In typically over-enthusiastic FACT fashion, we did this piece on Floating Points when he’d only released one 7″ single, on Alexander Nut’s Eglo Records.
Now he’s rightfully a bit of a bigger name, with recent 12″s for R2 and Eglo that sit amongst the year’s best house records, andhaving just tore a hole in the dancefloor of our party at Cargo thisSaturday with a bolshed out selection of house, techno, dubstep anddisco with live vocals from Eglo cohort Fatima, we thought it was abouttime to repost for those who missed it.
All you need to know as far as an intro goes is that dude makes stunning, cosmic house and disco records that should appeal to fans of Lindstrom, Arthur Russell, Egyptrix and more, and he can also do it live with a twelve-piece band. What’s not to like?
Hey Floating Points. Introduce yourself to FACT…
“Hello, I’m Floating Points. I’m from Manchester, living in London.”
How did Floating Points start making music?
“This is long: I forcibly had piano lessons since I was eight – hatedit. I joined Manchester Cathedral Choir as a choirboy, and as a resultgot into Cheethams School of Music across the road, where I studiedjazz piano and composition. The composition teacher let me use the oldanalogue studio as much as I liked, ’cause they just got a fancydigital studio, which they’re probably still trying to figure out!
“This meant I’d spend endless time trying to get an MS20 to stay intune, making tape loops with the reel to reel, getting arthritic on theS-90 and electrocuting myself on the patch bay. This plus jazz pluschoral music and Manc record shops moulded me into a mess of lovefor so many sounds…”
How did you get from there to where you are now?
“When I finished school, I was gonna go to Royal College of Music tocontinue studying classical composition, but by this point I was sojaded and bored with classical education that I went to UCL and studiedpharmacology instead, and just did my own thing musically…”
Where are you coming from when you make music – is there anythingyou’re particularly trying to get across, any particular aims orintentions?
“With the dancier stuff the intention is pretty simple – I make thatstuff pretty quick, I fear that if I spend too long on it it stealsaway from its visceral impact. That’s why a lot of the house stuffsounds a bit messy… ‘Cause it’s unquantized, one take recordings. Theother instrumental stuff is a bit more considered, but that ain’t beenheard yet.”
Your tunes are all over the place, in a good way. Do you consider what you make House? Hip-hop? Some new mutation of bass music?
“It’s a right mess. Everything man…”
The name – is it the maths thing? Those spots that floating across your eyes when you’re tired? Or something else?
“It was actually the name of a tune I did when I was well young. I think some peeps thought that was my name and it just stuck.”
There’s a real space vibe going on your record sleeves, and your myspace pic – is that something you’re interested in?
“Er… being a scientist by day I’m fascinated by the unknown. Ourlabel Eglo has a very talented art director at its helm with Kay Shinand A&R/label honcho man Alex Nut. We share a mutual interest inthe unknown… [laughs]”
What inspires you right now – be it musicians or experiences or anything?
“I’m getting quite into my PhD actually, doing some really excitingstuff! Musically… Hmm, not so much. Funkineven has some incrediblebeats on the boil! Shaunise and Fatima have serious voices and somegreat tunes! Institutions such as Plastics [People], Deviation, Rinse,nonsense I draw a lot from. They all have an uncompromising dedicationto quality music.
“There’s some really exciting labels comin’ out from London at the motoo, like One Handed, Eglo & Arale, they are all young and havea great vision for the future…”
What can we expect from Floating Points in the future?
“The live thing at the Roundhouse…8th of may I think. I’m trying toget the scores for that finished, but I’m being well long about it.Four strings, two brass, bass, guitar, beats, keys & Fatima onvocals… it should be fun! There’s an EP on Eglo getting mastered thisweek…erm, and a 12” on Planet Mu soon….lots of other things too! [You can see footage of said Roundhouse show here, and if you haven’tchecked out his 12″ for Planet Mu, ‘K&G Beat’, then you ought to -you can hear it here. – Ed]
“DJing a bit around the place.. i really enjoy that… just sharing mylove for Drexciya & Debussy with peeps! And seeing peeps dance! ButSam Shepherd is concentrating on his PhD, that’s the main priority. Themusic thing is just a bit of fun.”
Tom Lea
