Introduced 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.
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. Fusing EBM and trance patterns into thickly textured compositions, the completely self-produced and published album featured new vocal styles and guest contributions from Jeff's wife, Christina. Quickly capturing the attention of deejays, music media, and discerning listeners across the globe, TESTUBE was signed to DSBP RECORDS in late 1999 and released the full length remix disc Reconstructive Surgery a year later. Featuring diverse remixes by PAIN STATION, BIOPSY, TRYLOK, B!MACHINE, THINE EYES, ONEIROID PSYCHOSIS and other dark electronic artists, Reconstructive Surgery quickly infected clubs and radio stations across the country.
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 charting industrial music, TESTUBE crafted the highly controversial CD titled Corporation. Offering an inside look at the dysfunctional clockwork of the "American Dream" and its dependence on corporate corruption, 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 Covert EP, meshing Jeff's signature chaotic and 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 experimental dark pop approach that began on 2008's Covert EP, the quirky unpredictable nature of the music on Off Purpose was complimented with special boutique 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 followed, featuring remix contributions from In Virus Tandem, R010R, Unterm Rad, Type001, LowHero.DLL, and Justin Lassen.
Two years later, Jeff and Christina constructed an off-grid cabin in the Ozark mountains, where they experimented with a simpler lifestyle without running water or electricity. During this time, TESTUBE's output was obviously hampered, but Jeff continued to write new music, building up a cache of unfinished demos. A handful of these new tracks appeared on the 2015 Atavistic EP.
By the time that the covid pandemic hit in 2019, Jeff decided that he had gained enough perspective from his simpler living, and chose to get back "on the grid". Finishing 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-year spread of songwriting, the tracks are diverse and personal, but retain the signature TESTUBE off-purpose approach. Together with a follow-up Forthwater remix album, this fresh sound garnered enough critical praise for an invitation to join the IDM artist roster at Point Source Electronc Arts, resulting in the dark and introspective 2024 instrumental album titled Self-Sabotage.
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.