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7"
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PL 014EP
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Pole follows the 2015 release of his Wald album (PL 013CD) with a 7" release of "Lurch (Version)," previously available exclusively via a download code included with the Japanese CD release of Wald on Octave Lab. It's backed with an exceptional, stripped-to-the-bones remix by Peder Mannerfelt (Roll the Dice, The Subliminal Kid). Limited edition of 300.
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2LP
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PL 013LP
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2016 repress; Double LP version. Etching on side D. "Wald begins immediately, ends abruptly, and is divided into three acts of three tracks each. It is the first studio album under Stefan Betke's Pole moniker in eight years... half an eternity in the digital age -- yet the pieces on Wald seem timeless, or to have fallen from time. Stefan Betke: 'After Steingarten (SCAPE 044CD, 2007) I was on tour for two years. At the same time, Barbara Preisinger and I set up our record label ~scape. Those were two hindering circumstances that were not exactly conducive to a creative restart... I couldn't have really added anything new in the wake of Steingarten and the dub declensions I had made in previous years.'... Over several years, long walks in the woods preceded the resumption of the production of his own material: 'Walks through the Isar valley, but also through the forests in the Alps... You have to go through life with an open mind and with extended antennae. If something strikes you and inspires you to create new music, then it will be for a reason...' For Pole, it was the forest; its spatiality... manifested, for example, in raw sounds (second act) and in psychedelic structures (third act), which sound as if they might be guitars (but are actually distorted synthetic lines)... From the tangible experience of the forest, a rather abstract question emerges: 'How can I take what I have seen or felt and make it audible?' This question becomes a narrative, a storyline. The initial story is that Pole went into a dialogue with his instruments, and the second story can be heard in the three acts of Wald. The new compositions on Wald do not deny their inheritance within the continuum of dub, yet they bring an entirely new vocabulary to Pole's sonic and spatial universe... 'If Wald had nothing to do with the world of Pole, then I would have come up with a new alter ego and produced it under a new name.' The structures, forms, and processes that Betke perceived in the forest were translated into musical structures, forms, and processes that inherently sounded like Pole. Perhaps the forest simply produces reverberations (just like the echo in the mountains!) that give rise to a bounty of thoughts. The story behind it is told in music, without the use of words -- as has previously so often been the case with Pole." --Max Dax
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CD
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PL 013CD
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"Wald begins immediately, ends abruptly, and is divided into three acts of three tracks each. It is the first studio album under Stefan Betke's Pole moniker in eight years... half an eternity in the digital age -- yet the pieces on Wald seem timeless, or to have fallen from time. Stefan Betke: 'After Steingarten (SCAPE 044CD, 2007) I was on tour for two years. At the same time, Barbara Preisinger and I set up our record label ~scape. Those were two hindering circumstances that were not exactly conducive to a creative restart... I couldn't have really added anything new in the wake of Steingarten and the dub declensions I had made in previous years.'... Over several years, long walks in the woods preceded the resumption of the production of his own material: 'Walks through the Isar valley, but also through the forests in the Alps... You have to go through life with an open mind and with extended antennae. If something strikes you and inspires you to create new music, then it will be for a reason...' For Pole, it was the forest; its spatiality... manifested, for example, in raw sounds (second act) and in psychedelic structures (third act), which sound as if they might be guitars (but are actually distorted synthetic lines)... From the tangible experience of the forest, a rather abstract question emerges: 'How can I take what I have seen or felt and make it audible?' This question becomes a narrative, a storyline. The initial story is that Pole went into a dialogue with his instruments, and the second story can be heard in the three acts of Wald. The new compositions on Wald do not deny their inheritance within the continuum of dub, yet they bring an entirely new vocabulary to Pole's sonic and spatial universe... 'If Wald had nothing to do with the world of Pole, then I would have come up with a new alter ego and produced it under a new name.' The structures, forms, and processes that Betke perceived in the forest were translated into musical structures, forms, and processes that inherently sounded like Pole. Perhaps the forest simply produces reverberations (just like the echo in the mountains!) that give rise to a bounty of thoughts. The story behind it is told in music, without the use of words -- as has previously so often been the case with Pole." --Max Dax
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12"
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PL 012EP
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The third and final part of the Waldeschichten 12" series highlights and expands upon Pole's distinctive sound, connecting to the first two parts of the trilogy in a charming way. Again, a fundamental element is the very specific drum-sound embedded in complex dubby structures, seamlessly unified with the warm and deep bass lines. The field recordings and sounds fade away into echoes, grounded with massive bass. A perfect conclusion to the series.
