Pole

Pole is the artistic name of Stefan Betke (born 18 February 1967), a German electronic music artist commonly associated with the glitch genre as well as dubtronica.
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 (an intentional trilogy of albums, followed by a collection of remixes of Pole's 1998 debut EP Raum), 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 (a combination of tracks from two EPs, "45/45" and "90/90"), 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 (with Barbara Preisinger) the label ~scape, also known for publishing Jan Jelinek. On September 1, 2011, Betke founded a new artist label named Pole.
Betke mastered  John Frusciante's 2016 EP, Foregrow, and oversaw the 2019 re-master of Alphaville's 1984 album Forever Young and the 2021 re-master of 1986 album Afternoons in Utopia and 1989 album The Breathtaking Blue alongside Bernhard Lloyd.
==Links to Peel==
Peel first started playing Pole's material in the summer of 1998 via his debut album. Further tracks from the artist were played by the DJ on his radio programmes until 2003. Peel nominated his single, '45/45', as one of his records of the month for April 2003 (Peel's Record Box).
== Live ==
Live performance set from the Sonar Festival in Barcelona. First broadcast: 12 June 2003
# unknown set
==Other Shows Played==
;thumb|220x220px1998
*17 June 1998: Kirschenessen (LP - LP 1) Kiff SM
*01 July 1998: 'Berlin' (Track from LP 1) ("This is Pole, and the tune's call Berlin. Well, 'tune', pfft...")
*01 July 1998 (BFBS): 'Kirschenessen (CD-1)' (Matador)
;1999
*23 February 1999: Stadt (LP - 2) Kiff
*25 February 1999 (Radio Eins): Stadt (2x12" - 2) Kiff 
;2000
*13 June 2000: Silberfisch (CD – 3) Kiff
*14 June 2000: Karussell (album - 3) Kiff
*15 June 2000 (Radio Eins): Silberfisch (album - 3) Kiff
*09 November 2000 (Radio Eins): Stadt 
;2003
*17 April 2003: 'Back Home (12" - 45/45 EP)' (Mute)
*22 April 2003: Arena (12" - 45/45 EP) Mute
*24 April 2003 (Radio Eins): Back Home (12" EP - 45/45) Mute
*28 May 2003: Umbrella (LP - Pole) Mute
==External Links==
*Wikipedia
*Discogs
*Official Website
Category:Artists