Stephan Thelen - 2026 - Fractal Guitar 4

(62:36; Moonjune Records)






















‘Fractal Guitar 4’ is the fourth instalment in the ‘Fractal Guitar’ series which Swiss composer and guitarist Stephan Thelen initiated in 2015, with the last chapter being released in 2022. This is not the only series he has been working on and along with separate projects this is his 13th release since the first, which in itself was his 12th solo album outside of his work with Sonar. On this he again has multiple guests, many of whom he has worked with before, with only Norwegian guitarist Eivind Aarset playing on every track alongside Thelen, with the others contributing here and there. These include American guitarist Jon Durant, Israeli drummer Yogev Gabay, Markus Reuter from Germany (touch guitar), Fabio Anile from Italy (electric piano), Stefan Huth from Germany (touch bass guitar), Giri Subramaniam from India (tabla) and Andi Pupato from Switzerland (percussion), so a truly international line-up.

When I started listening to this the first person I thought of was Allan Holdsworth, and that stayed true through the whole album although at times I also thought of John McLaughlin. One thing I found fascinating in that of all those involved, including Thelen himself, the musician I listen to most is Markus Reuter in multiple projects, yet here he is playing a role as opposed to driving music in his own manner, so his distinctive style is somewhat subsumed into the whole. One of the things which is fascinating with this album are the time signatures and polyrhythms being used, where musicians can actually be placing different signatures against each other which should lead to chaos both in the studio and in the brain but somehow it works, and I have no logical explanation as to why.

If Gabriel was a guitarist as opposed to a singer I could imagine some of his early 80’s albums sounding something like this, while King Crimson fans will also discover plenty here to enjoy as this is hugely complex and complicated, a music theorist’s wet dream, yet there is also a clarity which makes it enjoyable as opposed to a chore. I cannot say this is overly easy to listen to, and is not for everyone, but if you want to hike through the pass less travelled you will find much more beauty than those who stay on the highways. 

Kev Rowland, August 2026

Links:
https://www.stephanthelen.com/
https://moonjune.com/

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