Pole 1

Simply riveting. I remember listening to the first track and feeling like this was like techno music the had traveled through time to get to me and thus the little glitches and pops were the signs of its travel through time.

This is a very nice piece of contemporary music that is enjoyable to listen to. The pops and glitches are interesting in their own right, sort of like a possible chilled out autechre meets eno. It is a pity the CD is hard to get: it is one of the better examples of this kind of music.

I'm serious! I mean, I've enjoyed Basic Channel's releases for years now. And this has some of the same minimal ideas on it...sort of. And I like Autechre, with their brand of spiky crackle-pop beats. And this has those sorts of beats on it...again, sort of. And I like dub, with that all-thru-your-body bass feel. And this...well, you get the idea. The problem, I think, is that Betke gets right up to the brink of all of these ideas on this release, and then either the elements just don't gel, or it seems like he doesn't take things all the way that they should or could go. Even the ambient elements, while they seem similar to what one finds on the Basic Channel 12"s, also isn't quite right; BC sounds warm, inviting...Pole has a harshness that really doesn't pull me in. I think the big problem here is that a lot of people have been hyping up this as being the successor to the BC legacy. Uhhhh...no. I'd more pin that label on Monolake or Various Artists than Pole, at least as far as this release is concerned. There's some interesting ideas here, yes, and I think that over some time, Betke will develop a better sense of sound. But not here.

Being a bit of an Oval fan, I was keen to dip the toe in the Pole waters. This is an amazingly funky little click/cut/pop/glitch album. The warm and charming minimalism is a welcome change from some of the more 'middle of the road' glitch style, but it often also has a bit of a 'tongue-in-cheek' approach - tracks 7 to 9 'Fremd', 'Paula' and 'Fliegen' are good examples of this.This is a great little album to have on in the background, but equally deserves an attentive listen. Like the track 'Do While' on Oval's '94 Diskont' (a current fave CD), these 9 tracks don't waste a moment of their duration. From go to whoa, this is a winner! A must in every 'weird electronica' collection.

The legend behind the sparse, crackly minimalism of Stefan Betke's music as Pole is that one day, he dropped his Waldorf 4 Pole filter, and caused it to create unintentional noise. However, it turned out to be the "sound he was looking for."Pole's CD1 (or LP1 if you've got the vinyl) is intentionally influenced by Jamaican dub. Yet Pole is unlike any dub, or any music at all, that you've ever heard. Pole creates extremely stark, extremely soothing music built around two important elements. One is the bass, where the dub influence is most apparent. These are beautiful low tones that Lee Perry would be proud of. Two is rhythms based on static (created by his defective filter). There are no drums. Though there are various other musics and sounds that, like dub, come in and out of the mix, it is the combination of the bass and static that give Pole such a unique and relaxing feel.Though one can classify Pole as minimal, Pole is unlike much minimalist electronic music in that he sets a very enticing, dark mood, and forces it to hold your attention for the entire length of the album. Even though this album can be listened to as background music, subconsciously your mind is aware of Pole, and it affects you. Songs flow into each other, making the 9 tracks feel like one metamorphizing unit. 'Flagen,' the busiest song, is the best example of his static-based rhythms; my personal favorite is the haunting 'Paula.'Though one could argue that all these songs sound the same, no one could argue that they sound like anyone else. Influenced by dub, Pole merely uses it as a platform, an idea to meld with his own music. While his second release, CD2, has more rhythms akin to traditional dub and therefore may be more accessible, CD1 is world you've never explored. And you should.

A couple years ago...around 2K, I borrowed this 2X12" vinyl off a friend. Was listening to it and being blown away at the utter newness of these sounds. I found myself sitting in my living room listening to the recordings and my ears were dancing at every click and cut sound coming through the speakers with that deep dubby bass.I don't know how many people have this on vinyl, but if you do I suggest as an experiment in sound, to put the vinyl on and instead of using the 33 speed, go for the 45 speed. It makes for a whole new experience. Sounds almost more driving and danceable. Give it a try.

This is a good piece of work. Different from other "german dub" artists such as Porter Ricks, Maurizio, or Monolake. Stephan Betke uses a Waldorf 4 Pole Filter (maybe not functioning OK) to produce the intrincate rythmic patterns on which he lays dub infected bass and lead melodies.It's an original approach to create that grey and moody ambience of almost all german techno records. Add to that the proved efficiency of shuffled reggae flavored rythms and bass lines when it comes to letting the mind (and the ears) rest. Best track (and dubbiest) is # 3 (Kirschenessen). Maybe Betke should work out his synth sounds a little bit more to match the originality of the rythmic structures. Anyway, I must say I haven't listened to POLE 2 yet.

Opens with layers of record crackle until a deeply stoned, brain-dead excuse for a bassline creeps in and loops for about five minutes. Subsequent tracks explore variations on the techno-dub equation outlined by Basic Channel, and, yes, there is variety. Mostly made up of junk bits of digital sound and submerged in static, Pole makes music that is barely there and yet MUST BE HEARD TO BE BELIEVED. The true Kingston-Berlin axis. Also check out CD2.