Drew Lustman (FaltyDL) has had a busy year. The New York garage/house/whatever producer dropped his second album, You Stand Uncertain, to much acclaim. With the arrival of the four-track Atlantis EP on Ninja Tune, he has also released several EPs/singles of material frequently more vibrant than that which graced the album. (The best of these, "Hip Love", received a Jamie xx remix and stands as Lustman's finest track to date, as well as one of Jamie's finest re-works.) Always difficult to pin down, Atlantis proves Lustman hasn't run out of tricks; on a track-to-track basis, it's his most eclectic, challenging release, jumping nimbly between styles, tempos, and moods over the course of each song.
Atlantis serves as a showcase for its title track, a five-minute bruiser that is equal parts menacing and optimistic. Built on a powerful, pulsing bass progression, Lustman slips in garage's trademark syncopated percussion; the effect is like hearing Four Tet's streamlined "Love Cry" mischievously tweaked then pushed into the red. When the drums momentarily collect and simplify themselves, they act as a release valve for the bass' budding steam. Lustman might have had an anthem but instead chose nervy, sustained energy, and it seems wilier as a result.
The remainder of Atlantis is more scattered but no less enjoyable. "Can't Stop the Prophet", in particular, feels like a breakthrough: sharp orchestral samples rub against detuned snippets of a dusty torch song, creating enough friction for the drums to slip into 180bpm drum'n'bass. The sampledelic joy of the Avalanches mingles with bass music's natural paranoia and the result is bliss-y, idiosyncratic mindrock. The final two songs, "My Light, My Love" and "The Sale Ends", hew closer to Lustman's trad garage work, but they're more variant in tone and structure than much of You Stand Uncertain, employing ringing laser blasts and croaking anti-divas.
Atlantis is the most manic, undecided release for Lustman to date. Shiftiness can be a curse in dace music-- a realm that often asks its tracks to play nice with others-- but he changes gears frequently in the name of contrast and genuine surprise. Lustman, whom I enjoy more with each subsequent release, already stands as one of the most productive and reliable American dance producers. At the rate he's been putting out music, it may not be long before he removes those qualifiers.
