Test Dept - Tested Product

Test Dept—the authentic industrialists, sonic material handlers, investigative agitators, utilizers and recyclers of society’s debris—have re-emerged to engage with the current cultural and political climate, exploring new ways of expression in a strategic program of actions and releases.  

Tested Product is the first in a series of re-releases in new and adapted artwork through newly formed DIY independent company PC-Press. This 12-inch for Record Store Day 2015 combines material from their 1983 debut single and their second major studio album The Unacceptable Face of Freedom (1986). “Compulsion” and “Pulsations” were recorded in Metropolitan Wharf, Wapping, by Paul Hardiman (noted for his work with Lloyd Cole, The The and Chris De Burgh!) on a mobile studio, and produced, respectively, by Flood and Trigger and by Richard Kirk and Stephen Mallinder of Cabaret Voltaire. The two tracks are prime examples of the mashup of industrial sounds and emerging dance music, mixing European synths and Detroit house rhythms with the heaviest industrial metal sounds ever recorded. 

On “Face of Freedom 2” and “Face of Freedom 3,” the voice of Leon Britton makes an appearance, sampled to show the evasion, attempted manipulation and hypocrisy of politicians in the media spotlight. The music highlights the post-punk / funk sensibility of the group and the sound of a classical industrial aural collage that would become the hallmark of many experimental and mainstream groups. 

This 12-inch EP is the first in a series of audio releases partnered by the book Total State Machine to be published in May 2015 by PC-Press.

• Record Store Day special release
• Re-releases tracks from 1983 and 1986
• Material produced by Flood and members of Cabaret Voltaire