Astral People presents the long awaited return of one of dance music’s bonafide heavyweights - Surgeon.
Very few carry the same weight of reverence as Antony Child aka Surgeon. Since 1994 he has stood at the forefront of UK techno. Recently dubbed by Fact Magazine as “arguably the finest techno DJ in the world” - he has been an influential and prolific presence for three decades.
This October witness a legend. Surgeon will play exclusive headline DJ sets in Brisbane, Melbourne and is a star feature of the electronic spectacle - MODE, Sydney.
The Birmingham resident is one of the world’s most in-demand, with DJ mixes for electronic households such as Warp and Fabric while filling calendars across the world. He has played every key club / event / festival worth its salt; helped pioneer Birmingham’s House of God; and, held a 3 year residency at Tresor (Berlin) during its all-powerful 1990s peak.
Surgeon has perfected his unique production style. 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. Surgeon proves that hard can also be smart, sensuous and danceable, the influence of Surgeon on the 2010-ruling Ostgut / Berghain sound – DJs/producers like Marcel Dettmann, Shed et al – is substantial. Boasting an immense catalogue, Surgeon club weapons are omnipresent in record bags of DJs across generations the world over.
His ability to morph and break all the usual boundaries of electronic dance music further proves his genius. Other projects include the much loved BMB (British Murder Boys) with Regis, improvised live sets solo and with Lady Starlight, Multiples with Speedy J, The Transcendence Orchestra with Daniel Bean and solo endeavours via nom de plumes FatCat, NNA Tapes and Editions Mego. Further evidence of these multi-functional production skills can be seen on Surgeon's impressive remix CV, working with the biggest names in techno (Dave Clarke, Luke Slater / PAS, Green Velvet, Hardfloor, the Black Dog etc), Thom Yorke, Glasgow post-rock outfit Mogwai, old masters Faust and Coil, as well as artists such Moderat, Shed, Traversable Wormhole and Scuba.
As a DJ Surgeon will take you there. His contemporary sets are notable for experimentation with new DJ technologies embracing cutting edge hardware and software solutions, 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 DJs 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.
Don’t miss a rare opportunity to take in one of electronica’s true masters. An essential moment for the Australian dance community.