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12"
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PL 011EP
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2016 repress. Pole presents another spacey and heavy bass 12". Two melancholic, quiet tracks full of crackles and endless space, made for the winter. In contrast to Waldgeschichten, with its use of full chords, this new production is marked by its use of spaces, which seems to expand until they collapse and enfold the listener.
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12"
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PL 010EP
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After a long break, Pole returns. This break was necessary for Pole to find his musical direction and produce a series of new tracks, starting with this 12". With these three easy-going works, Pole connects once more with his past. Bass and space are at the heart of both this release and the specially-established artist label, Pole. The warm, experimental atmosphere grooves slow and easy, carried from the funk of an old rhythm machine and connected through Pole's endless echo chambers.
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12"
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SCAPE 056EP
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After producing several remixes for other artists and labels, Pole releases two deep tunes that move between dub, dubstep and techno. "Alles Klar" was already part of the ~scape compilation Round Black Ghosts (CD only). "Alles Gute" is a new piece that already excites the crowd during Pole's current live sets.
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12"
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SCAPE 051EP
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The final part of Pole's Steingarten Remix series comes in red vinyl with outstanding remixes from Deadbeat, Ghislain Poirier and Gudrun Gut. Deadbeat moved "Sylvenstein" to the dancehall while Ghislain Poirier turned "Winkelstreben" into what he describes as "cosmopolitan bass and chunky digital dancehall." Gudrun Gut refused to twist Pole's music out of shape, instead highlighting, cherishing and reflecting its essence with some killer girlie vocals. Pressed on clear red vinyl.
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CD
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SCAPE 050CD
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This is Berlin-based producer Stefan Betke's (aka Pole) third release on his own ~scape label. Originally a string of four limited colored vinyl 12" releases, the Steingarten Remixes now assembles all tracks in the series on CD. Remixing Pole is a bit of a challenge. Carefully assembled, piece-by-piece, his seamless, highly-acclaimed Steingarten exhibits no gaps, no ornaments, no superfluous flourishes. And a closer look at the tracks' underlying structures confirms: any additions would only distract from their delicate balance. Steingarten's eclectic assembly of equally eclectic remixers were well aware of this tricky challenge -- and none have opted for unnecessary embellishments. With plenty of respect for Pole's pared-down appeal, they nevertheless imbue the new versions with their very own signature sound. While Betke's minimal approach sets the overall mood, subtle nuances add different flavors to the mix. Rarely has a remix project been this coherent. An assembly of reworkings by friends and colleagues, the resulting tracks achieve the rare feat of reinterpreting Pole's music without ever drowning out their singular clarity. While Dimbiman, for example, starts his version of "Achterbahn" with a bout of gently bouncing beats that evolve into a springy house groove, Mike Huckaby takes a more angular approach, yet both remain true to Steingarten's bare essentials. From Deadbeat's sharp, dancehall-inspired beats to Shackleton's sizzling dub grooves and Gudrun Gut's subdued vocal samples "a recited A-Z of girl's names," the resulting works refuse to twist Pole's music out of shape, but highlight, cherish and reflect their essence. Here, Betke's distinctive sound finds itself clothed in a wide array of contemporary electronic guises, from deep house to dubstep. And, best of all, despite their sometimes dizzying level of abstraction, all tracks are extremely danceable. Other remixes by Peverelist, The Mole, Ghislain Poirier, Frivolous and Melchior Productions.
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12"
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SCAPE 048EP
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Pole's Steingarten inspired friends and colleagues to produce a series of remixes that are now presented on 4 limited colored vinyl 12"s. The second part of the Pole Steingarten Remix series comes as limited orange vinyl 12" and features remixes by Canadian artists The Mole and Frivolous. The Mole transports "Pferd" into a warm, disco house hymn. Frivolous' fresh way of approaching the dancefloor is reflected in his interpretation of "Achterbahn." Pressed on clear orange vinyl.
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