Test Dept.

British industrial music pioneers

Test Dept, also known as Test Department, is a British industrial music group that was formed in New Cross, London, by members including Graham Cunnington, Angus Farquhar, Paul Jamrozy, and others in 1981. They are known for their avant-garde and politically charged style of music which blends unconventional instruments and industrial ephemera with more traditional instrumentation. Test Dept often used scrap metal and other industrial materials as percussion instruments, creating a unique and harsh sound that was both a commentary on the deindustrialization of Britain and a reflection of the group's activist ethos.