For those who happened to miss our review of Hardcourage, the new-full-length from FaltyDL (a.k.a. Drew Lustman), we happen to think the Brooklyn beatmaker’s third LP is a rather fine effort. Over the past few years, Lustman has managed to significantly expand his musical palette without sacrificing the quality of his output, bringing him to a point where he could theoretically dip into almost any corner of the electronic spectrum. Of course, FaltyDL’s ability to create such varied sounds partly stems from the fact that he’s listened to a whole lot of music, which is why he’s an ideal candidate for our High Five series. Curious about what inspired some of the sounds on Hardcourage, we asked Lustman to select five tracks that got his creative juices flowing. He responded with the following tunes, and this caveat: “I just thought about what turned me on musically in 2012—ironically, it was all old music.”

Moodymann “I Can’t Kick This Feeling When It Hits”

It’s not going anywhere in a rush. [The song] takes its time and serves a purpose. I definitely listened to a lot of Moodymann while making this album, and his more straight-ahead rollers played a major role in tracks like “Kenny Rolls One,” if you hadn’t figured that out already.

Seiji “Silver Blossom”

I always wanted to make rolling broken beat like this. I forged a few relationships this year with some people from that scene; they are incredibly influential and open-minded people. I don’t know why it sort of ended, but a few [artists] carry the torch. Dego for one, and here, Seiji did his thing and still does today.

Kaidi Tatham and Dego “Dhutty Jancrow”

See what I mean? I love percussion, and I was an awful drummer as a kid. I think I’m trying to get revenge or prove something by immersing myself in broken beat and making complicated syncopated drum patterns. Maybe I’ll move on one day, but I’m in it now.

K-Os “Superstar Part Zero”

Come on… “You’re blind… you’re blind baby to the fact that you’re all watching all that garbage…” This also samples my favorite NY house tune of all time, “Hot Music” by Pal Joey. [By the way,] I think I like the Row mix [of “Hot Music”] better than the original—it hits a little harder on a big system.

Brrd “Noose Paper”

I forget the sample here, but Brrd is having fun, and so should you. He’s a young kid, I hope I get to release his music soon on my new label, Blueberry Records. It’s been fun getting influenced and energized by a new face and some freshness. Remember when it was just for fun and there was no business? And if you think there’s no business and it’s all fun and games, it’s not. A lot of all of this is complete, utter bullshit.