Greatest Album by Album: Subtronics’ ‘Fractals’

Albums are a labor of love and offer a glimpse into an artist’s universe where they create entirely new worlds. With a full-length album, an artist can truly flex their creative muscles, crafting a more cohesive piece compared to a single or an EP. Because of that, an EDM album is often dynamic, exploring different facets of an artist’s style beyond just their primary genre.

Welcome to “The Greatest Album by Album” series, where we dive into albums that I believe belong in the top echelon of the industry.

Subtronics – Fractals  – Released in 2022

While Subtronics was steadily on the rise before he released this album, Fractals proved to the world that he wasn’t just hype or the flavor of the month. A true producer, Subtronics showed that he was here to stay and ready to carry the bass industry on his back, leading the charge with innovation and kindness. Subtronics is undoubtedly a true headliner, continually pushing his signature sound forward. He stays true to his roots with glitchy, high-end notes fluttering over heavy bass beats to create complex rhythms that sound unreal, yet he still experiments with other genres and gnarly new robot sounds. Subtronics changed the game with Fractals, an album that’s worth revisiting time and again because it still holds up to this day.

Fractals is a true work of art, and even though everyone had high expectations, Subtronics knocked it out of the park. Starting the album with “O.P.U.S.” was a statement that he is him. This song was inspired by a man standing on a roof, screaming into the rain to reclaim his power, and you can feel that emotion in every beat. What follows may be the best four-track progression ever, with “Spacetime,” “Cabin Fever,” “Open Your Mind,” and “Gassed Up” all being absolute highlights on any dubstep playlist. “Into Pieces” is another standout, with Grabbitz laying out an emotional landscape that Subtronics elevates to another level with his drops. Subtronics flexes his production skills with tracks like “Morning Coffee” and “Funcked,” showcasing his space bass side—another genre he’s extremely passionate about. The album closes with “MetaFractal,” a space bass-dubstep hybrid that rips the thread of reality.

Subtronics is now a household name, and for good reason. Very few artists make it to the top of their genre, but Subtronics has done that and more. His ability to create bass landscapes is second to none, and he’s always worth seeing live, even if you’ve seen him many times before. Here’s hoping for a return to Arizona soon—it will be a can’t-miss show!

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