Surgeon

Surgeon is the performance name of Anthony Child, a UK electronic musician and DJ from Newport Pagnell, born in 1971. He grows up in Kislingbury, Northamptonshire, and later moves to Birmingham in 1989 to study audio-visual design. In Birmingham he plays in the jazz, rock and fusion group Blim and learns to DJ from Paul Damage.

He becomes part of the city’s early techno scene and helps start House of God at a time when there are no techno clubs in Birmingham; by 1991 he DJs there regularly. His debut EP appears in 1994 on Downwards Records, and he becomes widely associated with the 1995 release of the now well-known Surgeon EP. His early Downwards recordings help bring wider attention to Birmingham techno, alongside later releases and remixes for figures such as Dave Clarke and inclusion on Jeff Mills’ Live At the Liquid Rooms CD.

Style and production

Child’s music combines club-focused techno with more cinematic and left-field elements from his background. He is associated with techno, industrial techno, minimal and Birmingham sound. He is also among the first DJs to use Ableton Live and Final Scratch to extend his sets.

Labels and releases

He releases music on his own labels Counterbalance, Dynamic Tension and SRX. His work also appears on established labels including Tresor, Soma and Harthouse. The Pet 2000 EP is one of his notable Downwards releases and includes the track Badger Bite.

Collaborations

Child works on tonal experiments with Mick Harris, records as British Murder Boys with Regis, and collaborates with Ben Sims as Frequency 7.