Promises – Floating Points, Pharoah Sanders & The London Symphony Orchestra

If you are any kind of music fan, this has to be the sort of artist combination that will pique your interest. Floating Points is respected as one of the most talented and original electronic music producers out there. Add in Pharoah Sanders, an all-time legend from the world of jazz, with experience that stretches back to the sixties. Top it off with The London Symphony Orchestra. Et voila.

So, does Promises live up to the big-name billing? Yes, probably in ways you wouldn’t imagine. Think of the album as your companion on a spiritual journey, or a meditative splurge. Either way, let it surround you. Let the atmospheric synths, and the mastery and artistry of the players cast a spell.

It took five years to create and you can see why. It is the kind of album that does not come around very often.

Bonus track: this Tape Notes podcast episode is a deep dive into Floating Points aka Sam Shepherd’s production process for his last album Crush. I found his process pretty mind-blowing – I didn’t realise the extent to which an electronic music producer’s craft can be in the actual creation of instruments. He goes into detail on how he has built and tweaked his setup. A lot of it will go will probably go over your head (as it did mine), but the dedication is plain to see.

9 Beet Stretch – Leif Inge

 Every Sunday I am going to bring you something a little more downtempo to ease you back into the world.

Okay, so, today, something extremely different.

This is less song, more sound-art. To a lot of people, Beethoven’s 9th Symphony is pretty instantly recognisable. Artist Leif Inge took the composition (which normally lasts 70 minutes) and stretched it to last a full 24 hours without any distortion of pitch. What results is in an incredibly cinematic piece, with unimaginably deep texture and nuance. If you want to switch off, or go to another mental plane, this should be your soundtrack.

Part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-EGtq6vVHY

Part 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQfa-I6Gczc

Part 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0-OC8yo0f0

Part 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfBZeAQ-Vt0