Arpanet - Quantum Transposition

Well, if the original Arpanet was a predecessor to the Internet, what should we make of QUANTUM TRANSPOSITION, Arpanet's release on Rephlex? Certainly, early on, there's a cool sterility here, as the brevity of the tracks veer towards sonic experimentalism, rather than following a traditional song structure. But "Ionic Crystals" and "Probability Densities" seem more like proper songs and help to break through the ice. "Orbital Wavelengths," "Quantum Space Recombination," and "Uncertainty Principle" keep steady with the only 4-to-the-floor beats on the album, even if the former decays into nothingness towards the end ("Information Quanta" comes close, but also has some rhythmus interruptus, while the staticky breaks of "EPA Effect" continually come and go). These songs seem to represent miniature pulses from the Arpanet itself. The disrupted beat on "Entrophic Decay" and the resonating chimes on "Isotopic Balance" feel fragmentary, as if they were cut off before their time. So if the Arpanet served as the prototype for the large, vast Internet, maybe that's how we should look at the tracks of this album: prototypes for larger, vaster songs.

I just love this G. Donald's concept of music about science, technology etc. But I have to admit I wasn't petrified by this record. It could have been such an amazing piece if more tracks sounded like "Ionic Crystals" - that's a really beautiful track. However some tunes have this similar sound of "Biometry". And those beats of "EPR Effect" - what are these for ? But anyway it's still a Masterpiece !

It's quite clear there's been a shift in the production techniques used on this LP compared with 'Wireless Internet' and work as Japanese Telecom/Drexciya/et al. This release comes off to these ears much colder and sterile with Arpanet further refining it's technological visions.
Those interested in Autechran machinations will find appeal in this release. For those yearning for the warm analog emissions of his heyday they're long gone. :(