Floating Points began as the solo project from neuroscience PhD and enigmatic persona, Sam Shepherd. Sam has been able to build quite the name for himself through his musical career, finding himself touring with the likes of The xx and playing festivals and gigs across the globe. Now, returning with his newest short album, Reflections – Mojave Desert, his already immersive sound now provides listeners with an all new insight into this artist’s simply wonderful mind.
The five piece record finds it’s birth during Sam’s travels across Mojave in between US touring, the natural sound which supplies the entire backbone to the record and feel becomes immediately apparent when we are met with opening track ‘Mojave Desert’. The track’s simplistic yet sharp backing drum beat becomes progressively laced with synth and subtle yet strong overlaps of guitar which really add a great amount of depth to the track, instantly putting you at the scene of the barren Mojave desert. A truly immersive opening which is only set to grow further.
From a personal take, it feels as though this record has aimed to create a universe of unprecedented sound in this record in an attempt to make us question our own humanity and make the mundanity of daily life feel obsolete. Sam has done this incredibly well by making each track not only feel bigger than the last, but each song holds a distinct level of minimalistic tone which leaves the listener feeling progressively isolated and empty, inducing a state of mind towards questioning your own existence.
Not only is the sound to this record more than intriguing, but its methodology of creation equally borders on the genius. Throughout the piece’s recording, microphones were placed throughout the desert landscape to capture the natural sound of the harsh desert, which can be witnessed in-depth throughout ‘Kites’ as the sound of crunching dry gravel and sand underlays the entirety of the track. This ambience, combined with a detailed repeating synth riff and every piercing guitar solo and drum beat makes for a complete sound which is truly something special. I very infrequently find myself truly sinking into an EP on the first listen, however Floating Points has achieved just that!
It does appear that we are truly able to dive into the mind of Floating Points within the record’s two longer numbers. Seven minute piece ‘Silurian Blue’ in particular is one such track which is beautiful in both sound and composure; the simplicity yet effectiveness of the track is genuinely awesome and leaves a warming yet simultaneous hollow feeling in the ear, a sensation which I can’t say I have ever experienced from this style of music before. Likewise, the equally transgressive ‘Kelso Dunes’ is 12 minutes of pure ambient bliss which in itself holds a countless amount of intricate subtleties which I could happily spend a day slowly dissecting in order to discover just what makes the sound of Reflections – Mojave Desert so fulfilling.
I have said before that electronic and instrumental music alike are incredibly hit and miss genres which can either fall flat on their face, or feel drastically over cluttered, however Floating Points has mastered his sound beyond any other instrumental artist I have ever heard and certainly perfected his niche style. Sam’s sound is tight, strong, deep and covers just about everything in between, he is a true musical prodigy and more than deserving of such a title. For those who are unconvinced by the power of electronica or ambient music, I think this short record could be the one to convert your view. I personally look forward to becoming progressively invested in Floating Points’ sound and I’m sure he will be an artist to keep an eye on in the future as his discography continues to grow.
Ben Walker
Website: floatingpoints.co.uk
Facebook: facebook.com/floatingpoints
Twitter: twitter.com/floatingpoints