Test Ratte by Alec Empire

“Test Ratte” (also written Testratte) is the German word for “test rat.”

In the Berlin underground scene of the early 1990s, the term was often used in a derogatory way to describe ravers who experimented with overpriced drugs they knew very little about—substances that could seriously harm their health.

As the scene grew, many DJs began to view large crowds as mere biomass.
No personal connection existed anymore—not through music, not through shared values.
This is the inevitable outcome when values are treated as obstacles to growth, when maximum reach becomes the only goal, and when “inclusion” means letting in everyone—regardless of character, ethics, or outright criminal behavior.

When new dance music tracks were tested on audiences, DJs would say things like:
“Let’s see how the test rats respond.”
Or: “Stupid test rats—they know nothing. We can throw anything at them. As long as they’re on drugs, they won’t notice the difference.”

The term quickly spread to promoters, who grew increasingly cynical and arrogant—convinced they could book anything and still sell tickets because, in their view, “audiences are stupid anyway.”
It soon reached drug dealers as well, marking the nihilistic climax of the scene.

Dealers knew they were poisoning their customers.
Short-term thinking and contempt formed the basis of these “business” relationships.

Alec Empire began distancing himself more and more from the Berlin scene.

The album Test Ratte—originally planned as a double 12-inch vinyl release—was never publicly released. By the time Digital Hardcore Recordings was founded and fully operational, Alec had already left the scene behind and felt that criticizing it would come too late.

In one of the upcoming chapters on his Substack, Alec Empire’s Secret, he reflects on a key moment in his career that ultimately pushed him to move on. https://alecempire.substack.com

Test Ratte represents a transition away from Techno toward Digital Hardcore.
The tracks clearly function as blueprints for Atari Teenage Riot’s The Future of War (released in 1997):
dark, apocalyptic energy;
909 drum programming inspired more by speed metal than by gabber.

The idea behind the aggressive sound was to imagine how crowds would react—with rage—if they ever realized how they were being deceived and looked down upon by their so-called leaders.

Note:
There is no explicit political message, as found in Atari Teenage Riot’s later work.
Test Ratte is pure instinct—anger and violence.

That may be precisely why Alec chose not to release it at the time.
In 1994, providing proper context for such music was far more difficult than it is today.

Are you ready to experiment on yourself?

producer & composer. member of Atari Teenage Riot, The Hellish Vortex - Sovereign Creator - Crypto Artist. 🏴

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