John Peel Wiki

Changes to the look of John Peel Wiki will take place in the near future due to a new skin being rolled out over Oct/Nov across Wikia. Please see the Wikia Staff Blog for further details. On this site, the changes will affect the navigation from the left menu, as well as introduce a fixed page width with narrower content space. Please be patient while adjustments are made for the switch to the new system.

UPDATE: As the change is now in force for some users, I have switched the navigation to the simplified one for the new system. Please check Navigation in the Help section if you can't find things. I also initially made small adjustments to the front page layout, but have now reverted to the old look until all users are on the new system.

COUNTDOWN: Just a reminder for people still using Monaco that the final switch to the new skin is due on Nov. 3. After that, it will no longer be offered as an option. Sorry. Nothing to do with me.

Steve W

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John Peel Wiki
Test Department

Test Dept, sometimes credited as Test Department is a British industrial music group from London, England, that was one of the most important and influential early industrial music acts. Their approach was marked by the use of "found" material, re-constructed to better serve their purpose, of making "more" with "less".

he group formed in the London suburb of New Cross in 1981. The core members of the group were Graham Cunnington, Paul Jamrozy, Jonathan Toby Burdon, Paul Hines and Angus Farquhar. Other members who played with the group at various times included Alistair Adams, Neil Starr, John Eacott, Andy Cowton, Tony Cudlip, David Coulter, Liz Ranken, Gus Ferguson, Martin King, Simon Hyde, Russell MacDonald and Katie Jane Garside. Comedian Vic Reeves played bass in an early incarnation of the band. The band signed to Some Bizzare Records, a label connected to acts like Depeche Mode, Soft Cell, The The, Cabaret Voltaire, PTV, Foetus, and Swans. The slides and film for Test Dept multi-media events were made by visual director Brett Turnbull.

Their discography spans a wide variety of influences and styles, including a collaboration with the South Wales Striking Miners Choir in support of the miners' strike of 1984. They were particularly notable for complex and powerful percussion, as well as high-energy live performances. Like the German band Einstürzende Neubauten, another Some Bizzare label signing with whom they are often compared, Test Dept used unconventional instruments such as scrap metal and industrial machinery as sound sources; however, Test Dept's use of these objects was far more rhythmic than was Neubauten's, and was often accompanied by film and slide shows. The group were noted for large-scale events in unusual site-specific locations, such as Bishopsbrige Maintenance depot at Paddington station, Arch 69 and Titan Arch near Waterloo station, Cannon Street station, Stirling Castle and the disused St Rollox Railway Works in Glasgow. Test Dept. were also active in the 1980s underground tape scene with many of their earliest releases being available only on cassette.

(read more on Wikipedia)

Links to Peel[]

Peel seemed to have discovered the group in 1983 via the various artists compilation album, 'Batcave: Young Limbs And Numb Hymns', according to available tracklistings on this site. Further material from the group were played on his radio programmes, including two sessions they recorded for his programmes between 1983 and 1985. After 1991, Peel seemed to have lost interest in the band's material.

Sessions[]

TEST_DEPARTMENT_John_Peel_15th_August_1983

TEST DEPARTMENT John Peel 15th August 1983

1. Recorded: 1983-08-15. First Broadcast: 22 August 1983. Repeated: 14 September 1983, 05 October 1983, 22 December 1983, 14 August 1985

  • Hunger / State Of Affairs / Shockwork

2. Recorded: 1985-02-19. First Broadcast: 04 February 1985. Repeated: 19 February 1985

  • Operation Prayer Power / Massive Kamikaze Attack

Other Shows Played[]

Test_Dept_-_Compulsion

Test Dept - Compulsion

1983
1984
1985
1986
1987
1990
  • 24 November 1990: Pax Americana (The Desert Mix) (12") Ministry Of Power / Jungle
1991

External Links[]