Pole (musician)


Pole is the artistic name of Stefan Betke, a German electronic music artist commonly associated with the glitch genre as well as dubtronica.

History

Born in Düsseldorf, Pole took his name from a Waldorf 4-Pole filter, which he accidentally dropped and broke in 1996. Though the filter was perhaps no longer appropriate for DJ work in its damaged state, Betke found the strange hissing and popping noises the filter now made interesting sounds. He then began using the broken filter to create music, launching his musical career.
Betke's first four albums, titled 1, 2, 3, and R, were all based around this filter, with songs usually taking the form of dub basslines and rhythms with percussion provided by the eponymous filter. In 2003 Betke departed from this style for the album Pole, which utilized more traditionally electronic but still eclectic production.
Pole has been distributed on several different labels, including Matador Records and Mute Records, and in 1999 Betke cofounded the label ~scape, also known for publishing Jan Jelinek. On September 1, 2011, Betke founded a new artist label named Pole.
Betke also mastered John Frusciante's 2016 EP, Foregrow.

Discography

Albums