Pole: CD 1
Kiff/PIAS/Matador, 1998
Pole’s CD 1 has been in my CD changer quite a lot recently. Pole is Stefan Betke. Betke composes his tracks with crackles and pops reminiscent of vinyl. Lo-fi sounds blanket bass-heavy, melancholy synths. Some of the melodies are almost Plastikman-esque in their minimalism. Others are full of dub-like reverb or have sounds that could be off house tracks. House tracks recorded under water and played on an ancient film projector. The distortion of simulated vinyl artifacts is suprisingly alienating. One would expect such familiar sounds to add warmth to a recording, but juxtaposed with stark, repetitive rumblings, they shove the listener into a dark underworld. It’s like the embrace of sweat in a hot, crowded club. You feel smothered, but alone.
