THE WORLD'S BEST NEW MUSIC

Samuel Thomas Shepherd, performing as Floating Points, is a visionary British electronic music producer, DJ, and composer holding a PhD in neuroscience. Renowned for bridging disparate musical worlds, Shepherd founded Pluto Records, co-founded Eglo Records, and directs the acclaimed 16-piece Floating Points Ensemble. His career spans intricate club tracks, expansive jazz collaborations, and monumental orchestral compositions. Shepherd’s unique technical mastery and emotive depth have cemented his reputation as one of contemporary music’s most adventurous sound sculptors, seamlessly navigating underground dance floors, high-art institutional commissions, and symphonic concert halls worldwide. Originally commissioned for the San Francisco Ballet’s ground-breaking production choreographed by Aszure Barton, Mere Mortals reimagines the myth of Pandora’s box through the lens of artificial intelligence. Shepherd crafts a breathtaking score where lush acoustic instrumentation collides with raw synthesizer voltage. Collaborating with visual artists Hamill Industries, who shaped the production design and visual campaign through a "responsible integration of AI tools," the project balances human craftsmanship with algorithmic tension. The dynamic range is staggering: delicate strings build into thundering electronic crescendos, mimicking technology’s intoxicating promise and overwhelming chaotic power. It stands as a triumph of modern composition: intimate, cinematic, and profoundly resonant.