- DJ Spider and Phil Moffa's previous EP for Spider's Sublevel Sounds label, Night Gallery, was described as "vicious club music" from the "rougher edge of East Coast techno and house." By comparison, follow-up EP Psychic Surgeons almost makes that record feel light and frivolous. Its bracing, wind-tunnel of an opener sets the tone for an ultra-dark, ultra-muscular and deeply hypnotic record.
At nearly 10 minutes, "Blademaster" is mechanical techno that uses plateauing drums and strafing effects almost like a live Factory Floor zone-out. The ambient "Mindscraper 1010" is a slight surprise after all that methodical pummeling, but its churning clanks and whirrs make for a menacing, haunted track on a record full of chilly moods.
"Kung Fu Robots" is the most outwardly abrasive, with its copious squalls and vocal echoes screaming to be heard above deep, dingy kicks. "Shock Waves," on the other hand, is a shorter and texturally varied take on "Blademaster"'s brutalist analogue hum. DJ Spider's world (with or without Phil Moffa's input) is unremittingly bleak, but is still a pleasure to behold.
TracklistA1 Blademaster
A2 Mindscraper 1010
B1 Kung Fu Robots
B2 Shock Waves