Fractal – Access Denied (Album – Aliens Production)
Genre/Influences: IDM, Minimal-Electro.
Format: IDM.
Background/Info: The Polish Fractal project this year signed to Aliens Production and already released three albums: “A Unique Hybrid”, “Human Error” and “Equilibrium”. Tomasz Łukowicz is already back on track releasing another album, which was originally written and recorded in 2015.
Content: “Access Denied” clearly has similarities in the sounds and influences with previous productions, but this work sounds a bit more into IDM. There still is this Ambient/Cinematographic approach, but it all sounds like Fractal was more into minimalism a way back. Raw sound treatments, dark atmospheres and broken rhythms are the main ingredients this work has been made of. Industrial sound treatments can be heard as well.
+ + + : “Access Denied” stands for pure, good-old IDM. The work is into reverie, but still a danceable side because of its slow cadence. I like the global production and its bleeping sequences and other refined arrangements, but I also enjoyed the ‘harder’ elements like Industrial noises empowered by heavy blasts. “Abacus” and “Don’t Turn The Key” both are pure sonic jewels standing for sophisticated Electronic music.
– – – : The work would maybe be a bit more accessible by the addition of some vocal lines, but in this case it would maybe lose its IDM effect.
Conclusion: This work brings us back to the ‘origins’ of Fractal and I’ve to admit it clearly already sounded as promising and cool IDM.
Best songs: “Abacus”, “Don’t Turn The Key”, “Impact”, “Pxy 887”.
Rate: 8.
Artist: www.facebook.com/tomasz.lukowicz.1
Label: www.label.aliens.sk / www.facebook.com/pages/Aliens-production-label/200028820052578
About Fractal
Fractal is the dark electronic project of Polish-born musician Tomasz Lukowicz, who has been based in Chester, England, since 2004 and releases his work primarily through the Slovak label Aliens Production.
In mid-2021 Fractal debuted with the Aliens Production released albums “Human Error” and “A Unique Hybrid”, followed later that year by the ambient- and IDM-driven album “Equilibrium”, released on 1 October 2021.
“Access Denied” appeared on 19 November 2021 as another digital release on the label and collected earlier material originally written and recorded in 2015. It holds nine tracks: “Impact”, “Pxy 887”, “Transarctic”, “Access Denied”, “NeST”, “Abacus”, “Dead End”, “Netu” and “Dont Turn The Key”. On 21 March 2022 Fractal issued the 14-track album “Hologram” on CD and digital, again with artwork by Ryby and mastering by Anatoly “TOKEE” Grinberg.
In 2023 Lukowicz released the albums “Last Day On Earth” and “Solar System” followed by the CD “Antidote”, released on 9 June 2023 as a limited digipack edition of 100 copies. Later that year the four-track “Network” EP arrived as a digital release. On 18 April 2024 Fractal released “Overload”, a digital and CD album, again as a limited 4-page digipack with design by Ryby and mastering by Grinberg. The project returned in January 2026 with “Hide In The Light”.
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