Crash Recoil

Throughout the 1990s, Surgeon (Anthony Child) helped establish the Birmingham sound with his rough, driving releases, which took inspiration from industrial and Krautrock as much as Detroit techno. A trio of late-decade albums for Tresor (Basictonalvocabulary, Balance, Force + Form) remain some of his most influential works. Since then, Surgeons full-lengths on his own Dynamic Tension label have featured increasingly more complex and creative sound design, pushing analog synths to their limits, while Child has released experimental and ambient music under his own name. Following some of his best material to date, in the form of two Drexciya-esque 2020 EPs on Ilian Tape, Surgeon returned to Tresor for the first time since the 90s with 2023s magnificent Crash Recoil. Sort of a back-to-basics release, Crash Recoil was inspired by the spontaneous energy of his live performances, but it consists of tracks that were honed in the studio rather than improvised. Direct and propulsive yet intricately crafted and constantly shifting, these songs feel like theyre all being handled in real time -- nothing sounds sterile or pre-programmed. "We laugh and clap at the circus" applies waves of dub echo to tense, paranoid sequences, while "Leadership Contest" features bunched-up beat patterns, breaking free with heavy, solid kicks later on. "Marks & Archetypes" is fast and furious, but contains glimmers of light, while "Subcultures" has a bit more atmospheric shading and hazy echo along with its restless beats. Pure techno at its most exciting. ~ Paul Simpson