The third issue of Stefan Betke's Pole project just hit the stores, and in step with the album-naming trend started by the band Chicago, it's called CD 3. The cover of Pole's first release was solid blue, the second was bright red, and this one is all yellow. From the outside, this is all that differentiates the three CDs, and many might say that there's even less difference in the music. These people have a point about the sameness; hell, even Betke would admit that Pole has a pretty narrowly defined sonic trademark. He makes vaguely rhythmic, dub-wise music constructed in part using the crackles from a defective pole filter, a device used when mastering vinyl LPs. Static pops, electrical buzzes, surface noise-- these are a few of Betke's favorite things. And what most people consider the annoying by-products of a retro music storage fixation, Betke considers instruments.

CD 3 is a good news/bad news kind of record. The good news is, if you've been unsure about Pole, understandably reluctant to spend your money on quiet, crackly ambient music, your prudence has been rewarded. This is definitely Pole's best record, and it's by far the most "pop" (as opposed to just "click-and-pop") of the three. The familiar scrapes, snaps and hisses have been relegated to the background here, as opposed to being the focus of CD 1, and the accessibility factor has definitely been upped. The first five tracks in particular should appeal to any open- minded fan of dub, as Betke meets the rockers uptown with deep, melodic bass, reverberating keyboard refrains, and loads of spacy atmosphere.

"Überfahrt" (alright, quiet down-- it means something entirely different in German) is particularly hypnotic, as every melodic and percussive phrase slides lazily in and out of the mix, echoing back from whence it came. And if you get high enough, you could probably actually dance to "Rondell Zwei," a tune that marches steadily forward on the strength of a downright catchy, substratic bassline. Somewhere, King Tubby is smiling.

The bad news is that if you already own a Pole record or two, it's tough to recommend buying another-- they're just too similar. CD 3 completes my Pole collection (except for those rare 12-inches), so I now own three albums of his minimalist, fractured techno records. Frankly, it's making me feel like an asshole. So, do I sell the first two and just hold on to CD 3? Probably. Because without a doubt, this is the record I'm putting on next time I feel like listening to Pole.

-Mark Richard-San