Techno was created and developed far away from the mainstream. The underground sound got its deserved popularity in the past few years but there is a lot of movement in sound with sub-genres and a lot of talent you may not hear about.
We believe underground producers and labels deserve special recognition, so we will be dedicating our new feature series to this cause.
Surgeon, real name Anthony Child, has been at the forefront of UK techno since 1994.
His debut “Surgeon EP” is regarded by many as seminal, and along with several early Downwards releases, caused a ripple of excitement through the techno cognoscenti of the time. Surgeon released a further three albums on Tresor, numerous Counterbalance and Dynamic Tension EPs and LPs “Body Request” in 2000, “Breaking The Frame” LP in 2011, and “From Farthest Known Objects” in 2016.
Over the course of his career, the Birmingham resident has perfected a unique and uncommonly effective production style. His is a tough techno sound with an industrial murk about it but also plenty of funk, swing and a sophisticated sense of dub-space learned in part from his Chain Reaction contemporaries in Berlin.
Contemporary Surgeon sets are notable for experimentation with new DJ technologies embracing cutting edge hardware, increasingly blurring the line between a DJ set and a live performance. Surgeon is a selector of some skill and one of the most inventive, intuitive users of Ableton out there. Using techno as a vehicle to carry his artistic message, he also mixes up everything from contemporary bass music/dubstep to Rephlex-esque electronica to create a coherent, intense and righteously banging whole.
His is a tough techno sound with an industrial murk about it but also plenty of funk, swing and a sophisticated sense of dub-space learned in part from his Chain Reaction contemporaries in Berlin.
Proving that hard can also be smart, sensuous and danceable, the influence of Surgeon on the 2010-ruling Ostgut/Berghain sound.
Hear some of his legendary cuts.
