An Endless Journey Through Fractals
February 28, 2022 By: Serena GarridoThose of us awake for the midnight release of Subtronics’ newest album Fractals on January 14th, 2022, scored front row tickets to hearing this adventurous album before the rest of the EDM community.
After listening to the album twice through, I found myself eager to enter the astral realm with my mind freshly painted full of geometric shapes and colourful sounds.
Jesse Kardon – better known to the electronic music world as Subtronics— is currently selling sold-out show after sold-out show on The Fractal Tour. On the same day of the album release, the tour kicked off starting with a show in Seattle, WA at the WaMu Theatre. Since then, The Fractals Tour has been moving across the states, starring legendary performances and mind-bending visuals.
I welcome you to join me… let’s take a trip through my personal review of FRACTALS by Subtronics.
O.P.U.S.
Leave it up to Subtronics to introduce a new album with a bit of mystery tied in. Everything about this album seamlessly flows from one track to the next.
The 16-track album begins with a song titled O.P.U.S. According to a tweet by the Philadelphia-based Dubstep DJ, the chosen acronym stands for “Omni-Potent Universal Schism”.
While exploring the play on words involving our perceived reality, we are immediately propelled into a world of wonder. The intricate string instruments tied in with expansive frequencies guide our minds to relax in a state of bliss. It doesn’t take more than a good speaker or pair of headphones to understand why this gently crafted masterpiece of an introduction track was used to open our minds into the world of Fractals. Embrace your limitless potential as we embark on a journey that you won’t forget.
Spacetime (feat. Nevve)
Spacetime (featuring Nevve) was one heck of a preview of what was yet to come. This track was released in the early midnight hour of December 15th, 2021. This was only two days after Jesse’s announcement on Twitter about the expected release of his upcoming album Fractals and the hype was out of this world. This beautifully crafted song gets our emotions flowing as we dance with the elegant voice of Nevve and feel the dirty Dubstep drops through out this melodic, yet heavy Dubstep track. That last drop is enough to send us running into another dimension.
Cabin Fever
Out of this world and into the next, Cabin Fever catapults us into what feels like a dramatic action scene. Noises of the forest can be heard as the tempo hints at a “brisk run through time and space”. Each intense drop is felt deeply as we are broken out of the hazy daydreaming feeling left lingering by Nevve’s beautiful vocals. Being one of the hardest tracks on this album, we are introduced to a mixture of Dubstep with a hint of Riddim flavour. This exciting track reveals exploration of style combinations like Riddim texture with bass-filled drop, after bass-filled drop.
Open Your Mind (Anthology 999) – Subtronics and Cristina Soto
With the help of the track Open Your Mind (Anthology 999), we escape right back into a meditative and hypnotic space. The vocals of Cristina Soto carry us lightly, as the deep bass waves come through with alternating drum kicks and dancing frequencies. Let your mind wander through the possibilities as we travel deeper into the album. With the entire album crafted like a complete story, tracks like this keep the hype going while allowing us to relax into the sounds. The tantalizing upbeats and solid drops are sure to expand our brains and open our minds.
Gassed Up (feat. Flowdan) – Subtronics & Zeds Dead
While still full of energy and yet somewhat relaxed, our next track Gassed Up (feat. Flowdan) brings us right into our own personal groove. After a nearly seamless transition from the previous track to this one, we dive into this Bass-Trap track. The delectable grouping of English MC Flowdan with Subtronics and Zeds Dead, gives us a special opportunity to hear the energy beaming from their synergy. The combination of Grime-style vibes with Dubstep and a hint of Trap soothes the soul just right.
Flute Dub
Talk about soothing the soul… the next track Flute Dub comes in strong with a mystical melody. We’re taken down a short magical tunnel of sound, then sped up faster just to slow down once again. Packed full of wubs and dubs, it’s clear that this track is a solid mix of passion and uniqueness. The alternating tempos and use of deep tones in mix with a DNB-style build up create hype before dropping into slower Trap-style beat. This track is the perfect brain massage.
