[1] Born in Düsseldorf, Pole took his name from a Waldorf 4-Pole filter,[1] which he accidentally dropped and broke in 1996.

Betke's first four albums, titled 1, 2, 3, and R (an intentional trilogy of albums, followed by a collection of remixes of Pole's 1998 debut EP Raum), were all based around this filter, with songs usually taking the form of dub basslines and rhythms with percussion provided by the eponymous filter.

In 2003 Betke departed from this style for the album Pole (a combination of tracks from two EPs, "45/45" and "90/90"), which utilized more traditionally electronic but still eclectic production.

Pole has been distributed on several different labels, including Matador Records and Mute Records, and in 1999 Betke cofounded (with Barbara Preisinger) the label ~scape, also known for publishing Jan Jelinek.

On September 1, 2011, Betke founded a new artist label named Pole.