p:Machinery – the αlpha:βeta definition (RSD 25)

Universal & ZTT Records celebrates the 40th anniversary of Propaganda’s ‘p:Machinery’, which is currently enjoying a renaissance as the theme for the Renault Symbioz TV ad campaign.

This limited edition 12″ clear vinyl has nine tracks in total, three of which are previously unreleased on vinyl, and four of which are previously unreleased pieces from the ‘Disturbdances’ series first heard on Propaganda’s sell-out box set for Record Store Day 2019.

Originally released in 1985, ‘p:Machinery’ also features David Sylvian, Simple Minds’ Derek Forbes, Magazine’s John McGeoch, and Berlin electronic luminary Moritz von Oswald. Production comes from Stephen Lipson and, for the previously unreleased material, Paul Morley. The package has been put together by renowned ZTT archivist Ian Peel, designed by Philip Marshall, and features unseen photos from Claudia Brücken’s archives.

The ‘αlpha’ and ‘βeta’ mixes of ‘p:Machinery’ are presented together for the first time ever—and, also for the first time, they’re backed with the ‘αlpha’ and ‘βeta’ versions of the track’s original B-side, ‘Frozen Faces’. There were always two duelling sides to Propaganda: ‘A Secret Wish’ vs. ‘Wishful Thinking’, ‘Dr Mabuse’ in the dark vs. the daylight, ‘Duel’ vs. ‘Jewel’… This release completes that two-sided story. This is the αlpha incarnation of Propaganda at its very βest.