- Audio CD (1 Oct 1999)
- Number of Discs: 1
- Label: Kiff Sm
- ASIN: B0000254HA
- Other Editions: Audio CD | Vinyl | MP3 Download
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 245,530 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
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Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
Berlin-based Stefan Betke's second album is an astonishing example of synthetic dub music. Created using an array of ancient and creaky gear (including something called a Waldorf 4 Pole-filter, which gives the artist both his name and distinctive sound), this sumptuous feast of minimalism bears more resemblance to the work of the greatest Jamaican sound engineers like Lee Perry and King Tubby than his contemporaries in the German electronic scene. Betke claims to have stumbled on his style entirely by accident, but tracks like "Fahren" and the terrific "Streit" resonate timelessly. Clicks and scratchy noises throughout give a convincingly warm feel, as if the machines involved are working under stress. This is a beautiful record, certain to be ecognised as a classic. --Steve Jelbert
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
If sublime and surreal are two words that describe how you like your music, then this will fit nicely into your collection.
That said, Pole is very proficient at twisting the well-known conventions of dub and electronica to give an alomst erotic take on his sound. Musically, this is very interesting and prevails as the the type of music that fits nicely onto your minidisc for those train journeys or bus rides through the city.
This album won't get you going in the morning... But it will send your mind on a little sedate wander into electroland.
Not Poles' best album. But far superior to anything else in same league. Well worth the dollar if this is your bag.
That said, Pole is very proficient at twisting the well-known conventions of dub and electronica to give an alomst erotic take on his sound. Musically, this is very interesting and prevails as the the type of music that fits nicely onto your minidisc for those train journeys or bus rides through the city.
This album won't get you going in the morning... But it will send your mind on a little sedate wander into electroland.
Not Poles' best album. But far superior to anything else in same league. Well worth the dollar if this is your bag.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
German techno dub is a head scratching combination to say the least. How do you reconcile the spacey chaos of Jamaican dub a la King Tubby or Scientist, with the sleek, precise machine beats of the German electronic tradition?Stefan Betke manages it on this compelling CD by pouring what appears to be Tangerine Dreams Oscillators, Adrian Sherwood's echo chamber and Lee Perry's bass generator into a fluffy speaker wobbling symphony of clicks, bleeps and squeeks. The result is somewhere between old fashioned ambient music (remember that?) Nordic Jazz, musique concrete and a film soundtrack to that moment when you first wake up and you're not quite sure if you're in your body or not. Go on give it a try, it'll make your ears smile.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
6 reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
UFO dub-ology!
7 Mar 1999
Format:Audio CD
Stefan Betke's follow-up to his crackly minimalist "CD1," which in my opinion, is what dub reggae would sound like if it were made by UFO-folk. In a compositional progression from its predecessor, the tracks on this EP are, on the whole, more engaging melodically and rhythmically than those on his debut, yet they still float airily through an ocean of static and vinyl scratches and pops. Dreamy...
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
My favorite of the 1-2-3 series
21 April 2008
Format:Audio CD
Stefan Betke is such an interesting composer. His material released as Pole is ostensibly "dub techno" or some other nom du jour, but I hear it as something much more experimental. Perhaps it is the beats that encourage listeners to hear it as something more "normal" than it is.
Pole's first three releases (1, 2, and 3) are really all about this beloved Waldorf 4-pole filter and the strange, but intoxicating crackly sounds it began to make after falling down a flight of stairs. In this way, the sound is all about the humanity, if you will, of the broken machine. Whereas most tools of electronic production can be fairly anonymous, every now and then there's a piece of gear that develops a real personality. I'm not sure if it was worth exploring over the course of three very similar albums or not.
This brings me to my favorite of the series, number 2. Some listeners might scoff at anyone claiming to differentiate substantially between the three releases, and they would be correct - there's nothing hugely different about "2", other than it appeals to me a little more than the rest.
I think my preference has something to do with the presence of more melody and harmonic content than the others. When I say "melody," I don't mean it in the usual sense. It's buried and only occasionally manifests itself in the form of a few notes here and there. Still, it's worth noting. Secondly, the wonderful sound of the Waldorf is very present in each of the tracks. While it's featured on each of the tracks on these albums, sometimes it seems to be merely background ambience, while on "2", it's integrated rather well into the rhythmic structure of each track.
I've seen convincing reviews describing Pole's early work as cold and uninviting. That may be the case for many listeners. The details are subtle, the introduction of ideas in each track is minimal, and yes, a lot of them sound so similar that they all begin to blend together and one almost has to watch the CD display to notice when one is over and another has begun. At the same time, I find it to be a rich world of delicate sonic experimentation. The sounds are just so interesting.
If you're an open-minded listener and you're looking for something unique, I would recommend Pole's music. I'd start with "2" for the reasons listed above, but also because it's a bit shorter and more focused. If you're hoping for some sort of techno, I'm not sure I would recommend it. It has the influence of minimal techno and dub, but it makes Basic Channel material sound almost Mahlerian in complexity.
If you take the time to live with this music for a few days, I think you'll be nicely rewarded. What it lacks in immediacy, it makes up for in substance.
Pole's first three releases (1, 2, and 3) are really all about this beloved Waldorf 4-pole filter and the strange, but intoxicating crackly sounds it began to make after falling down a flight of stairs. In this way, the sound is all about the humanity, if you will, of the broken machine. Whereas most tools of electronic production can be fairly anonymous, every now and then there's a piece of gear that develops a real personality. I'm not sure if it was worth exploring over the course of three very similar albums or not.
This brings me to my favorite of the series, number 2. Some listeners might scoff at anyone claiming to differentiate substantially between the three releases, and they would be correct - there's nothing hugely different about "2", other than it appeals to me a little more than the rest.
I think my preference has something to do with the presence of more melody and harmonic content than the others. When I say "melody," I don't mean it in the usual sense. It's buried and only occasionally manifests itself in the form of a few notes here and there. Still, it's worth noting. Secondly, the wonderful sound of the Waldorf is very present in each of the tracks. While it's featured on each of the tracks on these albums, sometimes it seems to be merely background ambience, while on "2", it's integrated rather well into the rhythmic structure of each track.
I've seen convincing reviews describing Pole's early work as cold and uninviting. That may be the case for many listeners. The details are subtle, the introduction of ideas in each track is minimal, and yes, a lot of them sound so similar that they all begin to blend together and one almost has to watch the CD display to notice when one is over and another has begun. At the same time, I find it to be a rich world of delicate sonic experimentation. The sounds are just so interesting.
If you're an open-minded listener and you're looking for something unique, I would recommend Pole's music. I'd start with "2" for the reasons listed above, but also because it's a bit shorter and more focused. If you're hoping for some sort of techno, I'm not sure I would recommend it. It has the influence of minimal techno and dub, but it makes Basic Channel material sound almost Mahlerian in complexity.
If you take the time to live with this music for a few days, I think you'll be nicely rewarded. What it lacks in immediacy, it makes up for in substance.
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
This is New--Hiss 'N Bass
12 July 1999
Format:Audio CD
Crackles, sparks, pops, hisses, and static farts generally provide the percussion throughout this truly interesting album. Definitely background music, Pole 2 pulls its influences (barely) from dub and at times ragga (to even lesser extent). It's surprisingly minimalist and sparce but still manages to create an dense aesthetic.
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