As Floating Points, London's Sam Shepherd has earned an incredible amount of respect over the last six years, all without a full-length album to his name. To be honest, it wasn't a slow build either; I can still remember Mary Anne Hobbs cooing her admiration for 2009's "Vacuum Boogie" when it came out, and it's Shepherd's knack for long, patient, curious tracks that made Floating Points a revered name in dance music from the very beginning. Already a vet, Shpeherd's finally giving us an album, Elaenia, out November 6 through the David Byrne-founded label Luaka Bop.
It seems strange to use the word "debut" for Shepherd's forthcoming album, but Elaenia is likely to show us a different side of the producer. If album single "Nespole" is any indication, track lengths may be on the shorter side this time around. You can check out the Sander Houtkruijer-directed video below, in which dancer Kiani Del Valle's quick, experimental choreography matches Shepherd's steady pulse and astral jazz expressions. Head over to Floating Points' Soundcloud to stream "Nespole" as well as the gargantuan "Silhouettes (I, II, & III)" ahead of the album's release.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfYP7uTZX8Y[/youtube]