Propaganda announce 6CD ZTT boxset

Propaganda announce 6CD ZTT boxset, A Secret Sense Of Rhythm: A Secret Sense Of Sin, a definitive celebration of the German synth-pop pioneers’ time with the label from 1983 to 1985.

Propaganda emerged from Düsseldorf in 1982, soon capturing the imagination of musical tastemakers with their provocative, art-driven sound described at the time as ‘ABBA from Hell’.

Propaganda was the first band to formally sign to Trevor Horn’s pioneering Zang Tuum Tumb label in June 1983, and they released their debut single, Dr. Mabuse, in February of the following year.

The brooding, cinematic track, produced by Horn and perhaps best experienced in all its 10-minute Das Testament Des Mabuse glory, as a perfect example of the art of the 12″ version.

Hear the previously unreleased Dr Mabuse – Some Kind Of Wonderful below:

A Secret Wish

The full-length debut, A Secret Wish, arrived in the Summer of 1985. Written primarily by Ralf Dörper, Michael Mertens, Claudia Brücken & Andreas Thein, and produced by Stephen Lipson, it featured the distinctive vocals of both Brücken and Susanne Freytag, along with cameos from David Sylvian, Stewart Copeland, Steve Howe, Glenn Gregory, and the legendary post-punk guitarist, the late John McGeoch.

A Secret Wish was both a critical triumph and a commercial success, reaching the Top 20 on the UK Albums Chart and spawned two further iconic singles, Duel and p:Machinery, the latter becoming a major hit in Italy, France, the Netherlands, Germany, and Switzerland, as well as the ‘should have been a single Murder Of Love and a cover of Sorry For Laughing by the lo-fi Scottish Postcard Records band, Josef K.

That same year, the band embarked on their Outside World tour, performing across Europe and North America, with former Simple Minds bassist Derek Forbes and drummers Steve Jansen (ex-Japan) and Brian McGee (also ex-Simple Minds).

In November 1985, Wishful Thinking, a reimagining of A Secret Wish, crafted for the US club market, was issued a promo only, but was quickly adopted by European fans and is regarded as a classic example of the remix album genre.

Now, for the first time, this deluxe collector’s edition boxset, curated by ZTT archivist and Classic Pop founder Ian Peel, presents a definitive archive of Propaganda’s groundbreaking work. Along with the 6CD set, there are also two exclusive companion formats: a limited 1LP vinyl edition remixed by David Kosten, known for his work with Faultline, Everything Everything, Bat For Lashes, Steven Wilson, and Mike Oldfield, and a superdeluxeedition.com exclusive Blu-ray featuring a brand-new Dolby Atmos mix also by Kosten.

Zang Tuum Tumb Era

A Secret Sense Of Rhythm: A Secret Sense Of Sin is a time capsule, a curated archive, and a celebration of one of the most ambitious,  artful and best-regarded pop albums of the 1980s. It also serves as the most definitive record of the time Propaganda spent with the Zang Tuum Tumb record label, from 1983 to 1985.

CD 1 Secret – An encyclopaedic edition of the debut Propaganda album, A Secret Wish. All the tracks from both the original 1985 Analogue Sequence and the later Digital Variation. All remastered for its 40th anniversary at Abbey Road Studios.

CD 2 Stahlnetz – An extended edition of the remix album Wishful Thinking. If A Secret Wish was ‘ABBA in heaven’, then STAHLNETZ is ‘ABBA in hell’, its darker dance-floor counterpart, created ‘for the footsteps and heartbeats of the connoisseur’.

CD 3 Singlette – Propaganda’s three specially-edited EPs – originally released only on cassette – all with unique versions, mixes and sequences: Do Well, Complete Machinery and the initial intended sequence for (The Nine Lives of) Dr. Mabuse.

CD 4 Series – Propaganda’s contributions to Zang Tuum Tumb’s Action, Incidental and Fatal series. Featuring some of the biggest, boldest 12″ remixes in the history of electronic pop, connected by the Testament series of interludes and edits.

CD 5 Studio – A behind-the-scenes listen into Propaganda at work in Sarm Studios across 1984 and 1985. The construction of the album, including the singles and remixes, is a raw, illuminating work-in-progress juxtaposed with beautiful alternate takes.

CD 6 (Some Kind Of) Single – The final Propaganda single of the Zang Tuum Tumb era: a previously unreleased version of Dr. Mabuse from John Hughes’ 1987 film Some Kind of Wonderful, alongside mixes created especially for TV and video.

