FaltyDL Returns to Planet Mu After a Decade with Joyful New Album Neurotica
Fatherhood, fast BPMs, and a chance discovery in Catalonia spark a playful, high-energy rebirth for the veteran producer.
It’s been ten years since Drew Lustman aka FaltyDL last released on Planet Mu. In the time since, he’s launched and run his own label Blueberry Records, served as in-house producer for Mykki Blanco, and embraced fatherhood.
Now, he returns with Neurotica, a high-BPM, sugar-rush of an album that captures a sense of freedom and playful energy — deeply influenced by his daughter and a renewed love for joyful, movement-inducing music.
“Summer of ’24, we were in Catalonia. My girl, our young daughter, the old folks. Days by the village pool, afternoons on the dirtbike. At night, I made salads. Simple things. Good things,” FaltyDL recalls. “One afternoon, lying back, phone in hand, I saw a friend post a GRWM. The music behind it stopped me. A song grabbed hold. The track was ‘Secret’ by Mietze Conte, which is fast-paced euro-pop dance music, like soft fluffy gabber with childlike vocals. I hunted down the full version. Played it again. And again. Twenty times over the next few days. It unlocked something. The best music does that. Like the first time I heard Burial. Had to know what was happening under the surface. That time, it led to ‘Love Is A Liability’ in 2009. This time, it led to ‘Neurotica.’”
The album is marked by high-speed tempos and raw, emotive textures, with Drew describing the creative process as instinctive and unfiltered: “I started to record, getting down fast, bright, sugar-rush sounds. 185 to 200 BPM. I wrote them quick—half a day per track. In between, I slowed things down. Gave space for breath. Mike Paradinas helped shape the album, his ear guiding the flow. I tested the tracks. Played them for kids barely out of diapers and grown folks who still move like they are. It worked, on all ages. I kept it simple. Only two rules: keep it moving and don’t look at my phone. Cut the vocals like I used to.”
Neurotica is FaltyDL with his joy restored — vibrant, unpretentious, and full of heart. It’s a celebration of movement, family, and the creative spark that ignites when life slows down just enough to notice the music.
