Press Pack

“Art is not a mirror to reflect reality, but a hammer to shape it” Bertolt Brecht

 

Musical pioneers, Test Dept have announced details of a new book charting the history of the group’s work, which is to be launched in March 2015.

 

‘Total State Machine’ is published by PC-Press www.pc-press.co.uk and is a unique historical document and visual representation of Test Dept, one of the UK’s truly investigative agitators, authentic industrialists, utilisers and recyclers of society’s debris.

 

Printed on high quality art paper, the book contains chapters and reflections from Paul Jamrozy, Graham Cunnington, Angus Farquhar, Stephen Mallinder (Cabaret Voltaire), Robin Rimbaud (Scanner), Marek Kohn, Malcolm Pointer, Ivan Novak (Laibach), Alan Sutcliffe (Kent Miners) and many more with an introduction by Alexei Monroe and Peter Webb. The book also contains original artwork, photography and documentary images of the group from all periods of their work.

 

Recently the core of the original group has re-emerged to engage with the current cultural and political climate, exploring new ways of expression in a strategic programme of actions and releases. New live and special events to coincide with the launch of ‘Total State Machine’ will be announced very soon.

 

In the meantime, the nationwide tour of the documentary ‘Still The Enemy Within’, an insight of the 1984 to ’85 miners strike with musical contributions from Test Dept, continues in cinemas across the UK. Test Depttoured in 1984/85 with the striking South Wales Miners Choir and released an album of their collaboration called `Shoulder to Shoulder’.