PC-Press site launch and announce Test Department Book for 2014
PC-Press is now live as a publisher and working towards our first publication – the Test Department book “Total State Machine”. Peter Webb formed PC-Press with help and input from Alexei Monroe in 2013 as a DIY publishing house that works with artists, musicians, photographers, graf artists and writers to develop critical, challenging and thoughtful work. The aim of the company is to provide artistically important and stimulating work that is in some way a comment upon, challenge to or celebration of the vast environment of culture that we live in and are a part of. The first project is working with Test Department and three of its key members Paul Jamrozy, Graham Cunnington and Angus Farquhar on a book which charts their history, music, artwork and has essays and reflections written by the band themselves and many of their collaborators or people affected by their work.
They describe themselves as being born” in the decaying docklands of South London” and that they and their music were “an urgent reaction to the materialistic drift and reactionary conservatism of the prevailing musical and political culture” of the 1980s. I was attracted to their work partly because of the impact of going to see their performances throughout the 1980s but also by their independent spirit, their use of found objects and deeply emotional classical and electronic music to produce some of the most powerful work I have ever witnessed. Their ethic and moral compass also attracted my growing political identity during the 1980s period. Overall though, this project shows what Test Department as a group achieved in a short space of time with little economic resource but with immense creative vision and an incredible work ethic and energy. Their story and history had to be told and I am very proud of the fact that PC-Press could work with Test Department to realise this book, which tells of an incredible story and journey. Test Department in its former state may have ceased to function but a new version of the group has emerged to engage with the current cultural and political climate. We will be posting related events and info on the site. All three members had also carried on the spirit of Test Department with their own work in NVA (Angus), C33 (Paul Jam) and Gray C (Graham) and we will provide links to these projects. The book should be published in June 2014 and there will be various events leading up to and after its publication. Please Stay Tuned – Pete Webb 27/01/14
To mark the closing weekend of the Festival, the seminal music group Test Dept returns with their debut live event since the group disbanded in 1997. This large-scale outdoor event takes place at the dramatic Dunston Staiths, reputed to be Europe’s largest wooden structure, which was built on the River Tyne in 1893 to ship coal from the local Durham coalfields to the world.
Test Dept will render Dunston Staiths as a living monument to the historic struggles of British miners since the industrial revolution. For three nights audiences will sail up the River Tyne to Dunston Staiths, where Test Dept will bring the drama and noise of the site back to life in a sonic, cinematic and lighting intervention.
1. bang on It!
(T*A*O Systems Mix)
Recorded at Klank, Venlo, Nederlands
Engineers by Mat Aerts
Live Drums by Martin King
2. Bang on IT!
(T.C. Ruff House Remix)
Recorded at Rex's Ruff House
Amikor 1991-92-ben Londonban eltem tobbszor elmentem a TD cimere (62 Chalk Farm Road), de mindig csak egy nagy keritessel talalkoztam es sose sikerult bejutnom. Amugy sima, 1 emeletes varosi lakohaznak nezett ki az epulet. A Camden Lock piac tavolabbi oldalan.
A fene vinne el, valaki elvitte elolem ezt az 1984-es koncert kazettat. Valamennyi CD-n megjelent TD meg van mar nekem es egy koncert kazijuk is. Ez viszont meg nem.
The album largely revolves around Sandy's voice and Hector's keyboards and soundscapes, but Zazou has also brought in his longtime collaborators Christian Lechevretel & Renaud Pion (on woodwinds & brass), as well as guitarists Marc Ribot, Justin Adams (Brian Eno, Sinead O'Connor) and Porl Thompson (ex-Cure), drummer Bill Rieflin (Ministry, Nine Inch Nails), bass player Daniel Yvinec and several more.
David Coulter, volt Test Dept tag Majus 8-an Becsben koncertezik, kiseri Sandy Dillon-t.
Amugy a Swans-os Mihcael Gira tavlay kiadta egy lemezet ami allitolag elg jo.
1. A KK Records honlapjan (http://www.kkrecords.be/kk/kkartist.html ) talaltam:
test dept: coming from an industrial past they now bring etno techno with lots of percussion.
kk135 / kk139 / kk14
2. A heten megvettem (de meg nem erkezet meg postan) a legelso CD-n megjelent kislemezuket: bang on it.
az utolsó a szfhv-i bahnhof-ba volt. (na jó! volt másnap talán az e-be is egy, de azóta nem voltak itt.)
erről van egy teljes kép+hang anyagom. a kép s-vhs, de átjátszható vhs-be is. a hang az CD (tökéletes minőség, vágva stb... kb.73 perc.ja! és hivatalos kiadvány.)írj! a tööbbit megbeszéljük.
