Representative Songs: "Atol," "At the Heart of It All, Pts.," "Remnants of What Once Was/The"
Biography
Birmingham techno artist Anthony Child has rapidly built a solid and, to a certain extent, innovative catalog of minimal dancefloor techno since his Surgeon releases began appearing in 1991. Compared favorably with Detroit original Jeff Mills from his earliest Downwards singles on forward, Child's tracks have been a mainstay in the popular Motor City DJ's sets. Although Surgeon releases have worked an increasing affectation for acid and trance, an economy of sound and basic hardness combine his and Mills' sound. A noted and increasingly popular DJ himself, Child grokked his skills from hip-hop and electro jocks ("Tour de France" is a mainstay of his DJ sets), filling out his style with a driving toughness and appreciation for rapid cutting and flipping. Surgeon's entry into production was also noteworthy; urged on by producer Mick Harris (Child is a fan of Harris' Scorn project), the former Napalm Death drummer locked Child in his tiny studio, imploring him to "go mad." The result, the self-titled debut EP, was released on Downwards, and was instantly hailed as some of the highest quality U.K. techno of its time. Releases for Soma, Blueprint, Ideal Trax, and the ultra-exclusive Tresor label followed, with the debut LP, Basic Tonal Vocabulary, appearing on Tresor in 1997. Balance followed in 1998, as did Force & Form in 1999. Equally influenced by early electro-pop innovators like Tomita and YMO, experimental groups like Can, Faust, and Suicide, and the tough grit of American electro and techno (Robert Hood, Hashim), Surgeon's mash-up is both straightforward and subtly experimental. ~ Sean Cooper, All Music Guide
Surgeon is the pseudonym of Anthony Child, an English electronic musician and DJ. Child releases music on his own labels Counterbalance and Dynamic Tension. Established imprints, such as Tresor, Soma, and Harthouse, have also released Surgeon's original material and remixes. He has also been recognized as one of the first wave of DJs to use Ableton Live and Final Scratch to supplement his DJ sets.
Child grew up in Kislingbury, a village in Northamptonshire. In 1989, he moved to Birmingham to study audio-visual design, played in a jazz/rock/fusion band called Blim, and learned to DJ from friend Paul Damage.[1] At that time, there were no Techno clubs in Birmingham so he and his friends started House of God,[2] and by 1991 he was DJing there regularly. In 1994, he released his eponymous debut EP on Downwards Records.
Surgeon's musical style is characterised by his incorporation of the more cinematic and left field aspects of his musical background into his club-based material. His production, remix, and DJ repertoire are inspired by krautrock and industrial music bands such as Faust, Coil, and Whitehouse. In particular, the extent of Coil's influence is such that most of the track titles from Surgeon's Tresor album "Force and Form" are direct references to Coil recordings.[3] Child also draws influence from Chicago house, Techno, Dub music, and Electro, and also from non-musical works by Mike Leigh, David Lynch, William S. Burroughs, Bret Easton Ellis, and Cindy Sherman.[2]
Child is also known for several significant artist collaborations in his career. These include tonal experiments with Mick Harris, British Murder Boys with Regis, and most recently with Ben Sims as Frequency 7.
Selected Discography
Albums
1996: "Communications"
1997: "Basictonalvocabulary"
1998: "Balance"
1999: "Force and Form"
2000: "Body Request"
Dynamic Tension EPs
1997: "Patience"
1997: "Learning"
1998: "Sound Pressure" (with James Ruskin)
1998: "Credence"
1999: "East Light"
1999: "Dry"
2005: "Klonk"
2007: "Whose Bad Hands Are These?" (with remixes from DisinVectant and Autechre)
2007: "Whose Bad Hands Are These?" (with remixes from Monolake and Vex'd)
Counterbalance EPs
1999: "Diametric"
2000: "La Real"
2000: "Waiting For Me"
2000: "Midnight Club Tracks Part I"
2001: "Midnight Club Tracks Part II"
2001: "Screw The Roses"
2006: "Floorshow Part I"
2006: "Floorshow Part II"
2009: "Hello Oslo"
Collaborations
1998: "Certain Beyond All Reasonable Doubt" (with Mick Harris)
2002: "Guitar Treatments" (with Andrew Read)
As British Murder Boys
2001: "British Murder Boys"
2003: "Learn Your Lesson"
2003: "Don't Give Way To Fear"
2004: "Fist/Splinter"
2005: "Father Loves Us"
2005: "All The Saints Have Been Hung"
Compilations
2001: "Counterbalance Collection"
2007: "This Is For You Shits" (limited-edition mix CD on Warpmart & Bleep)