Gummy Worm (feat. Boogie T)
Next comes a higher paced energy, seeping in through the track Gummy Worm (feat. Boogie T). This track effortlessly mixes the Electro-Funk stylings of Boogie T with the wonky wobbly sounds of Subtronics. The guitar riff in this song is packed with power as it builds up with the drumbeats, into the heaviest drop of the track. This song is hard hitting. Heads up! This track is known to induce sugar cravings…
Cyclops Rocks
Keeping energy levels high, Cyclops Rocks is a track that is proving to be one you can’t sit still to. At halfway through the album, his heavy-hitting track has all the right bass lines and alien-style noises to get us warmed up and ready to headbang. The drops are heavy, the bass lines are heavy… this song is one you want to catch yourself at the rail for.
Take Flight VIP
Speaking of headbanging… this track is guaranteed to keep your head moving back and forth. Sullivan King and Subtronics absolutely blow us away in Take Flight VIP. Sullivan King’s vocals never fail to give us the perfect heavy Metal x Dubstep vibe that we crave. The tasteful buildups and breakdowns of the song give us the energy we need to truly embrace this track. This song is heavy and wonky put together so well.
Morning Coffee (feat. Sony)
Our senses are awakened with the tasteful, DNB-inspired, futuristic sounds of the track Morning Coffee (feat. Sony). It is everything I expected to hear and more. It is upbeat and energizing. The swanky beat fits perfectly alongside Sony’s vocals. The vibrating bass line and tone selection in this 110-bpm track keeps us imaginative and wondering where we will end up next. This futuristic sounding track is a taste of the potential lies in the mind of Subtronics.
Into Pieces (feat. Grabbitz)
Feeling energized from the last track and hopping right Into Pieces (feat. Grabbitz), the creative sounds take over our minds, one after another. It’s extremely evident how Subtronics is growing and evolving into his own sound while doing stellar collabs with artists like Grabbitz. This song is one of my personal favourites on the album as it has the perfect mix of uplifting Dubstep with a hint of Trap.
FUNcKED
Following close behind, FUNcKED takes us down a tunnel of intertwining magical sounds, alternating between a faster paced melody and a bouncing bass. It’s wonky, it’s weird (in a good way of course) and gives us a good helping of a Dubstep and Bass House fusion. The funky beat is grimy, heavy, and fun. This track gives us a sneak peek into the ever-evolving mind of Subtronics. Warning: these drops may cause you to jump around!
Griztronics II (Another Level) – Subtronics & GRiZ
Just when you thought it couldn’t be done… Griztronics is back again for a second round. Known for his funky, electric soul styling and futuristic sounds, GRiZ has paired up once again with Subtronics on another insanely good collab titled Griztronics II. This sequel track brings us a bit of nostalgia from the track Griztronics, with the same heavy and wavy drops. Another one of my personal favourites on the album with these feel-good bass lines. It’s safe to say, this is how it feels to hit another level…
Tuba Demon
Tuba Demon creeps into our ears and through our brains as the third last song of the album. Hard-hitting snares and thick bass line collide effortlessly to give us that funky fresh feeling. The uncommon pairing of a brass tuba with digital sounds, ignites a spark of new possibilities. These drops are jam packed with punching tuba sounds and computer alien noises. This song is a great transition into the rest of what this album has to offer. Bing bong.
Hieroglyph
If you’ve ever spent a long time waiting for customer service over the phone, I’m sure this track will bring you the nostalgia you never missed. Hieroglyph guides our minds back to the meditative soundscape —but only for a moment before dropping into a funky sub-bass line. The grooves of the buzzing base line and the melodic plucking are absolutely enticing. This song is creative, fun, and extremely catchy.
MetaFractal
What a great way to end off this amazing storybook of an album. MetaFractal takes us one step closer back to earth as we transcend down through layers of space-time. This track encompasses many different musical aspects from through out the whole album and packs it into one delicious sounding track. This track has a good amount of Bass-House as we get one last taste…
We can now sit back and ingest the tumultuous experience that is Fractals.
Or maybe we press play and listen all over again!