KLINIK SONIC SURGERY ALBUM HANDS RELEASE: AUGUST 1, 2002 REVIEW: AUGUST 20, 2002

Forget whatever notions you have about Klinik. People may remember them for their string of memorable club hits in the 80:s such as "Fever" or "Moving Hands" but this new album could not be further from those roots. For one thing, the only original member who remains is founder Marc Verhaeghen, the man responsible for keeping Klinik afloat after the 1991 split which sundered the infamous line-up of Verhaeghen and Dirk Ivens.
While Ivens' project Dive has pretty much stayed close to the original formula of Klinik, Verhaeghen has consistently pushed and kicked at the boundaries of "electro" music. Starting with 1993's "Contrast" (the first post-Ivens album) the techno/trance elements have been seeping into the project and with this release, "Sonic Surgery", the transformation (sic) is complete. The vocals are totally gone on this album and the programming is that of the highest order of sequential symmetry.
Starting with the mind-blowing "Pyramid", "Sonic Surgery" embarks on a series of highs and peaks which have not yet been heard in the psytrance world or indeed in the techno/electro sphere either. The precision is violently faultless and the attention to detail reveals why this album has been four years in the making. If you enjoyed Klinik's "Blanket of Fog" or "Stitch" albums then this one will be music to your ears. For those who prefer the band's "glory days", give this one a miss as it is far too forward-thinking/moving for those who still stubbornly cling to Klinik's rather dated earlier sound.
Marc Vehaeghen is assisted by a fellow named Nickanor on this album (although I can't really say what it is that this second member does). It appears that Verhaeghen has decided to once more take Klinik in a direction which never would have been possible or even imaginable had he remained saddled with Dirk Ivens. This is a flawless album, an album full of creativity and imagination. The beat structures may sound somewhat familiar but the processing and soundcraft which pretty much obscure those beats is something that only a living legend such as Marc Verhaeghen could accomplish. There is a fearlessness and inventiveness to be found no where else in electronic music on "Sonic Surgery".
Kill for it.

PETER MARKS