Surgeon – Force+Form

still the ultimate version of Tresor 117.
hats off to CGB@D&M

as much as i love it for being fresh, properly pressed replacement.

the sonics are no match for the 2010 CGB-1 cuts, it just doesnt work on big setups

I'd say it's a "soft/slow" master for armchair listening, if you want it to work the way the Dynamic Tension records did, you still need the older versions.

You learn something new every day, if you're lucky! Why is this LP version considered a misprint?

Four albums in just as many years may seem like a task hard to accomplish. Consistency is questioned, and quality is put to the stand. But, when all four albums are generally considered quality material, and when the man responsible for producing them is Anthony Childs AKA Surgeon, the impossible becomes quotidian.
Not only did he suck the best out of his previous three releases, but he built upon it all and created four tracks, or better yet multiple segments and moods flawlessly mixed into one piece.
What is that you want to hear when you listen to Surgeon? Abrassive rhythms, heavy, dry and monotonous percussion, eerie synth work, disturbing frequencies and noises, from infectious dance floor drive through to thought provoking electronics. Well, it is all here, and done with more confidence than ever before on any of hie previous efforts.
Absolutely amazing!
He goes as far back and gets influences from his old classics like Magneeze, gives a nod to the eighties EBM and industrial scene, a dose of the good old Downwards influence (hell, there is even a recorded phone call by Regis thrown in the mix here at the end of the third track!), and rounds it all off with precise mixing. Like somebody stated before me, there are only four index points on this album, though I have to it I have never felt like I have listened to less than nine tracks.
A quantum leap above his sophmore and unconventional "Balance" album, which already was a clear step above his two dimensional debut on Tresor, "Basictonalvocabulary".
You just cannot go wrong with this one. At the time of writing this, "Force + Form" still stands as the master stroke of Surgeon's career.

To be honest I couldn't agree more with the former reviewer, this album is the absolute creme de la creme if were are talking about techno. This album triggered my love for techno and I am still in love ever since.

In all kinds of way this is a revolutionary album. It consists of track all about 10 minutes, which are actually 7 or 8 tracks. The tracks are sort of mini sets. Besides that, it mixes Surgeon's well know hard and raw industrial techno style with ambient athmosferic soundscapes, something I haven't heared before, not in this form anyway.

And every part of this album is totally unique, freaky, haunting and very captivating. The remakes of this album, which are more functional dj tools, are worth a listen too.

Delicious, intelligent and groovy. This is an album where relentless drum loops give architecture to mysterious sound effects. After the brief intro, "Ice" delivers echoes of picks hitting crystals through a cavernous, throbbing cave. "Black Jackal Throwbacks" goes through three phases of wicked pulsating basslines and beats, with a thematic sound effect recurring. "Returning To The Purity Of Content" is 4/4 techno with shuffling samples that sound like it is clawing backwards (IDM moment). 6:50 in, the ever-experimental Anthony Child emerges with disted efx, voice samples from old places, telephone conversations, , and tapes stutteringly fast-forwarded. The point to the dissonance is that as it dissolves into "At The Heart Of It All", the most melodic and modern-sounding of the 4 pieces on this CD, the contrast emerges. Whilst the last 3 pieces appear to explore a space before time, the final piece concludes the arc with modern-day electronica (refer to the introductory coo of synths). Beats build up the track until the synths fade off, leaving stylish beats syncopated with a busy clatter of whats-it's, to be bolstered by an electrifying low-fi doop. I hate the label IDM, but if it were to exist, this would be it in the shining form of Techno.

While not similar to them musically, this album is a tribute of sorts to the seminal industrial/experimental group Coil:

- "Force + Form" is the name of the label on which Coil released much of their early material.

- The phrase "Remnants Of What Once Was" appears in the liner notes of Coil's GOLD IS THE METAL album.

- The phrase "Black Jackal Throwbacks" was etched into the run-out groove on Coil's ANAL STAIRCASE 12".

- "Returning to the Purity of Current" was the subtitle of a CD reissue of GOLD IS THE METAL.

- "At The Heart of it All" is the name of a track on Coil's SCATOLOGY album.