Stefan Betke, a.k.a. Pole, must be considered one of the most influential figures in the German electronic music scene, not only for his unique production work, but also as co-owner of the ground-breaking ~scape label and as a gifted mastering engineer and vinyl cutter. His calm and reduced sound aesthetics combine elements of dub and techno with influences from experimental music and have made him one of the few German artists signed to the well-known Mute label. For Pole musical reductionism isn't repetitive or deterministic. It involves constant motion around an ideal core, the smallest possible unit. As a result, all of Pole's releases, despite their differences, are united by a central question: How can one extract the most intensity from the least amount of material as possible. Consolidation and purification as mutually beneficial processes. His current album 'Steingarten' and ensuing remixes came out on ~scape in 2007.