- Pole Folder made his big impact thanks to the guiding light of a certain John Digweed. ‘Apollo Vibes’ was without doubt one of the highlight productions in Digweed’s Global Underground mix from Los Angeles, and the fact such a great production could stand out of such a fantastic album tells a story of the talent this Belgian based producer has. Benoit Franquet has a rich history in music, starting to learn the way of sound at the age of 5. His musical journey has taken him through Rock (in which he formed a band by the name of ‘Dirty Slap’), Techno and now to his debut artist album on Bedrock Records. Zero Gold is the name of the album and it unleashes the musical soul of Pole Folder for all to see.
The album starts off brilliantly with the deep sounds of Abrasion, and helped by the vocal talents of Shelley Harland, the album begins smoothly with soft flowing beats, subtle guitar riffs and delicate atmospheric hums that flow delightfully after the soothing vocals from Shelley. Sandra Ferretti lends her delicate touch to the Waterfalls of Love, layering some smooth vocal lines of a moody piece of work that again flows delightfully thanks to some warm pads and sharp effects. Salvation on Slavery Sins picks the pace up a little bit with an even moodier production that features the trademark deep sounds and effects that Benoit is known for. Sandra Ferretti returns to perform in Scared To Lose, and puts her softly sung vocals over a smooth broken beat journey that features a stunning string laden breakdown.
Inner Turmoil is definitely a highlight of the mix thanks to its quirky drums, swirling synth effects, smooth strings and the very quirky yet seductive vocal snippets. London again pushes the album along nicely, with some mystical melodic patterns and a sweet aura while Fall In Violet sees Shelley Harland again provide some great vocals full of emotion that compliment the smooth and subtle piano rhythms very well. Morning Crow is perhaps the darkest track of the album, but it is far from being moody throughout. Smooth string patterns ride in the background behind beats that give the track a real drive and energy. Kirsty Hawkshaw provides some stunning vocals for Faith In Me, the penultimate track of the album. It is a track that lowers the tempo but raises the mood thanks to some majestic vocal highs and ethereal percussive elements. Stunning to say the least. The final production of the album is Before It All Changes, and it is a very solid way to conclude as it provides a very uplifting soundscape upon exit, leaving the listener in good spirits at the end of this quite epic album.
I must say that this album is definitely one of those timeless pieces of music that keeps you coming back for more. In a time where some artists focus on jumping on the new sound or trying to conform to an image, Pole Folder reminds us that in the end its all about the music, and in this album Benoit returns to the forefront with an album that is musically rich. Benoit’s love for music and its emotive elements really shine in this album, and it is clear to see that all his time and devotion have gone into it. It is this effort and love for his work that makes this album the masterpiece that it is, and also one of the must own albums of this year.