Or perhaps we should also quote Andrea Parker: Kiss my ARP. Either way KORG was back yesterday with another release of the classic ARP 2600 just in time for Star Wars day.

The Korg ARP 2600 FS – their high-end reissue of the ’70s classic, which sold out as soon as it was announced – is available again, in limited quantities.

The Korg ARP 2600 FS is a replica of the 1970s original, handcrafted in Japan and includes USB and DIN-style. MIDI connections, XLR audio outputs, plus the improved ARP 3620 Duophonic Keyboard with an added arpeggiator / sequencer. This iconic synth will arrive in a custom-branded hard shell case, complete with casters.

The original ARP 2600, invented by Dennis Colin and released by Alan R. Pearlman’s ARP Instruments, was one of the first semi-modular synths to hit the market. It has been used by legendary artists like Stevie Wonder, Herbie Hancock, Pete Townshend, Orbital and Nine Inch Nails, and even provided the sound of R2-D2 in Star Wars.

Korg has listed a limited number of brand-new ARP 2600 FS synths in the Korg USA Reverb Direct Shop for $4,499.99.

Korg introduced the ARP 2600 FS at the 2020 NAMM Show:

Don’t miss out on this classic clip:

We mentioned Andrea Parker and her classic album Kiss my ARP in the beginning which may give way for an explanation 🙂
The debut from acclaimed DJ and slightly less acclaimed electronica artist Andrea Parker is a winning mix of the electronic and the organic, a rather dark but never depressing examination of the psyche that relies equally on vintage synthesizers (hence the album title), cutting-edge beatcraft, and real orchestral string arrangements. And she sings pretty well, too. The album opens with the downbeat and contemplative “The Unknown,” on which a minor chord progression and how-low-can-you-go bassline are leavened by big synth washes and a soaring chorus. “In Two Minds” is a fairly abstract synth piece with pizzicato violins and a chirping analog noise that Allen Ravenstine would kill for. “Sneeze” charmingly samples the sound of Parker sneezing into a surprisingly funky four-bar rhythm loop and also uses analog synthesizer to approximate the sound of water-pot percussion. “Return of the Rocking Chair,” however, is a ponderous and annoying waste of time, but everything else on this album is well worth listening to.