DIN A TESTBILD is a German band that rose inside the underground scenes of West/Berlin, but met a degree of popularity in due time. Our main interest is in the late 70s-early 80s period, despite the connections with the punk/rock art being stronger than, supposedly, those with the electronic side, nevertheless during which the first albums, of main importance (from the huge „Programm" concept), were released.
The punk tangency isn't strange once we realize that
DIN A TESTBILD is a merge of bands: TESTBILD, as a regular punk band, united with DIN A, a more obscure collective, around 1977-78. A lead musician in the first, Mark EINS was the one to invest most in the new hybrid punk-electro band, becoming in a matter of three-four years the sole mastermind behind
DIN A TESTBILD (think of Edgar FROESE in TANGERINE DREAM, after 1985,
or Michel HYUGEN in NEURONIUM). The TESTBILD ensemble
(Eins, Nutty Norman, Genee Romee) stayed together only during a couple of early singles, along Gudrun GUT, Ian Wright, Frank Von Der Beek and Zimmermann (later Graaf musician), but essentially Gut was the only one to remain in DIN A TESTBILD, as equal founder and performer, until 1982 or so (it is known that Eins/Gut redirected towards other groups, notably Einstürzende Neubauten,
starting with the year 1980). Eventual collaborations with Norman or Zimmermann resurfaced, but more into the 90s or 00s.
Mark Eins became, in a matter of years, more than a musician - extending to musical academic studies, art exhibitions and even acting, he turned into a cultural personality. The same can
somehow be said about DIN A TESTBILD, its history being more complex and various than just the seven-eight main works.
During the first year, DIN A TESTBILD works on electronic primary type-based experiments. Singles such as Abfall/Garbage (1979) are released, followed immediately by tours – the artistic performances were, though, already numerous, ranging from clubs & festivals (S.O.36, „Festival Of The Berlin Wall") to lurking underground reunions. One of the next projects is a soundtrack for the film Rote Liebe, in which Mark Eins gets the lead role.
Most importantly, DIN A TESTBILD ends a contract, in 1980, with the Innovative Communication label, newly-founded by Klaus SCHULZE. The full debut Programm 1 is immediately recorded. The band's (or Mark Eins') relation with Schulze, on the album, extended actually to mixing, producing and (quirkily) performing, as the instrumental rhythm of „She's so nice" is the identical one used by Schulze in Dig It, for „Weird Caravan".
In 1981, DIN A TESTBILD is one of the names listed in the hit-festival „Genial Dilletante", held over at Tempodrom, Berlin. The „Programm" set continues, with Programm 2 (1981) and Programm 3 (1983), this one recorded by Eins in his own studio, in collaboration with Ziggy Schöning, a musician that will stick around, more than once. In the same time, a compilation of the first two albums gets released in the USA.
A second soundtrack („Ginger Hel" – with Mark Eins as lead actor again) is composed in 1984, the same year when Programm 4 is recorded.
It's rejected though by the label, due to its dive into techno,
and Mark Eins ultimately never prints it.
Mark Eins works both solo and with other artist, the next in line releases being Leipzig & Coca-Cola, plus the hit Sex & Chaos, in collaboration with Uwe Mikulla
(a work surprisingly more into sonic sampling than any DIN A TESTBILD before). Fritz Hilpert remixes a couple of old pieces.
In the 21st Century, Eins gets back with Nutty Norman, releasing new & old singles. A documentary about the punk/underground music from the 70s/80s includes
DIN A TESTBILD. 2006 & 2007 are anniversary years, with the following efforts: limited edition Trash Painting Sound Collage, mixes & collages, live Stahl-Trash-Symphonie (with Zimmerman brothers from Graaf) and Programm 5 Sample Attack (with Nutty Norman).
It's important to note that DIN A TESTBILD's music hasn't got a direct link with the classic 70s synth-masters, but takes the synth-art into the new decade's fashion. Taking each album at a time, DIN A TESTBILD's styles result to be various, but not intricate and neither always valorous: synth-pop, vocal & instrumental electronic phasing, electro-rock, punk, techno, but also tape experiments and late sound-collages. Out of the well-known giants, KRAFTWERK can be a link. The other one, with Innovative Communication (Schulze), is more of an alibi.
A side note: bit of DIN A TESTBILD's music was picked for a 1989 sampler called The Voice Of Music, along that of TANGERINE DREAM, Holger CZUKAY and Laurie Anderson.
:::Ricochet (Victor "Philip" Parau):::
