Paul Woolford's sophomore addition to the `Platform' series sees the acclaimed producer dropping two back-to-back techno/tech-house blinders.
`Surgery One' is the more laid back and readily accessible of the two. Beginning with a gently pulsing heartbeat, reminiscent of Pink Floyd's `Dark Side of the Moon', the mix gently builds from the cleverly coupled `Forever a Stranger' and the gorgeous Lusine track, `Gravity', before taking the chilled beats up a few notches with the housey, old-skool beats of Missing Linxx `Who to Call.' Woolford ends the disc with `Let it Go', under his Bobby Peru moniker.
`Surgery Two' begins on a somewhat subdued note as well with 2 Woolford mixes of Morgan Geist's `The Shore.' Absolutely sublime. Daniel Stefanik's `Like This' drops a thumping kick drum and a rolling bass line, indicative of what's to come for the remainder of the mix. From here, the mix augments the beats and the tension effortlessly, as Woolford weaves in and out of track sections and samples, giving the entire 2 disc set a driving, yet cohesive balance. Oni Ayhun's 'OAR003-B' serves as `Surgery Twos' blissed out fulcrum and the staging area for the end of the mix. Woolford delves deep into the vaults for the album closer, Suburban knight's 1990 techno track, `The Art of Stalking' - sheer perfection. If techno can be gorgeous, this is what it sounds like.
Admittedly, `Surgery Two' took a few repeated listens before it grew on me. But `Surgery One' is where it's at for my tastes, lending itself perfectly to home listening on a Friday night at home with friends. Renaissance delivers again!