In the first of what will be a regular series of features on the FACT site, we asked Surgeon to pick out five records from his record collection and talk about them. Simple as that.
It’s not an exaggeration to say that Surgeon, AKA Tony Child, is the best British techno DJ alive; it’s a plain fact. Historically he’s best-known for a hard, industrial style – one given full voice on his recent mix CD for Warp, This Is For You Shits - but that’s only one facet of his sound. His sets are diverse but coherent, exquisitely modulated things: last time we had the pleasure of hearing him spin, alongside Hardwax’s DJ Pete, he was dropping immense dubstep tracks from the likes of RSD alongside swinging minimal, grotty Detroit house and undulating, Berlin-style warehouse bangers. It should come as no surprise that he’s acknowledged as a key influence by artists like Marcel Dettmann and Ben Klock.
As a producer, Surgeon is responsible for some astonishingly good records. His albums Basictonalvocabulary (1997) and the Detroit-flavoured Force+Form (1999), both released by Tresor, are masterpieces, and the latter was featured in FACT’s recent 20 Best UK Techno rundown. His collaboration with Regis (now part of the Sandwell District crew), British Murder Boys, was a singularly fascinating project – bringing a very British industrial aesthetic, not to mention a dose of situationist politics, to bear on rolling, dub-infused techno. Sadly BMB are now defucnt, but Surgeon has remained busy: his recent remixes of Shed and Scuba are quite simply next-level, and his version of Orphyx’s ‘Burning Flags’ shows he’s still not afraid to make some very, very scary music.
01: COIL
LOVE’S SECRET DOMAIN
(TORSO, 1991)
Why Love’s Secret Domain?
Surgeon: “I could have picked – almost – any Coil album. Horse Rotorvator was the first Coil album I bought – that was their current release at the time – but I picked Love’s Secret Domain because it sounded so advanced when it came out; I know it influenced a lot of people including myself. Lots of great songs on there.”
Does the occult-cum-spiritual aspect of Coil appeal to you?
“I like the fact that they lived the life (and death for Jhon Balance) of their music. Gives it more gravity, greater depth. Life is art, art is life.”
Do you think there’s an equivalent in techno?
“Nothing that really goes that deep, but that’s just a personal opinion. Maybe some people have religious experiences listening to Tiesto!”
Are you a fan of TG, Chris & Cosey, etc? Peter Christopherson’s subsequent work?
“Yes, I listen to all those too – but none have made such a strong impression as Coil.”