It’s great to report a surge of creativity among the beat makers of North America, and that is definitely an area that Ninja are tapping in to at the moment, with previous successes from the likes of Machinedrum and Matthewdavid, to name just two, and a new Daedelus album to follow later in the year. Meanwhile Drew Lustman, aka FaltyDL, has been developing his sound, which initially sounds like a hybrid of two countries, the wide open spaces of the American plains mixed with closed-in urban environments of the UK. This is Lustman’s third album for Ninja and it brings with it a bit of humour in ‘Do Me’, which according to its producer ‘is truth is progress is pain is boredom is sex is dance is silence is void’! That statement alone gives an idea of his edginess and tendency to have a short attention span, meaning these tracks move their beats about restlessly. ‘Aquí, Port Lligat’ falls into that category, while the woozy ‘Ahead The Ship Sleeps’ takes what sounds like a soundtrack offcut. Meanwhile ‘Frontin’ shows off the ability to pan out from close knit grooves to a wider outlook. Throughout Lustman keeps his outlook bright and his beats incisive, making this open air opus his best yet.
4 out of 5
Reviewed By Ben Hogwood
