Pulseprogramming was born and concepted as an experimental, expressive studio based project by Marc Hellner and former member Joel Kriske in Portland, Oregon in 1998. Pulseprogramming is currently centered on Marc Hellner and new member Chanel Pease, but the group is a multimedia entity, including art directors (John Schacter and Hans Seeger), a filmmaker/video artist (Eric David Johnson, aka DJ Bunny Ears), and a poet (Joel Craig). The first self-titled album — predominantly a work of ambient IDM — was released in 1999 on Chicago's Aesthetics. A pair of limited-edition albums followed in 2001, the first of which saw the group move closer to song-oriented material, with use of beats and lyrics adding new facets to the group's productions. Tulsa for One Second followed in 2003, continuing the group's move toward traditional songwriting while maintaining abstract qualities throughout.

In the years after Hellner and Kriske parted ways, Hellner released a record entitled Marriages enlisting production team Telefon Tel Aviv. The album was released by Peacefrog Records in 2005.