''Dataplex'' (stylized as ''dataplex'') is a 2005 album by Japanese
sound art
Sound art is an artistic activity in which sound is utilized as a primary medium or material. Like many genres of contemporary art, sound art may be interdisciplinary in nature, or be used in hybrid forms. According to Brandon LaBelle, sound a ...
ist
Ryoji Ikeda
Ryoji Ikeda (池田 亮司 ''Ikeda Ryōji'', born 1966) is a Japanese visual and sound artist who currently lives and works in Paris, France. Ikeda's music is concerned primarily with sound in a variety of "raw" states, such as sine tones and ...
. It was released in December 2005 by
independent record label
An independent record label (or indie label) is a record label that operates without the funding or distribution of major record labels; they are a type of small- to medium-sized enterprise, or SME. The labels and artists are often represented ...
Raster-Noton on
CD.
Background
''Dataplex'' was
Ryoji Ikeda
Ryoji Ikeda (池田 亮司 ''Ikeda Ryōji'', born 1966) is a Japanese visual and sound artist who currently lives and works in Paris, France. Ikeda's music is concerned primarily with sound in a variety of "raw" states, such as sine tones and ...
's first full-length release since his
2002
File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains independence from Indonesia and ...
's orchestral ''Op.''
It is the first part in the ''Datamatics'' series, which "interrogates and interprets the mass of raw computer data surrounding us all."
Overall, it is the musician's seventh solo album.
The last track, "data.adaplex", causes intentional playback errors when played on some CD players.
Reception
''
BBC Music
BBC Music is responsible for the music played across the BBC. The current director of music is Bob Shennan, who is also the controller of BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 6 Music, and the BBC Asian Network.
Officially it is a part of the BBC's Radio ...
''s Peter Marsh praised its composition stating the tracks are "arranged with surgical precision into short slices of minimalist art-techno; funky in a very cerebral, molecular sort of fashion, they're immersive (and by track 19) almost lush and strangely beautiful."
Comparing it to
Autechre
Autechre () is an English electronic music duo consisting of Rob Brown and Sean Booth, both from Rochdale, Greater Manchester. Formed in 1987, they are among the best known acts signed to UK electronic label Warp Records, through which all of A ...
, ''
PopMatters
''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, f ...
''s Tim O'Neil found "everything is once again falling apart in the most remarkable fashion. The computer is rebooting."
Reflecting on ''Datamatics'' as a series, ''Dusted Magazine''s John Seelbach called ''Dataplex'' "a surprising and enthralling start".
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the dat ...
s Rob Theakston also said it was "a promising start to what could be one of the most ambitious projects of the post-glitch movement."
''
Brainwashed''s Jon Whitney revered the album with "rather rhythmic, challenging, and completely enjoyable: something most computer musician types have failed at."
Track listing
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dataplex
2005 albums
Ryoji Ikeda albums