~scape and Stefan Betke: [komfort.labor] (2001)

By

NILS JACOBSON,

Nils Jacobson

Senior Contributor - Since 1999

Still scratching his head and wondering if it's real

720 articles published | Recent:

• The Elephant Sleeps But Still Remembers
• Zim Ngqawana: Sound, Song, and Humanity
• Malian Strings: Kora & Guitar
• Dance: Arabia, Turkey and Beyond
• South Africa: A Rough Guide & Vusi Mahlasela

Published: August 1, 2001

Is it just me, or did I hear a turntablist on [komfort.labor] ? Here's the story: we've got Stefan Betke (=Pole) doing a bunch of remixes. The original tunes have very little relationship with the remixes, unless you choose to look at the submicroscopic level... with one exception: Pole remixes Pole (interesting angle there). Now if you've heard any of Pole's records, you'd likely understand that he has his own way of doing things. There's a lot of dub bump in the bass, there's a constant ruffling and popping on the high end, and there's a resonant central melodic figure. That's the scoop on Pole. Now, taking a step back to the original idea of remixing, one might imagine Pole could do a wicked remix—given the right opportunity, of course. The powers of the universe combined to allow the compilation by ~scape berlin and the mix by Stefan Bettke, and now we have [komfort.labor]. (He doesn't only sample one disc at a time, of course.)

[komfort.labor] offers a lot of diverse sounds, as well as a few unusual multi-culti explorations here and there. Generally Pole sounds like he's watching his oscilloscope, but here Betke seems to be spending more time monitoring units within a given loop. The most resonant, active feature which distinguishes [komfort.labor] is that the original tunes for the remix force our man into new territory. Down with the stoner dub, flush the high-end noise for some delicate samplage, and buzz through a few evolving loops. Much of the detail actually comes from some altered form of the original tune, surprisingly enough. This record deserves attention from any angle: it's incredibly creative; it's timelessly fluid; and you might even want to get up and dance a little with it. Now that's a new thing for Pole, unless perhaps you've been using psychotropic substances in his presence.

Track Listing: Intro; Vladislav Delay "Siru"; Kit Clayton "The Mimic and the Model #1-B"; Process "SMP-K Option 2"; Maus & Stolle "Taxi"; Farben "Stuck"; Dr. Rockit "Photos and Pebbles"; Cinematic Orchestra "Continuum"; Flanger "Quicksilver Loom"; Low Res "Evanesce"; The Private Lightning Six "Baby FM"; Pole "Rondell 2"; Nils Oekland "Horisont"; Outro.

Personnel: Stefan Betke: remixing.

Record Label: WMF Records | Style: Electronica