Floating Points brings his immersive Sunflower Sound System to the US for Head Trip debut

September 29, 2026

Sunflower Sound System brings immersive sound and an all-star lineup to Head Trip.

Goldenvoice’s one-time-only Head Trip festival, taking place Oct. 10-11 at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, has announced the artist lineup for the U.S. debut of Floating Points’ Sunflower Sound System.

Designed by Floating Points, aka Sam Shepherd, Sunflower Sound System is a custom-built hi-fi environment more than a decade in the making. At Head Trip, the system will be housed inside an acoustically treated, paneled dome featuring 10 custom speaker stacks positioned in a circle around the audience, creating an immersive surround-sound experience.

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The space will extend beyond sound. Tapestries and original artwork commissioned from DJ and artist Josephine Chime will transform the interior of the dome, while the “Cosmosphere,” a massive mechanical mirrorball, will make its debut above the crowd. The installation is designed to bloom as the energy and music build throughout the room.

Shepherd is a producer, composer, DJ and musician with a PhD in neuroscience whose career has moved across electronic music, live instrumentation and multidisciplinary art. His longstanding interest in sound and engineering helped shape the development of Sunflower Sound System, which brings those worlds together in a physical listening environment.

Throughout the weekend, Sunflower Sound System will host a carefully selected group of artists whose approaches to DJing, sound and record culture complement the system’s wide sonic range.

Joining Floating Points are Avalon Emerson, Hessle Audio co-founder Ben UFO and DJ duo Eris Drew & Octo Octa. The lineup also includes longtime Floating Points collaborator Four Tet, dub producer and engineer Mad Professor, Detroit DJ and Sound Signature founder Theo Parrish, and Emmy-nominated music supervisor and curator Zach Cowie.

Programming inside Sunflower Sound System will run from 3 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. on Saturday and from 3 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. on Sunday.

The installation adds another dimension to Head Trip’s debut weekend, giving festivalgoers an experience centered not only on the artists behind the decks, but on the way the music itself is heard and felt.