- Rob Hampton, the New Yorker known as DJ Spider, sticks to a distinct sound: dark club tracks full of strange, polluted textures and topped off by unnerving vocal clips. As heavy as it hangs, Hampton can swing these antics in several directions. Just last year, his output (an album and a handful of EPs) contained bits of drone, techno, swooning house and, in collaboration with artists like Marshallito, freakishly carved experiments. Most of this is thrilling work, but Hampton's latest 12-inch, Burning Museums for Volte-Face's BleeD label, feels restrained in comparison.
The record's mood is as bleak as ever, but it all lacks a sense of groove. "Divine Builders" is full of trippiness and feelings of horror—what Hampton does best—but its rote pounding leaves the meat of the track feeling flat. "Prophetic Technology" is similarly level but more low-swung, with broken drums and a smeared horn sample that could storm into a warm-up situation. With a stepping smack to it, "Clouded Vision" is the most danceable, while "The Outbreak Of Rebellion" goes beatless with a vat of congealed noise that nearly sounds gross. Label boss Volte-Face remixes "Prophetic Technology": its spaciousness and radiant sheen sit far from Hampton, but the track is a welcome moment of lucidity.
TracklistA1 Prophetic Technology
A2 Prophetic Technology (Volte-Face Remix)
B1 Divine Builders
B2 The Outbreak of Rebellion
B3 Clouded Vision