DJ Spider

Review: The mighty DJ Spider lands on Green Village after delivering a 12" to the Jersey City label a couple of years back. Spider's deadly combination of the weird and tough is whisked into a canny blend on this record - the synths have a warm, melodious quality that complements his crooked drum craft, not least on sterling opener "Kill Your TV". "Warhead" is a muscular payload of flanging techno, while "1984" aims for psycho-acoustic devastation with its own arsenal of ranging tones. The smell of war is in the air, with politically charged samples to boot, but Spider's vibrant production skills lift the whole experience to make it all the more impactful, and indeed memorable.

Review: The sheer volume of New York maverick DJ Spider's back catalogue is as intimidating as the picture of the man himself holding a machete in the studio, but it's a rich and unpredictable treasure trove of leftfield techno. He makes an appearance on Thema with a record typically diverse in its make up. The opening track "Throwing Hairs" is a masterful trip through atmospheric, organic soundscapes with submerged ecosystems of sound rippling around deathly simple kick n hi hat pattern. His own rework of "Extropy" features similar smudged textures underneath, but the sweet nature of the chords makes for a killer foil to the murk. "The Final Revolution" gets into a tougher frame of mind, placing plenty of emphasis on the low end and letting fly with some seriously dishevelled percussion. "Distress Signal" is oppressive in its sense of desolation, all icy winds blowing into a kick propelled nothingness.

Review: After releases from the likes of Dakini9, Fox and Franklin Da Costa, it was only natural that Jersey City-based label Green Village would turn to DJ Spider for a new 12 inch. Well, it seems natural to us, in any case. The NYC artist is now a respected member of the Big Apple's contemporary house and techno wave, and it's an absolute must for him to be represented on the city's bubbling scene, especially when he's up for firing off tunes like "Space Jungle" and Satsang", two mean, club-minded house bangers with a prominent lower-end. "Divide & Conquer" turns things darker and more ominous thanks to its icy, minimal approach - a cold blend of stripped-back beats and circling bass tones - while "Urantia Of Nebadon" displaces the traditional house framework in favour of a dark, molecular selection of electronic sounds guided by a simple pattern of 4/4 beats. Classic Spider material...