BERLIN’S Stefan Betke, digidub mastering legend and masterful glitchtronica/deep groove recording artist in his own right as Pole, has announced details of his new album for Mute, and has also shared the first teaser for it in the shape of “Röschen”: listen with us, it’s embedded below.
His eighth straight studio set – leaving aside a brace of additional remix works – Fading will be released by Mute on November 6th, and follows the recent coloured vinyl reissues of his deep dub glitch trio, 1, 2, and 3.
“Röschen” brings a lighter static scatter with an eye on the potency of the bottom end; mid-tone washes of melody make for a beguiling and clean tune full of passing cityscape.
“Every Pole record connects to recordings that I’ve made before,” Stefan explains. “In order to stay in this kind of vertical development, the ideas from 1,2,3 up to now are connected.
“I keep the interesting elements, languages and vocabulary that I designed and add new elements.”
This mindfulness in progression is coupled to a reflection in sadness as inspiration for Fading. “The album was mostly inspired by the idea of memory loss,” he continues.
“My mum had dementia and I saw her losing all the memory that she had accumulated over her 91 long years.
“When losing that memory it turned into what she was probably like in the beginning of her life when she was born – like an empty box.”
This sadness acted as a springboard for the sonic approach Stefan brings to his latest work. “You can hear some little pops and glitches in the background of this recording, which is a direct reference to the trilogy,” he says. “But you hear it relatively quietly in the background.
“This is a little bit of a sign from me, as my history is fading away slowly, too.”
Pole’s Fading will be released on digital, CD, limited Aztec gold and black vinyl formats by Mute on November 6th. Lovers of deep and fine electronic textures, place your order here.
