Floating Points & The San Francisco Ballet - Mere Mortals (2LP)

"Mere Mortals" by Floating Points is being released on LP by Deutsche Grammophon and documents the first evening-length ballet by British composer and producer Sam Shepherd. The work was created at the invitation of Tamara Rojo for the San Francisco Ballet and premiered in 2024 at the War Memorial Opera House; the stage production featured choreography by Aszure Barton and design and visuals by Hamill Industries.

Musically, the record combines orchestral forces with live-played synthesizers and electronic production; Shepherd performed the synthesizers live with the San Francisco Ballet Orchestra for the performance and then further developed the score in the studio for the recording. The album was produced by Floating Points himself and translates the story of the Pandora myth into a contemporary sonic language that interweaves electronics and symphonic orchestration.

As an advance release, the expanded piece "Falling to Earth" (Movement 8) appeared digitally on May 1, 2026; the LP "Mere Mortals" is scheduled for late summer 2026 on Deutsche Grammophon. The release is aimed equally at listeners interested in contemporary orchestral work and at fans of Floating Points’ bridge between club and concert formats.