-Bow, Fractal Delays & Programming
Video by Stephan Thelen
To minimize the mail costs, there are four bandcamp websites to order from:
- North and South America: jondurant.bandcamp.com
- UK: colinedwin.bandcamp.com
- Europe/Italy: fabioanile.bandcamp.com
- Europe/Switzerland: https://stephanthelen.bandcamp.com