45/45

Stefan Betke aka Pole has shifted sound and direction. Although the tracks assembled on '45/45' stay faithful to the basics of dub and Betke's trusted production formula (i.e. computer-arranged sound design which, in the tweak of the tiniest loop, celebrates reduction right down to the essentials) '45/45' introduces a welcome return to hip hop beats. Substantially more organic, percussive and funky than its predecessors, Pole proves here that he can be direct, subtle, unforced and forceful, lending even more transparency to his carefully placed gaps – no clicks, no scratches, no scrapes, no nothing is allowed to dilute the strict clarity of his new output.