The real headliner at Head Trip? Floating Points one-of-a-kind sound system

This is read by an automated voice.Please report any issues or inconsistencies here.

See more from the L.A.Times in Google Search.

Set us as preferred Goldenvoice’s Head Trip, the third offering in the Coachella promoter’s infrequent time-capsule series (following Desert Trip and Power Trip), is a two-day electronic music summit slated to take over the Empire Polo Club in Indio this weekend.The lineup is stacked with some of the biggest names in the genre, featuring Calvin Harris, Swedish House Mafia, Fisher + Chris Lake, Skrillex, Peggy Gou and Four Tet.Yet, even among such top-tier talent, the truest audiophiles know the real headliner is listed at the bottom of the flier: “Floating Points Sunflower Sound System.”A decade in the making, this eight-cabinet, horn-loaded, in-the-round custom rig of monolithic wooden speakers will act as the show’s second stage.

Unveiled just two years ago and constructed for only four festivals, versions of the sound system have played at famed European events Glastonbury in England and Dekmantel in Amsterdam.Head Trip marks the Sunflower Sound System’s North American debut.“DJing’s not about playing wicked records.It’s about playing wicked records on a system,” said Sam Shepherd, who performs under the name Floating Points.

“You’re in control of something that is incredibly powerful, like a powerful weapon, and you need to tame it and use it to engulf the audience and bring people together.That’s the art of DJing, I think.”He was driven to build the Sunflower Sound System after performing in clubs around the globe, conversing with the people who built the systems he was using and taking notes about their designs.

He was influenced by some of his favorite venues and the people behind them, including the now-shuttered Plastic People in London and Paradise Garage in New York, and Cosmic Slop in Leeds, a club that funds the Music and Arts Production Charity in town for local youth.Shepherd soon r...