Pole Folder is the professional moniker for the Belgian producer, Benoit Franquet.  I've seen and heard the name mostly in association with John Digweed.  Digweed has used Pole Folder's tracks on some of his mixes, and he's been a guest DJ on Digweed's KISS100 show.  So I wasn't surprised to see this album released on Digweed's Bedrock lable. 

 

I picked this album up shortly after it was released, but it's taken me awhile to give it more than just a cursory listen.  But recently, I've really listened to it, and have used a couple of tracks in some of my own mixes.

 

This album is an unmixed collection of mostly downtempo tracks.  Singer Shelly Harland provides the vocals throughout the album.  While I typically don't care for overly feminine vocals, her's seem to work on this album.  The swirling synths and subtle beats on such tracks as "Scared to Lose" and "Faith in Me" work very well with her vocal style. There are a couple of driving dance oriented tracks, such as the Spacey "London" and "Morning Crow" that should see play in clubs and on mix CDs.  The more subdued track, "Salvation on Slavery Sins" falls somewhere in between the dance floor and downtempo, and was the opening track for Hernan Cattaneo's second "Renaissance Masters Series" release.   

 

If you're looking for a driving dance CD, this is not for you; however, this release is an excellent album to listen to.  There is a good mix of vocal and instrumental productions.  Being unmixed it allows the use of the tracks in mixes without working around a mixed intro or outro.