Various Artists

Late Night Tales: Floating Points

Late Night Tales / Night Time Stories Ltd

Sam Shepherd, aka Floating Points, is a British DJ, collector and reissue label owner – he trades in rare grooves across soul, jazz, psych-rock, folk and ambient. There’s minimalist techno and low-key glitchy noise stuff in his selections and DJ sets too – but for the most part it’s a cruisy ride through jazz or soul-tinged groove-music. And here, on his entry into Late Night Tales it’s very much about the late-night waft of rare jazz and psych-pop. It’s gorgeous and invigorating. Indelible melodies from songs you might well be hearing for the first time. And a seamless flow and feel – lots of rarities and weird offerings but nothing too jarring (well, not until the end of the album (Toshumaru Nakamura’s Nimb#59 is a slight mood-breaker, great though). 

There are some legendary names here (Max Roach) but for the most part this is a deep dive into crates of yesteryear – The Rationals, William S. Fischer, Sweet & Innocent.

And there are covers too, adding to the deep-dive nation. So obscure/forgotten garage band The Rationals are actually serving up a Dr. John piece. Floating Points himself arrives late in the album with a rendition of The Sweet Time Suite by Canadian jazz trumpeter Kenny Wheeler. 

If you want to impress the music-nerd in your life this is the way to do it; this is the one. Better yet, take a dive yourself – lots to learn here, lots to inspire. But it never feels too heady or clever. The genius of it is how you can just let it wash over you – including Floating Points’ 77-minute continuous mix (disc two). This one more than fills the brief, so perfect to come home to after a night out on the beverages or doing whatever and wherever. You sit down with your natcap, your best person by your side, or just your phone in your hand connecting you to whatever you do and don’t need to be connected to and you let Sam Shepherd/Floating Points guide you. You’ll be gliding. Loving it. 
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