Pole "CD2" Matador Records Ole 359-2 1998 (33:37)
Fahren (9:18)
Stadt (3:27)
Streit (5:58)
Huckepack (4:40)
Hafen (4:26)
Weit (5:48)
All tracks written and produced by Stefan Betke.
Overall impression: very good. Stefan Betke is a Berlin-based producer as well as vinyl-cutter for Maurizio's Dubplates and Mastering studio. "CD2" is an EP length followup to the full length "CD1" released in '98 ... 1 put static and line noise to the front of the mix, but 2 pushes the bass line up front. Pole is well known for his use of a broken 4 Pole-Waldorf Filter as a source of seemingly random static, crackles, pops and line noise. These sounds inject just the right amout of chaos and mix well with the deep bass lines to create a minimal yet dense ambient dub concoction. Curiously enough, this music contains no percussion ... it took me 3 listens before I even noticed. Instead, the space is filled with just the bass, extraneous sounds from the filter and the occasional wash or bleep. Everything seems to to just fall into place, kind of like an Autechre track. Pole's music is similar in sound to the Chain Reaction aesthetic (see also Monolake "Hongkong", Maurizio "Maurizio" and Rhythm & Sound w/Tikiman "Showcase") and at times reminds me of Autechre and Richard H. Kirk's many projects. However, the lack of percussion and the unique filter sounds set Pole apart from others I've heard ... it flips all the right switches in my brain. Less can definitely be more ...
Where did I get this cd? - mail order via Rioux's Records. Email Jason (tell him markw@southwind.net sent ya!)