On Sun, 10 Sep 2000, Cyclone Wehner wrote: > Surgeon and Ruskin are coming to Australia for the first time. What is the > vibe on this two out there, as DJs and, since we're on the topic, producers > also? > I haven't heard them spin (as of yet, but we're working on getting them to play Finland at some point), but see my comments on their music below. Maybe someone else can comment on their turntable work.
> Any one else heard Ruskin's Point 2? > Yes. ``Point 2'' is probably the hardest record Ruskin has put out in a long time, some of his early output on Blueprint (his own label) as Outline had a sort of the same feel. His latest output, like ``The Definition Of EP'' (CODA1, 2000) on Coda (a new label run by him) is more in the style I like his work, deep, dreamy, and hypnotic techno. The latest Blueprint, ``Cipher'' (BP016, 2000) is a really weird one, sounds a bit like a cross between Ruskin's earlier work (like ``The Divide'' (BP08, 1997) and Samuel L. Sessions's latest output on Ben Sims's Hardgroove and Swiss Phont Music (and Dave Angel's Rotation), with a heavy bass line and a bit of a more tribal sound. I have a very soft spot for Ruskin's older (yet not the oldest) material, like ``Prelude'' (BP010, 1998) and ``Prevention Beyond Cause'' (BP012, 1999) - and especially his first full-length, ``Further Design'' (BPLP/CD1, 1998) with it's dreamy, slow-building, very hypnotic tracks. As for Surgeon (Anthony Childs), I don't have his output on Downwards at all, but I'd suggest checking out both of his own labels, Dynamic Tension and Counterbalance. I assume Dynamic Tension has been discontinued since there hasn't been a release on it for a while (but I can't be sure, www.dj-surgeon.com is a bit vague on that) - but the six releases on it are all fabulous rhythm-play techno with not a lot of melodic elements. Counterbalance has only three releases this far, and I'd suggest the latest release ``Waiting For Me'' (CBX003, 2000) the most, scratchy percussion-based hypnotism with wailing female singing chopped up in the background. You'd probably want to know that Ruskin and Childs have collaborated as well: ``Outline Meets Surgeon'' on Blueprint (BP07, 1997) and Surgeon & James Ruskin's ``Sound Pressure'' on Dynamic Tension (DTR003, 1998). Both very highly recommended. Both are rather hard to get into, their rhythm programming gets quite hairy at times, but with a few listens they sink very deep. If you like the music of Ruskin and Childs, I'd suggest checking out the whole back catalogue of Blueprint (15 12" releases and two full-length albums and one CD collection, all either by James Ruskin or Oliver Ho, another of my favourite producers), Surface (Richard Polson and Nick Dunton's label) with more by Oliver Ho, Claude Young, Polson himself with a collaboration with Ruskin as well, and Meta, Oliver Ho's own label (my personal favourite), with Ho, Max Duley (who runs Arcane) and the latest collaboration of Ho and Ruskin, ``Mutate And Survive'' (META10, 2000). Other recommended labels would be Claude Young's Deta, Ben Sims's various labels (Theory, Hardgroove, Symbolism, Native Sampler, Killabite), Paul Mac's Stimulus and C-Side, and a more recent addition to my UK label fandom, Product. And of course the abovementioned Childs's labels, Dynamic Tension and Counterbalance. I know quite many of the records mentioned here are hard to come by nowadays, but if you are able to find them they are all keepers. You would have to walk over my ashes before you could get my copies. Should anyone need any more information on any of the releases mentioned here (that isn't available at ad.techno.org), just send me a (private) line or two. Say ``anal retentive trainspotter discjockey collector (and sometimes producer)'' ten times in a row, click your ruby slippers's heels three times and you should find yourself in my playroom here in Finland. Cheers, -- nuutti-iivari meriläinen gordon at diversion dot org http colon slash slash www dot diversion dot org slash
