- An EP as rich and meaningful as the album it follows.
- Last year's Information album wound down with "Been A Long Night," where Galcher Lustwerk's glamorous nightlife vignettes faded into a relaxed comedown haze, a moment of near-vulnerability. Proof, an unusually rich and well-rounded EP, sounds like it's dealing with the album's hangover. "I Had To Slow It Down," with its feet-dragging beat and mournful chords, features the New York artist murmuring about his lifestyle: "I couldn't control it now / they going too fast."
That follows the opening title track, which features Lustwerk's voice circling the drain in fragments, and precedes "Graham," a track where he promises "to go motherfucking ham" over uncharacteristically weepy synths. Closing song "Leave" is a bitter send-off, repeating phrases like "people don't want you up in this piece." This is an even more reflective, and sometimes bitter, mood than Information, finding the usually suave artist at a moment of introspection and raw emotion.
Galcher Lustwerk's music exists at the intersection of the good and bad in clubbing, at the line between pleasantly buzzed and faded, between being confident and pissed-off. The dance music industry is a key focus for him: a recent string of Tweets, since deleted, saw Lustwerk sharing the racist microaggressions and discrimination he's experienced in the dance music industry. He also co-hosts a podcast called Real Life Rave Confessions, whose title is self-explanatory. The intimacy of Proof is arresting, as his succinct words about the act of partying take on new shades of meaning.
Aside from the lyrics, the other big difference between between Information and Proof is the drums, which are quantized and chunky compared to the live drum samples of the album. (That's excluding AceMoMA's excellent, jungle-influenced remix of "Speed.") You can hear this in the new version of "Another Story," which is the EP's lone moment of assuredness.
On this club-ready reimagining of one of Information's best tracks, Lustwerk's stream-of-consciousness takes on a boastful tone. The most memorable lines are a statement of purpose: "I'm in New York and I'm Black / I can make beats / I can rap / People be holding me back / I feel like it's a trap." In light of his recent public statements, these lines highlight what alienates him from an industry dominated by white DJs who shy away from anything approaching hip-hop, but also describes the talent that makes him one of most enduring figures in dance music to emerge over the last ten years. Lustwerk describes, lives and interrogates the club like no one else.
Tracklist01. Proof
02. I Had To Slow It Down
03. Graham
04. Another Story (Another Version)
05. Speed (AceMoMa Remix)
06. Leave (Digital Bonus)