4AM is a time to sleep for most, getting back home from a long night for some, or staggering back to the bar for last call for a chosen few. But for others, it’s time to get to work. FaltyDL is one of those late-night/early-morning workhorses; making tunes from the depths of his mind and getting it onto an iMac at odd hours of the day and night, just trying to figure out what to do with samples, synths and shuffles once he’s in the zone. Drew Lustman, the man behind the moniker, carries on his days by listening to new tunes, tweeting over new releases and old-school hip-hop, eating Chinese food on internet broadcasts and proudly proclaiming his appreciation for ’90s jungle and Aphex Twin. But once he’s in the zone, it’s “goodbye” to the outside world and “hello” to a world of soul diva vocals, garage-shuffle beats and some of the most emphatic claps and snares heard since late ’90s Todd Edwards. There’s no doubt, from his amazing stretch of releases in 2009 that roam across two fantastic labels (Planet Mu and RAMP), to his eclectic live sets and sushi-making skills (just Google it), Lustman provides discipline and direction in his work. We took some time to talk to Drew about his origins in music, his process, comparisons to other prolific producers and affection towards listening to Barbara Streisand.
How did you get involved with music/music production?
I was in a jazz band: that was great, but I needed more control, ’cause I’m a freak like that.
When you started in production, you experimented in the world of “improper jungle”; what caused you to pump the brakes on that and go towards a slower, shuffle-based sound?
The jungle I was producing started making less and less sense. Crazy shit around 190 BPM, and not crazy in a good way; like crazy that at the time I thought it made sense and connect the dots between certain parts…I sometimes wax nostalgic and still can’t get a grip on what I was thinking. Anyways, I needed to slow it down just to see what was going on. After that it just clicked, it made a lot more sense.
What’s the FaltyDL process?
I sit in my chair and find a sample I haven’t used before… that’s really the hardest part. “Have I already used this sample?“; that may be the most important musical question in my life right now. That being said, some of my favorite producers re-use the same samples album after album and they still kick ass. Once I’ve found that sample, I usually black out after that. Fast forward to about 4 hours later and the track is done. I really don’t know what happens in between those points of time.
Your current release, Bravery will no doubt raise comparisons to Burial in terms of shuffle and feel, but you also have some amazing nods to jazz, soul and hip-hop in this EP. Do you feel like, in order to flesh out your particular sound…you have to explore as many genres as you can; not just focus on one particular aspect?
The comparison between Burial and myself is inevitable but a bit overplayed. We both take cues from elements of 2-step and UK Garage but my influences come from New York dance, house and garage, hip hop, and the polar opposites of disco glamour and sparkle and hip-hop earthiness. Burial’s sound I think could only come out of London; in the same way, I’m a native New Yorker. So, yes I like exploring many “genres” of music.
It seems like every time one listens to a release, they find something new to like; with Love Is A Liability, I can still go to it and find new percussive and progressive elements; with Bravery it seems like a huge cavalcade of new and very surprising sound combos. Do you try and find ways to make sounds that don’t necessarily sound good together, fit in a way that works within your tracks?
What does FaltyDL do on his downtime? (if you have any!)
Yeah I have some here and there…I try and spend it with friends and family, try and have a good time when I can. I think that’s what we all do, no?
Who are five artists that have shaped who you are as a producer/person?
Lunatic Harness, Richard D. James, Drum ‘N Bass for Papa, Apostrophe and Illmatic.
Do you have any guilty musical pleasures?
Sampling is a guilty pleasure, especially Barbara Streisand.
Is there anything you want people to particularly feel, hear or understand in your tracks?
Nah, just enjoy it, hopefully. Maybe have some hairs stick up straight, that sort of feeling…that’s a good one. I’m pretty much pleasure seeking 24/7 and so should you!
I hope I continue to learn about myself in the music making process; learn to treat others with even more respect and be more tolerant of certain things. Overall, the future looks pretty good, but if I could tell you what will happen, then that would be boring… so I’ll stay in the dark for now and just be amazed by the Earth’s bizarre way of making shit happen all over the place. Help others.
A huge thanks to Drew for the time, make sure to peep his Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/faltydl
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