After a string of jazzy, long-winded, inward-facing releases, Sam Shepherd aka Floating Points returns to the dancefloor with this surprise 2-track single for Ninja Tune. The dude is as close to a certifiable genius as it comes in dance music, and his approach to crafting functional tools for dancers is almost as methodical and flawless as a modern classic piece he might compose. Front facing “LesAlpx” is as moody as you’d want; spacious and claustrophobic with one-note throbbing bass, ominous pads and slinky synth accents. Down bottom he slips into slinkier territory with the jubilant “Coorabell”; sparse, dubby and atmospheric with ‘nuff garage swing. Shepherd: “I started going back to my early records and all the sounds I loved playing at clubs like Fabric and Plastic People. I wanted to capture the immediacy of that music and the feeling that I got when I was on the dancefloor, of being immersed in a track that pulls you along instantly. I actually made these tracks quite quickly, which helped to get rid of any desire to overthink the music – it’s essentially the sound of me having loads of fun with the machines in my studio and going back to basics." Fingers crossed there’s more stuff like this in the cannon.

• black vinyl pressing
• side A: 33rpm, side B: 45rpm
• ships in one of 8 random label color variations
• music label: Ninja Tune 2019

reviewed by him downstairs 07/2019