As Surgeon, Anthony Child has been active in the UK techno scene for nearly 20 years, but he's finding a newfound relevance as listeners look back to "industrial techno"'s first wave. His work has always tended, naturally, toward the clinically precise, counterbalancing the sheer power of his raw textures and 10-ton rhythms. This kind of mastery can reach a natural end point, though: on a mix like 2007 Warp exclusive This Is for You Shits , Child wove his own tracks, as Surgeon or in collaboration with Regis as British Murder Boys, into those of contemporaries like Autechre and forerunners like Whitehouse and Throbbing Gristle. Despite the catholic selection, an oppressive uniformity prevailed, making for a listening experience not too far removed from something like Richie Hawtin's similarly masterful but overly consistent Decks, EFX & 909.
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