Starting in the ashes of the post-industrial scene of San Francisco and continuing until his final performance in 1986, the one-man industrial outfit Deviation Social became an obscure cult phenomenon to followers of industrial tape culture in the 1980s. Art Injeyan created the band in the summer of 1981, and he exclusively self-released his recordings through his own PPresence label in extremely limited tape form (some releases were less than 20 copies). In addition to numerous tape releases, Deviation Social also released a lone 7”– Tempus Purgatio Part 7 in 1984.

Deviation Social drew on influences and contemporaries such as Throbbing Gristle, SPK, and Leather Nun but fused an experimental approach of musique concrete with his use of analog synthesizers, hallowed drum machines, and tribal instruments. This innovative style allowed Injeyan to create some of the most interesting and unabashed industrial recordings the genre has to offer.

In 2010, Dais released a compilation titled From End To Beginning Vol. 1: Compilation Tracks 1982-1984, featuring all of Deviation Social’s contributions to experimental, noise, and industrial cassette compilations throughout the early 80s. Dais followed up with a second Deviation Social release in 2013, another compilation titled Tempus/Deathwatch “From End To Beginning” Vol. 2, which compiled the two proper “studio” releases of Deviation Social’s past – the destructive Tempus Purgatio Part 7 single and the 1982 album cassette Workforce/ Deathwatch. 2015 saw a third Deviation Social release from Dais, a vinyl re-issue of their first demo cassette comprised of recordings of individually staged practices in Injeyan’s home.