FaltyDL feat. Ed Macfarlane - She Sleeps Remixes (Ninja Tune)

“She Sleeps” is the second single from FaltyDL‘s coming-of-age masterpiece, Hardcourage, and perhaps the centerpiece of the album. The only vocal song on the full length, “She Sleeps” features a brilliant, haunting turn from the Friendly Fires’ Ed Macfarlane. Mysterious, tender and reflective, his lyrics weave around the driving, purposeful percussion and a melody that’s singularly exploratory and gentle.

The single comes with a remix package that more than does justice to the quality of the original. Holland’s electronic pioneer Martyn has reworked the track into a writhing, muscular dance floor stomp. Gang Gang Dance need no introduction, and their take on the song proves why once more. Lifting the inter beauty of the song to the fore, they’ve turned it into an opus of rich texture and uplifting, melancholic melody. Ital is the solo moniker of Planet Mu’s Daniel Martin-McCormick, and his remix takes things a touch darker and industrial edged, warping the melody into something altogether more ominous. Finally, exuberant London boogie-ists 2000Black have worked “She Sleeps” into a deep, hypnotic soulful groove. 

Chris Woodward (Buzzin Fly) - “The Martyn remix is sick!”
DJ Rocca (Ajello) - “A great remix collection … quality stuff!”
Brett Johnson - “Great package … I’m leaning towards Martyn’s mix.”
Tensnake - “Nice remixes for one of the best albums of the year.”
Chris Todd (Crazy P, Hot Toddy) - “The original is gorgeous. The 2000Black remix very nice, also.”
Q-Burns Abstract Message - “The original is absolutely the leader of this strong package, though 2000Black really shines on the remix as well. Superb all around.”
Chris Duckenfield (Swag) - “Great remixes to be had here. I’m liking 2000Black and Martyn. Ital is also strong … really good package.”
Shir Khan (Exploited, Radio Fritz) - “I’m a big fan of Falty DL. And these remixes … wow. What a selection. Gang Gang Dance and Martyn in one package! Only Ninja Tune can deliver this great eclecticism.”
Deep Space Orchestra - “Lovely selection here … I’m digging the 2000 Black version the most, Martyn and Ital versions are also killer. Every version here is decent.”
OOFT! (Foto Records) - “A lovely package of music. I’m especially feeling the original and the 2000Black mixes.”
Ben Mono - “A 2000Black remix? Wow, oh yes … full support here.”
Will SumSuch (DeepWit, Etoka) - “Original and 2000Black mixes are doing the business for me. Really cleverly put together, organic sounds with a gorgeous vocal.”
Michael Reinboth (Compost Records) - “Feel the bass and touch the beat … good good!”
Bob Duskis (Six Degrees Records) - “Loving the ‘electro- dreamy’ vibe of this track and all of the remixes as well. The Gang Gang Dance mix is particularly tasty to my ears.”

Available now from Juno Download and Beatport.

FaltyDL - Straight & Arrow (Ninja Tune)

Drew Lustman aka FaltyDL has been a name to watch for quite some time now. With his new album for Ninja Tune (in partnership with Falty’s new label Blueberry Records), Hardcourage, he’s ready to step up and join the electronic music elite. “Straight & Arrow” offers a clear idea why. FaltyDL makes pitch-perfect, beautiful, widescreen club music that works as well pumped from ear buds straight to your cerebral cortex as blasted from club sound systems. He’s a technically gifted, subtle producer who understands that soul should never be sacrificed to tastefulness.

It’s a mark of how highly he’s thought of in the world of electronic music that he can command remixes from both Four Tet and Gold Panda. Four Tet re-imagines the original, initially with the vocal hook and shuffling beat but evolving into a late-night crescendo of acid-tinged electronica, while Gold Panda chops things up to create an alternate groove. In between, Mike Q and Divoli S’vere concentrate on the beat, piling kicks and claps together for a sparse but compelling floor-filler.

FaltyDL has been turning heads since 2008, when Mike Paradinas signed his US-ified versions of UK garage to Planet Mu and released them on an unsuspecting world. Since then, Lustman has looked to expand and evolve his signature sound over two albums, an EP, and three singles for the label. In addition, he has released an afrobeat-inspired 12”, Mean Streets Pt 1, with Loefah’s Swamp81 label, a single on Ramp backed with a remix from Jamie XX, and begun releasing collaborations with Machinedrum online. An in-demand remixer, he has made versions for the likes of Seun Kuti (Fela’s son), Mount Kimbie, The XX, Scuba, Photek, Anthony Shake Shakir, Jose James, Alice Russell, and others. Recently he supported Radiohead in New York and topped Thom Yorke’s office playlist.

Prins Thomas - “The Four Tet mix grabbed me immediately. I’ll definitely play it. The original is good, too.”
Laurent Garnier - “Another superb remix from Four Tet.”
Nick Warren - “Brilliant work from Gold Panda.”
Tom Findlay (Groove Armada) - “Amazing. I love the Gold Panda and Four Tet mixes. Gold Panda is boootiful. Original also lush.”
Kraak & Smaak - “Excellent Four Tet remix … sick!”
Gavin Hardkiss (Hawke) - “Hella dope.”
Chrissy Murderbot - “Loving the whole thing.”
Gavin Herlihy - “Four Tet and Gold Panda remixes are working best for me. Four Tet is particularly good.”
Chris Coco - “Stellar line up of remixers for a really good artist. Four Tet remix works for me.”
Alan Brown (Cuki) - “Sublime electronica all around. That is some seriously deep musical mystery there. All mixes get major thumbs up but it’s the original that gets the big high fives for sounding something close to a Floating Points production. Brilliant!”
Nick Chacona - “What a great f**king record! The mixes are nice but the original really kills.”
Bill Brewster - “Four Tet is the one, though the Gold Panda mix is pretty cool, too. Nice mix of dance floor friendliness with some nice touches of waywardness.”
Joshua Ferguson (XLR8R) - “Loving the leftfield soul on display here.”
DJ Tomas - (Friday Night Session - KUSF) - “Hard to pick a favorite here. They all stand on their own, especially Falty’s origina which is straight deep vibez. Love the FourTet mix too – outersteller!”

Available now from Juno Download and Beatport.