Testube – Bioplaza (1999)

I will not lie to you: I was thrilled when I found that one. When I was doing my research for a new post I came across this album. I checked its genre and I decided to give it a go. Why?, you (might) ask. The answer is simple: for last a couple of months I was heading into electronic, dark wave music, trying to learn and understand that kind of genres (I’m still on learning curve but so far so good). I’ve known other bands from that era and style (like Skinny Puppy) but never heard of Testube. A couple of websites gave me a bit of information and I proceeded to make this review. For about 4 days “Bioplaza” was on the speakers at my work, at home, in my headphones when I was doing some shopping. What I liked about it at the beginning, was this vibe of 80’s. I could hear some synthesizers I was learning about in recent weeks. That tempo (which in almost all the songs is moderate) gave me that easy step into this niche world. Sometimes, for people who are hearing industrial, EBM, dark wave style songs for the first time, it might sound too aggressive, too much of this “take it all, B%@$*!” but the Testube’s album sounds just perfect. It’s just like you would listen to some soundtrack from a dark Sci-Fi thriller. Actually, I had an idea today to use this record when I will be reading some Philip K. Dick’s books or any other futuristic/dystopian themed texts. Going back and forth, I found a couple of songs definitely worth to remember. “Lost Contact” puts you in this scary but interesting vibe of a dystopian horror. Distorted vocal gives you this cybernetic feel, your closer connection between a human and a machine. “Overy Act” slows down, lets you sink in almost tantric experience, when every note, every seconds counts. It’s a journey in which you try to go deeper into the madness of a sound. “Powdercoat” presents you a poly-rhythmic style. Song is disturbing, leaving you with unease feel but I see it as a plus. You need some different emotions from music, and “Bioplaza” helps you uncover some more unique ones. My favourite track is “Bride of Science”, which has one of the coolest loops I’ve heard in long time. Simple but perfect, my head won’t stop bouncing when I hear it. I close my eyes and I can imagine all the futuristic scenes in movies. That vibe goes through me when I'm listening to the Testube’s album. Conclusion: for me “Bioplaza” is a really interesting album, I’m happy that I discovered it and can now explore more music from Jeff Danos mind (he stands behind all sounds). If you never heard of this type of music or know only a bit, I suggest you to try this record. If it won’t turn you into industrial, EBM fan, definitely will give you some ideas what can be done by synthesizers, loops and creative mind!