TESTUBE

The Audio Experiments of Jeff Danos

Biography

Jeff DanosIntroduced in 1994 as one of several experimental audio projects of Jeff Danos, TESTUBE wasted no time in developing a reputation as one of those rare electronic acts with a surplus of unpredictable and innovative ideas, and a knack for stylistic reinvention.

After several self-released cassette/CDR releases on his own United Endangered Front record label from 1995 to 1998, TESTUBE followed in 1999 with his first widely distributed and highly successful Bioplaza concept disc. Quickly capturing the attention of deejays, the music media, and discerning listeners across the globe, TESTUBE was signed to DSBP RECORDS in late 1999 to release the full length remix disc Reconstructive Surgery in 2000. Featuring diverse remixes by PAIN STATION, BIOPSY, TRYLOK, B!MACHINE, THINE EYES, ONEIROID PSYCHOSIS and other innovative electronic artists, Reconstructive Surgery quickly infected clubs and radio stations across the globe.

Reconstructive Surgery remained in the CMJ national RPM top-20 charts for six weeks, peaking at the number 4 chart position in September 2000, alongside electronic contemporaries THIEVERY CORPORATION, JUNO REACTOR, and A GUY CALLED GERALD. Responding to requests from die-hard Testube fans for more music, TESTUBE and DSBP RECORDS also released the limited edition Bioplaza Revisited disc in late 2000, featuring additional remixes and previously unreleased tracks. Jeff then returned to the spotlight by applying the TESTUBE remix treatment to songs by BIOPSY, NOXIOUS EMOTION, THINE EYES, PAIN STATION, DIVERJE, B!MACHINE, and the highly anticipated LEAETHERSTRIP single titled Carry Me.

After three years of obsessive studio immersion, intense sound manipulation, and frustration with the direction of modern music, TESTUBE then presented the highly controversial CD titled Corporation. Offering an inside look at the dysfunctional clockwork of the "American Dream" and its dependence on corporate anti-justice, TESTUBE's sound crept even further into a gray area that knows few stylistic boundaries or limitations.

After several relocations, some soundtrack work, a handful of remixes and a bit of soul searching, TESTUBE withdrew from DSBP Records in 2007 to pursue new channels of exposure and a fresh perspective. Shortly thereafter, Jeff Danos joined forces with longtime friend Jonathan Chalker (from the dark electro-pop acts MINDPEG, PENETRATOR, and LOWHERO.DLL) to form GLIM RECORDS. In 2008, TESTUBE released the free Covert EP, meshing Jeff's signature chaotic-yet-uncompromising style with classic post-punk, wave and 4AD dream pop flavors. An extended 10-track version of the EP included remixes from PTYL, DIGITAL DIRT HEADS, R010R, LOWHERO.DLL, and TYPE001.

In May of 2010, Testube returned with the full length Off Purpose. Further refining the electronic 'experimental pop' approach that began on 2008's Covert EP, the quirky unpredictable nature of the music on Off Purpose was complimented with special hand-assembled packaging. Featuring a hand-screened arigato sleeve with randomly applied rust/metallic ink and a trigger ejector case, Off Purpose was truly a work of art, and an immediate collector's item. A remix album titled Unintentional soon followed, featuring remix contributions from In Virus Tandem, R010R, Unterm Rad, Type001, LowHero.DLL, and Justin Lassen.

Two years later, Testube constructed his own off-grid cabin the Ozark mountains, where he experimented with a simpler lifestyle without running water and electricity. During this time, Testube's output as an electronic musician was coincidentally hampered, but he continued to write new music, building up a cache of unpolished songs. A handful of these new tracks appeared on the 2015 Atavistic EP.

By the time that the covid pandemic hit in 2019, Testube had decided that he had gained enough perspective from his simpler living, and had already chosen to get back "on the grid". Working with the many working tracks he had shelved during his abstinence from electricity, he assembled seventeen of these songs into the 2022 Backwater album, and hired Alex Stilts of Orbit Room Audio to master them. Originating from a ten plus year spread of songwriting, the tracks are diverse and personal, but retain the signature Testube sound, and have garnered much critical praise.

The current incarnation of TESTUBE mixes glitch-laden precision edits, experimental rhythms, disfigured pop melodies, and multi-layered aural textures to render a unique sound experience with few comparisons. Armed with a plethora of tech-bending ideas and a hunger to promote the values of individuality and improvisation in a sometimes languid music scene, TESTUBE is focused on presenting both a captured and live experience like no other.

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