Super Deluxe Edition & Digital Tracklist

DISC 1: SECRET
A Secret Wish (Propaganda’s Analogue Sequence)
Dream Within a Dream (8.04)
The Murder of Love (05.18)
Jewel (03.09)
Duel (04.41)
p:Machinery (03.49)
Sorry For Laughing (03.27)
Dr. Mabuse (First life) (05.02)
The Chase (04.05)
The Last Word (Strength to Dream) (03.02)

A Secret Wish (Stephen Lipson’s Digital Variation)
Dream Within a Dream (09.08)
Jewel (06.22)
Duel (04.48)
Frozen Faces (04.25)
p:Machinery (03.51)
Dr Mabuse (10.41)

DISC 2: STAHLNETZ
Disturbdance One (0.11)
Abuse – Here (03.29)
Machined (06.53)
p:Machinery – The βeta Wraparound… (10.47)
Laughed (08.45)
Sorry For Laughing – Alvin Clarke 12″ Mix (05.27)
Loving (0.46)
Jewelled (07.48)
Loved (06.42)
Abuse – There (04.16)
Im Stahlnetz Des Mabuse (03.17)
Thought (02.06)
Frozen faces – The Echo of… (10.19)
Machined – Nowhere (0.29)

DISC 3: SINGLETTE
(The Nine Lives of) Dr. Mabuse
Dr. Mabuse – A Paranoid Fantasy (04.21)
Dr. Mabuse Der Spieler – An International Incident (05.38)
Das Testaments Des Mabuse (10.16)
Femme Fatale – The Woman with The Orchid (03.22)
Dr. Mabuse – The Ninth Life of… (04.10)
Do Well
The First Cut (01.28)
Duel – Voiceless (05.06)
Jewel – Cut Rough (06.52)
Wonder (01.44)Bejewelled (05.16)
Complete Machinery
Introduction (0.26)
p:Machinery – Connected (12.42)
Separation (0.20)
Frozen Faces – βeta (05.30)

DISC 4: SERIES
Die Tausend Augen Des Mabuse (09.47)
Testament One (01.20)
Duel – Bitter-sweet (07.37)
Testament Two (0.29)
p:Machinery – Polish (09.24)
Testament Three (0.25)
Frozen Faces – αlpha (04.23)
Testament Four (0.25)
Sorry For Laughing – Unapologetic (10.11)
Testament Five (01.04)
The Murder of Love – Murderous Instrumental (04.28)
Testament Six (0.32)
p:Machinery – βeta (09.33)
Testament Seven (03.15)
Dr Mabuse – Special Instrumental Mix (05.36)
Testament Eight (01.56)

DISC 5: STUDIO
Dream Within a Dream (Within A Dream) (04.27)
P:Machinery – αlpha (01.58)
Dr Mabuse (An International Conclusion) – Outtake 24.04.85 (05.44)
(The First Life of…) Strength to Dream – Outtake 04.02.84 (02.28)
Dream Within a Dream – Noise and Girls Come Out to Play (09.10)
Frozen Faces – A Secret Sense of Rhythm (05.10)
Frozen Faces – A Secret Sense of Sin (05.37)
p:Machinery – Goodnight 32 (04.12)
The Chase – The Goodnight, Mix (04.12)
Femme Fatale – The Orchid (03.21)
Jewel – Rough Cut (03.44)
Lied (02.47)
The Lesson (04.18)
p:Machinery – Passive (03.44)
p:Machinery – The Voiceless βeta Wraparound Edit (04.25)

DISC 6: (SOME KIND OF) SINGLE
Disturbdance Six (01.02)
Dr Mabuse – Some Kind of Wonderful (03.20)
Disturbdance Five (02.34)
Duel – Thirds, For Top of the Pops (04.01)
Disturbdance Thirty-three – Parts one and two (02.17)
Dr Mabuse – Anton Corbijn Video Mix (04.54)
Disturbdance Seven (03.14)
p:Machinery – Zbigniew Rybczyński Video Mix (04.37)
Disturbdance Fourteen (01.14)

A SECRET WISH LP – DAVID KOSTEN MIX
SIDE A (Within)
Dream Within a Dream (8.04)
The Murder of Love (05.18)
Jewel (03.09)
Duel (04.41)
SIDE B (Without)
p:Machinery (03.49)
Sorry For Laughing (03.27)
Dr. Mabuse (First life) (05.02)
The Chase (04.05)
The Last Word (Strength to Dream) (03.02)

A SECRET WISH SUPER DELUXE EDITION EXCLUSIVE BLU-RAY

2025 Dolby Atmos
2025 5.1
2025 Stereo
2025 Binaural (headphones only)
2025 Dolby Atmos Instrumental
2025 5.1 Instrumental
2025 Stereo Instrumental
2025 Binaural Instrumental (headphones only)
1985 Original Stereo Mix
Of the original A Secret Wish (Propaganda’s Analogue Sequence)
Dream Within A Dream (8.04)
The Murder Of Love (5.12)
Jewel (3.09)
Duel (4.41)
p:Machinery (3.48)
Sorry For Laughing (3.27)
Dr. Mabuse (The First Life) (5.02)
The Chase (4.04)
The Last Word / Strength To Dream (3.02)
Plus the 1985 Original Stereo Mix of A Secret Wish (Stephen Lipson’s Digital Variation)
Dream Within A Dream (9.10)
The Murder Of Love (5.12)
Jewel (6.22)
Duel (4.41)
Frozen Faces (4.21)
p:Machinery (3.05)
Sorry For Laughing (3.27)
The Chase (4.04)
Dr. Mabuse (10.41)

Released 14 November, pre-order/pre-save here

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