On Nerds and Technology
Probability Densities by Arpanet
I've been a fan of weird electronic music for a long time now, and this one, by Detroit-based Arpanet, is a good one, if a bit tricky to place. It wouldn't be out of place sitting at the table next to Drexciya, or Soup-era Bola, but stands on its own as deeply interesting listening IDM.
I'm serious about calling this IDM, or Intelligent Dance Music, because Arpanet take their name from a rather science-y place: the precursor to the Internet. ARPANET, an acronym for Advanced Research Projects Agency Network, was formed as part of the U.S. reaction to the Soviet Union's launch of Sputnik in the late 50s. ARPA was assigned to research how to utilize their investment in computers, and they sought to move forward into an age of interactive computing, particularly with the idea of connecting distant communities of researchers across a 'network' - this idea, just a theory in the early 60s, would be realized by sending packets of data rather than using circuits, and the resulting ARPANet came into being in 1969.
This Arpanet is somewhat unknown, with the artist(s) giving no interviews and very rarely appearing live, but s/he or they are rumored to be part of the 'Dataphysix lab' where Dopplereffekt resides. Arpanet is also connected to Japanese Telecom and Der Zyklus, and may or may not have been involved in the early Drexciya releases. Nothing like faceless techno to leave you guessing, right? I think its actually pretty interesting, as it leaves the focus and responsibility on the music and the listener. Arpanet's sound straddles the gap between hardcore detroit electro and ambient electronic music, with an effect that is prime-era WARP-like and hits all kinds of techno reference points.
Arpanet's first album, Wireless Internet was released by Air's label, Record Makers in 2002, and this song is from Arpanet's new album, entitled Quantum Transposition, out now on Rephlex Records. Rephlex is the electronic label run by Richard D. James (aka Aphex Twin), and is dedicated to pushing the envelope of left-field electronics. Rephlex really do their best to appeal to computer nerds everywhere - just look at their site, it looks like a UNIX shell for god's sake! - and Quantum Transposition is a great fit for the label, with song titles like "Heisenberg Compensation" and "Information Quanta" they fall right in line with another recent set of Rephlex releases by DMX Krew (Collapse of the Wave Function). Cool!*
In the US, you can buy QT from Forced Exposure in the US, or from WARP Mart or Boomkat in the UK.
*Yes, I am a nerd, and proud of it.