Falty Dl / You Stand Uncertain

Planet Mu

When Falty DL (a.k.a. New York’s Drew Lustman) released his 2009 debut album Love Is a Liability on Planet Mu, it was notionally tied to dubstep, despite not sounding much like it at the time. A combination of irregular but still funky drums, bass and light musical surfaces, it stood out for its distinctiveness—this was a native New Yorker interpreting British dance music from a unique angle. After spending 2010 honing his craft, working on singles for a bunch of different labels, and assembling remixes for the likes of The XX, Mount Kimbie and Anthony Shakir, Falty DL pulls his skills and experience together for his new LP, You Stand Uncertain. From the beginning of the album, the listener is plunged into Lustman’s new focus on layered and dusty atmospheres. Opener “Gospel of Opal” (featuring Anneka) is also his first work with a vocalist. Although at times it’s anchored in the familiar basslines and rhythm science of UK dance, You Stand Uncertain proves the producer has soaked up some of his home town’s musical history such as disco, house and hip hop. The album moves at different tempos, evoking the ghosts of dance music past but never allowing them to take over. With a decayed, dreamy and abstract feel, it also finds common ground with the current crop of “chillwave”—“The Pacifist” moves between passages of melody and waves of synth over distorted breaks; or check out the slowed-down rave euphoria of “Open Space.” The crisp two-step of “Brazil” (the first of two songs featuring UK-based singer Lily MacKenzie) sweetens the atmosphere, while the spaced-out “You Stand Uncertain” marks a mid-point and offers a moment to catch one’s breath before the album gears up with the ravey synths and jungle percussion of “Lucky Luciano.” Finally, the tempo drops for the ultimate track “Waited Patiently,” which combines MacKenzie’s chopped vocals with jazzy piano keys and a punchy technoid melody.

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