Test Dept. & Birth Gof
Gododdin: 2026 Remaster
The pioneering London-based industrial music group Test Dept are releasing an expanded version of their landmark 1989 album 'Gododdin' (pronounced Godoth-een), which contained studio recordings of the visionary work they created together with the Welsh avant-garde theatre company Brith Gof at that time and toured as an epic performance piece in the UK and mainland Europe. 'Gododdin' is based on the earliest known Welsh language poem, which tells the story of the fate of 300 Celtic warriors who set out to defend their homeland from 100,000 invading Angles around 600 AD. The poem's themes of occupation, oppression, cultural annihilation and the fight for freedom are all still too resonant. The staging of 'Gododdin' was premiered at an abandoned Rover car factory in Cardiff, which was transformed using 600 tons of sand, 50 trees, 30 wrecked cars and a set that flooded as the performance progressed. Test Dept provided a blend of live percussion and bagpipes to enhance Brith Gof's physical performance, music and voice for what was not only a searing elegy for a nation's identity, but also its vanishing industrial heart. Among the most important theatre events ever held in Wales, a celebration of that landmark show consisting of a discussion and Q&A with Test Dept and Brith Gof will take place at Chapter in Cardiff on 24th October as part of the 25th anniversary line-up for the city's annual Experimentica festival. 'Gododdin: 2026 Remaster' comes as a 3CD/1DVD set that widens the canvas markedly to better portray what was a monumental artistic endeavour, the original 7 tracks now joined by 19 that have never previously been available. Included is a fully reworked perspective on 'Gododdin' utilising recently unearthed multitrack tapes of early studio recordings as a base upon which Test Dept founder members Graham Cunnington and Paul Jamrozy built stunning new versions of the material during the summer of 2026. A third CD captures the intensity and power of one of the 1989 live performances, which took place in a quarry in the Italian town of Polverigi. The set is rounded out with a DVD of a contemporaneous documentary containing footage from the live shows alongside interviews with the performers, academics and experts that provide a deeper appreciation of what was a monumental achievement and exhilarating spectacle. Compiled by Test Dept with full involvement from Brith Gof (Lis Hughes Jones, John E R Hardy, Heike Roms), all the audio has been freshly remastered by Paul Lavigne (Kontrast Mastering) and is housed in a 5-panel ecopak with a 24 page booklet containing archival imagery and writings, including an essay by academic/author and Test Dept expert Alexei Monroe. The original 'Gododdin' album was produced by the legendary Ken Thomas at Jacobs Studios and incorporated existing studio and field recordings made by Test Dept. The music was augmented with brass and wind instruments (courtesy of Brith Gof's John E R Hardy) and bagpipes (Alistair Adams), while Jamrozy's voice was complemented by the shimmering Welsh language vocals of Lis Hughes Jones. 'Gododdin: 2026 Remaster' is the second in a series of back catalogue reissues and arrives exactly a year after the well-received (and fast sold out) 4xCD 'Industrial Overture. Studio & Live Recordings 1982-1985'. It is presented in conjunction with Artoffact Records, who will also be releasing brand new Test Dept material in 2027. DVD Technical Specifications: NTSC all regions. 51 mins 4:3 ratio Stereo sound (nowt special) CD1 "Gododdin: 2026 Remaster": CD2 "Gododdin: Early Studio Sessions, Reworked 2026": CD3 "Gododdin: Live in Polverigi, 1989 (2026 Remaster)": * = previously unreleased DVD: Gododdin: Documentary (1990)