Robert Hampson

Robert Hampson established Loop as its guitarist and founding member, yet his subsequent recordings steered clear of shoegaze in favor of experimental terrain. Once the band issued its third and final album, Loop disbanded in 1990; shortly afterward Hampson stepped into a temporary role with Godflesh, touring with the group and appearing on its 1992 release Pure. The arrangement proved brief, as road life lost its appeal, prompting him to depart and launch Main alongside former Loop colleague Scott Dawson. Main gradually favored electronic and acoustic textures over the distortion-driven sound of Loop, causing the partnership to become a solo outlet for Hampson, who abandoned the guitar entirely and immersed himself in field recordings and abstract material. Following Scott Dawson’s exit during summer 1996, Hampson maintained Main as a solitary endeavor while also pursuing joint work with Jim O’Rourke that yielded the Indicate album Whelm together with the Organum albums Sphyx and Veil of Tears. In 2009 he issued the three-song, fifty-minute Vector album on Touch Records under his own name, marking one of the most expansive and ambient statements of his career.