Bleep

Brooklyn-based Blueberry Records boss Drew Lustman rests his cherished FaltyDL guise and builds on his long-standing relationship with Planet Mu with a debut long player under his own name entitled The Crystal Cowboy. Free from the heavy weight of expectation that comes from being one of the scene’s most looked to producers, Lustman’s latest offering flows with the kind of unrestricted experimentation found when producing solely for the self; here taking inspiration from facets of hardcore, jungle and breakbeat and laced with his trademark melodic hues. The piece opens pensively on ‘Watch A Man Die’, building tension and emotion with piano keys before sliding into a sophisticated blend of smooth DnB drums and drawn string melodies, whereas ‘Time Machine’ is a more spirited cut that strays into more retro hardcore territory and would easily get the job done on the ‘floor. Bitty percussive and synth fragments collide on the dizzying ‘Green Technique’, followed by the hazy, late night 4/4 throb of ‘Wolves’ and the ravey, siren’s screech of ‘Hyena’. All the New Yorker’s far-reaching talents shine on the title track; with jazzy chords riding gritty drum breaks propped by a rolling, buoyant bassline whereas ‘Onyx’ drops the tempo and brings in the vocal talents of Le1f. Emotionally charged, offbeat number ‘The Hatchet’ marks another change of direction, setting up the funked-out slice of metallurgy ‘Blueberry Fields’, whilst the final, multi-layered, multi-textured electro leaning piece ‘Skyle’ demonstrates the breadth of styles this unique artist is capable of covering.