Hardcourage - An Interview with Falty DL

Hardcourage - An Interview with Falty DL

06 March, 2013
by: TomArmstrong

One of NY's most experimental and creative producers talks Africa and his new album with Spoonfed.

With his third LP Hardcourage, Drew Lustman, aka FaltyDL, has displayed all-important staying power among North America's cluster of forward-thinking bass producers.

Hardcourage is just as experimental and irreverent as we've come to expect from Lustman, but softer, more ambient with a keen eye on jazz. It's a step away from the harder garage based sound of his past work. The melodic, bouncing synths on tracks like the superb Kenny Rolls One, echoes Eglo and Floating Points, and it'd be fair to say that time spent remixing a track by Afrobeat musician Seun Kuti, son of the legendary Fela, has also had some influence on Lustman's approach to this album. We caught a few words with Drew to talk about that project and the new album itself.

Mala recently went to work with traditional Cuban musicians to produce his Mala in Cuba album. After working with Seun Kuti, is that something you'd consider doing in Africa?

Absolutely, but realistically I have a hard time going to Europe and the UK for gigs, let alone leaving my neighbourhood on weekends. The model of the travelling producer/DJ is not one I care to align myself with for the rest of my life. Special trips to record do sound amazing, but in general I want a super lush studio with all of my gear and records and a couch and a refrigerator filled with healthy things; and windows that let a lot of light in; and it has to all be affordable; and friends can come visit and stay there when they need to. I have separation anxiety from something, and I want people to understand that, but it's hard because it's not their responsibility to understand that or even care about it.

So, Africa. I would love to go but the entire situation would have to be perfect. Although I would want it to be risky as well. See I have no idea what I want. Mix that with the separation anxiety, add a dose of self-deprecation and Jewish neurosis and you've got quite a scrambled egg. What is lovely though is that it's 2013 and technology is lightyears ahead of even ten years ago. Soon we won't need to leave our apartments at all, and I can record with a Kuti family member via light powered data transmissions, not the 'beam me up Scotty' archaic ideology of space travel of our brothers and sisters - some new, new shit. I kid, I would love to go to Africa and record with Seun Kuti, It will never happen though.

What does the album's title Hardcourage mean to you?

Thinking about how hard it is to have the courage to do things you don't want to do. And the courage to do things you do want to do.  

The album includes the single 'She Sleeps', a collaboration with Ed McFarlane of Friendly Fires, how did that come about?

He is a buddy of mine, we always wanted to do something together. I sent him the instrumental, and he sang on it that night. A few weeks later it was completed.

Do you find making a coherent body of work comes naturally to you? Or are you somebody who approaches tracks individually? It certainly sounds like there are certain themes or emotions that run through the whole album.

Thats the way the label compiled it. I make tracks in as much of a vacuum as possible. How they get released is too much out of my control to go into. Hopefully that will change on the next album.

FaltyDL is at Oval Space Thurs 7th March and again at XOYO on Sat 22nd March. 
Hardcourage is out now via Ninjatune
Click here to return to Spoonfed's clubbing homepage. 

TomArmstrong