''Cascade'' is the third studio album by British electronic musician Sam Shepherd under the alias

Floating Points Samuel Shepherd (born 1986), known professionally as Floating Points, is a British electronic music producer, DJ, and musician. He is the founder of Pluto Records, co-founder of Eglo Records and leader of a 16-piece group called Floating Poin ...

. It was released on 13 September 2024 through

Ninja Tune Ninja Tune is an independent record label based in London, with a satellite office in Los Angeles. It was founded in 1990 by musicians Matt Black and Jonathan More, known collectively as Coldcut. The label was established as an outlet for Col ...

and received universal acclaim from critics. The album topped the UK Dance Albums Chart.

Background

''Cascade'' is Floating Points' first solo studio album since ''

Crush Crush may refer to: * Infatuation or limerence, the romantic attraction to another person * Puppy love, feelings of love, romance, or infatuation felt by young people Crush may also refer to: Film * Crush (1972 film), ''Crush'' (1972 film), a H ...

'' (2019). He collaborated with

Pharoah Sanders Pharoah Sanders (born Ferrell Lee Sanders; October 13, 1940 – September 24, 2022) was an American jazz saxophonist. Known for his overblowing, harmonic, and multiphonic techniques on the saxophone, as well as his use of "sheets of sound", San ...

and

London Symphony Orchestra The London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London. Founded in 1904, the LSO is the oldest of London's orchestras, symphony orchestras. The LSO was created by a group of players who left Henry Wood's Queen's ...

on '' Promises'' (2021). He then created his first ballet score, ''Mere Mortals'', in collaboration with

San Francisco Ballet San Francisco Ballet is the oldest ballet company in the United States, founded in 1933 as the San Francisco Opera Ballet under the leadership of ballet master Adolph Bolm. The company is currently based in the War Memorial Opera House, San Fra ...

. ''Cascade'' was inspired by his hometown of

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

. The song "Afflecks Palace" refers to an emporium in the city. The song "Key103" takes its title from a Manchester radio station. The album's cover art was created by Akiko Nakayama. "Vocoder", "Birth4000", "Del Oro", "Key103", and "Ocotillo" were released as singles from the album.

Critical reception

Brandon Miller of ''

PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, ...

'' commented that "Across nine tracks, Floating Points guides listeners through a series of self-reflective passages and hard club drops, suitable for both sweaty dance floors and moments of existential solitude." Robin Murray of '' Clash'' stated, "an autobiographical paean to club culture, it acts as a window of insight into his electronic imagination, while also slapping hard." Paul Simpson of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

called it "yet another marvelous Floating Points album, and easily the most successful work he's made as a dance producer." Krystal Rodriguez of ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' stated, "A collection of unconventional club bangers, it pulses with twitchy textures, glistening melodies, synth freak-outs and gravelly drums." Andrew Sacher of ''

BrooklynVegan ''BrooklynVegan'' is an American online music magazine founded in 2004 by David Levine. The company is headquartered in Brooklyn, New York, and originally focused on vegan food and the music community in and around New York City, before broadeni ...

'' stated, "Like cohorts

Four Tet Kieran Miles David Hebden (born September 1977), known as Four Tet, is an English electronic musician. He came to prominence as a member of the post-rock band Fridge before establishing himself as a solo artist with charting and critically acc ...

Jamie xx James Thomas Smith (born 28 October 1988), known professionally as Jamie xx, is an English musician, DJ, record producer, and remixer. He is known for both his solo work and as a member of the indie pop band the xx. He has been described as a " ...

, and

Daphni Daphni may refer to: * Dan Snaith, Canadian musician * Dafni (disambiguation), places in Greece {{dab ...

, Floating Points has an ear for melody that makes ''Cascade'' a gorgeous record, but it also goes even deeper into hard-hitting body music than most of ''Crush'' did." It was nominated for the Best Electronic Record award at the 2025 Libera Awards.

Accolades

Track listing

Personnel

Credits adapted from liner notes. * Sam Shepherd – music, arrangement, recording *

Dan Snaith Daniel Victor Snaith (born 29 March 1978) is a Canadian composer, musician, and recording artist. He has released 11 studio albums since 2000 and has recorded and performed under the stage names Caribou, Manitoba, and Daphni. His Caribou album ' ...

– drums (5) * Miriam Adefris – harp (6) * Hannah Ekholm – voice (7) *

Stella Mozgawa Stella Mozgawa is an Australian drummer and record producer, best known as a member of the indie rock band Warpaint, with whom she has recorded four studio albums. Alongside her work with Warpaint, Mozgawa is one half of the electronica duo Bel ...

– drums (7) *

Hikaru Utada , also known mononymously as Utada, is a Japanese and American singer, songwriter, and producer. She is considered to be one of the most influential and best-selling musical artists in Japan. She is best known by international audiences for w ...

– voice (8, 9) *

Matt Colton Matt Colton (born 30 March 1975) is an English mastering engineer and member of the mastering group of the Music Producers Guild. He has mastered recordings for artists such as Muse, Coldplay, James Blake, George Michael, Hot Chip, Gary Nu ...

Background

Critical reception

Accolades

Track listing

Personnel

Charts

References

External links