- We check in with one of UK techno's founding fathers.
- Anthony Child has been DJing since 1992, and making music for even longer than that. He was there at the birth of UK techno, as both a producer for the Downwards label and a resident DJ at Birmingham's famously intense House Of God party. Since those early days he's remained at the vanguard of techno, developing a style that often prefers broken beats to straight ones. There's long been fluidity between his DJ sets and live performance, something's that's marked him out as an unmistakable presence in clubs and at festivals. His back catalogue, meanwhile, contains crucial records for labels like Downwards and Tresor as well as his own outlets, Dynamic Tension and Counterbalance.
In 2016, three decades into his career, he continues to surprise and innovate. In the past year he's put out an album recorded in the Hawaiian jungle, helped Blueprint start its 20th anniversary year and released an LP of modular techno titled From Farthest Known Objects.
When he spoke to Aaron Coultate at this year's inaugural Dekmantel Conference before their hotly-tipped festival in Amsterdam, Child explained why live improvisation is his current obsession. He also reflected on the experiences that have shaped him, from his residencies at House Of God and Tresor to his wide-ranging solo work and collaborations with the likes of Regis, Blawan and Lady Starlight.
TracklistSurgeon - EGS-zs8-1
Surgeon - At The Heart Of It All