Pole "R" ~scape efa 27109-2 2001 (58:21)
raum
1 variation (5:08)
raum 2 variation (6:03)
raum 3 (4:46)
raum 4 (5:11)
raum
1 variation (burnt friedman) (5:55)
raum 2 variation (burnt friedman) (5:17)
raum 1 original (7:32)
raum 2 original (6:15)
raum
1 variation (kit clayton) (5:59)
raum 2 variation (kit clayton) (6:15)
Two of the earliest Pole tracks from 1996 are reissued here along with 4 pairs of reworkings by Stefan Betke (aka Pole) and contemporaries Burnt Friedman and Kit Clayton from his own ~scape label. Do "Raum 1" and "Raum 2" warrant ten versions? Somewhat surprisingly the answer is yes. "Raum" is German for "Space" and these guys are experts in the field, each taking the source in different directions. The originals are murky dub affairs with washes and crackles aplenty and steady, deep bass lines - much like everything that has followed to date on Poles "1", "2" and "3". While they're fine in their own right they do pale in comparison to the updated versions. Betke's variations (and two more new tracks spawned from them) feature first time collaborator D. Meteo, guitarist for Submission. Everything is much more bright, clear and spacious as truncated guitar notes and riffs are abruptly weaved into the new mixes, sometimes adding a sort of dub strum to the groove. Friedman takes the tracks into his own personal ambient jazz trajectory by dressing them up with latin flavored percussion, sliding bass and more ambiance. The Raum 1 Variation all but erases the original by the final few minutes of its graceful decay. And last but not least, Clayton's cut and paste treatment clutters up the static and rhythms over time making for the busiest mixes of all. Nice variety. Perhaps "R" is a precursor of new ideas for the next Pole album proper? I hope so ...
~scape
Bernd Friedmann
Kit Clayton
Where did I get this cd? - mail order via CD Universe.