The concept for this brief EP is simple: Stefan Betke (Pole) and Kieran Hebden (Four Tet) each created an original track, and then each remixed the other's work. I was half-ignorant when I put this one on the turntable, since I still hadn't heard a Four Tet full-length. I had, however, heard some of Hebden's remixology. His outstanding reworking of Aphex Twin material is probably the only track off the mediocre Warp 10+3: Remixes compilation I still listen to. And since I'm already a fan of Pole's post-iron-curtain dub, getting these two together sounded intriguing.

First, the originals. Pole's "Heim" is a solid, undulating cracklefest that's not too far from the material off 3-- it actually would have been among that record's better tracks. It veers more toward faint melody and steady bass groove, and away from abstract ambience relative to his first full-length. "Heim" is not going to win Pole any new converts-- it's hard to imagine what he might do that would at this point. But if you have his kind of itch, it scratches nicely. Four Tet's "Cload" is a fast, upbeat track with a bit of rock and some dub-style production. The drums are typically precise, with the overall energy of the piece compensating for its lack of melodic development.

The EP's standout, by far, is Four Tet's remix of Pole's "Heim." Whatever elements remain of the original are slight; some vinyl crackle, maybe. (It could just be my copy.) But the beauty comes in the added material: Four Tet adds a crisp, penetrating beat to anchor the track, and working against the confines of this ridged pulse is a sampled piano passage consisting of impressionistic piano flourishes. In any other context, the piano might come off melodramatic, at best. But after the tension builds in this Old World v. New World battle, loops twisting and expanding, the piano finally emerges alone for a sad, delicate, and truly affecting coda.

The record closes with Pole's brief remix of "Cload," adhering fairly closely to his formula, but maintaining interest through the subtle weaving of the source material. This short one-off EP may not be easy to track down, but with three solid tracks and one really great one, it's got my recommendation.

-Mark Richard-San