It was late Friday night; the clock struck midnight and old friends reunited in the parking lot outside of a downtown Los Angeles warehouse, only having been notified of the secret location a few hours earlier. We shared enthusiasm for the upcoming six-hour set from Floating Points, otherwise known as Sam Shepherd, paired with sips of coffee in preparation for the night ahead. Hosting the event was L.A.’s own Far Away, welcoming Shepherd to their Restless Nites series, which had received widespread attention in the dance music community for hosting another six-hour night with Four Tet a few weeks prior.
The timing of this show was a celebration in itself — it had been a little over a year since the release of his debut album, Elaenia, for which he has received widespread praise for its timeless and spatial beauty. Prior to Elaenia’s release, he gained deep respect in the underground club scene for his unconventional, genre-bending vinyl sets, in addition to his avant-garde micro-house remixes and productions. Though we had seen him spin records in the past, this was our first time experiencing the Floating Points marathon set, and our curiosity for what he would bring to the table was fully piqued. As we made our way into the venue, we entered a strange, new universe filled with shimmering disco balls, light beams, and fog machines, painting a colorful scene of dancers moving together to disco beats. We looked at each other, eyes locking in agreement — it was time to get silly.
Armed with Pioneer’s DJM-900 mixer and a trio of their CDJ-2000s, Shepherd crafted a dance party fueled by a combination of his impressive mixing skills and his exploratory music repertoire projecting from a top-notch sound system, coming together to create a truly dynamic club atmosphere. The beginning of the night was characterized by a soulful consistency, interlacing old-school tracks with more recent house grooves like “Moments in Life” from Andres. Shepherd was all smiles as he dug through his record stash to reveal Linda Evans’ “You Control Me”, and this happiness radiated throughout the crowd as we were transported to a 70s disco club, stepping and swaying to the beat.
Two hours in, the set shifted gears and we were driven deep into the UK underground, the floor shaking as the bass thumped behind a mix of house and techno tracks. From this moment, we were roped in, and trusted whatever unconventional road Shepherd would inevitably be leading us down. He experimented with textural, spatial elements, transcending into the extraterrestrial with the airy uptempos of Gemini’s “Day Dreaming”, and had us bouncing to some classic hip-hop breakbeats with an edit of Group Home’s “Up Against Tha Wall”.
Though the night was long, the energy was high, and it was difficult to feel fatigued if you kept your eyes on Shepherd while he played. While scanning the crowd and carefully hand-selecting each upcoming song, he danced with as much vivacity as anyone in that warehouse, singing along with to classics like Bill Withers’ “Summer Nights in Harlem” and Mary Clark’s “Take Me I’m Yours”.
These stunning six hours showed us that the name Floating Points does more than describe the aural compositions of Shepherd’s own studio productions, which, to the dismay of some, were omitted in entirety from his setlist. These small disappointments were little more than short-lived exceptions. As a DJ, Floating Points exceeded all expectations, playing a wide range of tracks to their full potential, developing a warm and welcoming narrative to be freely interpreted by those who joined together to listen. He showcases an effortlessly intelligent style through which he draws in a crowd, transgressing through tempos and genres, guiding spectators through an unpredictable yet intuitive musical voyage, through the night until dawn.
That night, we traveled the world, through time, and into space without ever having to leave the dance floor. With Dr. Shepherd, we’re never quite sure of what’s coming next — but it always makes sense, and it always feels right. And he does it all accompanied by some of his own pretty sweet dance moves, too.