Late Night Tales: Floating Points (2LP)

Format: 2x12".

Floating Points’ personal collection of global soul, ambient, jazz, and folk treasures forms the latest in the warmly revered Late Night Tales series.

Sam Shepherd, aka Floating Points', musical taste is notoriously difficult to pin down, ranging from ethereal classical on one end to brilliant techno on the other, united only by a firm belief in music’s transcendent power to move hearts, minds, and, yes, feet. Similarly, his production career has spanned from early experiments in dance music with standout records like the ‘Shadows EP’ and collaborating with legendary Gnawa master Mahmoud Guinia through to his expansive album ‘Elaenia’, which received critical acclaim upon its release in 2015.

This Late Night Tales excursion into the depths of the night reflects his expansive tastes. The globe-trotting producer has garnered countless treasures on his travels from dusty stores in Brazil to market stalls close to home. There’s the beautiful ‘Via Làctea’, lifted from Carlos Walker’s debut album, the soulful ‘Blood Of An American’ by Abu Talib (Bobby Wright) and Robert Vanderbilt’s gospel reinterpretation of Manchild’s ‘Especially For You’. Raw soul and feeling ooze from the pores of every single track.

At the other end of the musical scale are the modernists, such as Quebecois Kara-Lis Coverdale, who presents the indelible ‘Moments In Love’, Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith whose ‘Milk’ is an exercise in tranquility, whilst Sarah Davachi’s meditative opener to the mix offers respite in a weary world.

We have some Late Night Tales exclusive tracks; along with Davachi’s offerings, there’s also Toshimaru Nakamura’s ‘Nimb #59’, as well as the now traditional cover version. Shepherd delved back into his childhood memory for this one, a track taken from the very first album his parents ever bought him, Kenny Wheeler’s ‘Music For Large & Small Ensembles’ - Sam gives his rendition of ‘Opening Part 1’. Wheeler also contributes trumpet to The Tunnel by Azimuth, written and performed by Norma Winstone and John Taylor, who, coincidentally, are the parents of Floating Points' drummer Leo Taylor. To close the album, Lauren Laverne reads the suitably nocturnal poem 'Ah! Why, Because The Dazzling Sun' by Emily Brontë.

"I tried to find music that reflected the stillness of the night. And because my musical interests are all over the place, it’s quite hard to distil that notion down to just a few songs. I really wanted to have electronic music, but I also wanted to have some soul music mixed in so I had to try and find a pathway through all of this different music."

• Sam Shepherd (Floating Points), 2019