Surgeon - at Blackest Ever Black

Surgeon remains one of electronic music's most consistently thrilling performers. Hugely influential in techno circles since the mid nineties, his productions and DJ mixes point to constant evolution in his sound and a steady absorption of new influences. Last year's Breaking the Frame, his first album in over ten years, struck a curveball at all those anticipating a pummelling set of textured techno tracks, instead distilling some of his listening habits of recent years — the likes of Alice Coltrane, Eliane Radigue and La Monte Young — into a very personal document, one that searched for, as he put it, 'the deep spiritual essence that lay behind the surface structures of their individual music'. This set was recorded in October 2011 in London, when Surgeon performed as the mystery guest at a showcase night for the Blackest Ever Black label. Given Blackest Ever’s brooding trajectory, the event’s line-up struck a suitably shadowy tone, featuring label mainstays Raime, William Bennett's formidable Cut Hands project, and long-time Surgeon collaborator Regis (with whom Surgeon performed a surprise closing set under their British Murder Boys guise). As Surgeon himself said, there was a rather strange, tense atmosphere in the club throughout the evening, due no doubt to hosting a bill of such intensely disturbed music in the heart of London's hip Shoreditch, and this tension probably comes across on this recording from the night. This is the last set to be hosted on Spannered for the foreseeable future. Many thanks to Tony for passing the recording to us and for giving his support to the site since day one. Tracklisting: John Coltrane - Dearly Beloved Surgeon - We Are All Already Here Roly Porter - Corrin Cub - CU1 Inigo Kennedy - Scatter Surgeon - Exhibit Karenn - Chaste Down Xhin - Teeth (Surgeon remix) Swarm Intelligence - Fighting Talk VIP KiNK - Machines Don't Cry Surgeon - Presence Scorn - The Palomar Surgeon - untitled Blawan - Coronation Inigo Kennedy - Cloudless Regis - Guiltless Surgeon - those who do not Universal Indicator - Red Kraftwerk - Its More Fun To Compute (Surgeon Remake) Aphex Twin - Digeridoo (Surgeon Remake) Emptyset - Return Tomohiko Sagae - Deburring (Paul Damage + Makaton Wasps mix) Ed Rush, Optical + Fierce - Alien Girl Raudive - Over Listen to Surgeon's For Dog Faces Only mix, recorded for Spannered