Ishmael Ensemble 19/04/23 @ Brudenell Social Club

Ouroboros presents…
Ishmael Ensemble
Ishmael Ensemble
19:30
Age Restriction: 14+ with Adult / 16+ without

Helmed by producer and saxophonist Pete Cunningham, Ishmael Ensemble’s music straddles the worlds of electronica and jazz. Comprising a shifting cast of collaborators, steered by Cunningham’s cross-genre approach as a producer, the Bristol collective explore vast sonic terrain with an honesty, intimacy and emotional heft that is uniquely their own.

Ishmael Ensemble rose to acclaim with debut album A State Of Flow (2019) – imbuing lush, cinematic compositions with left-field dub and electronic sensibilities. Named The Guardian’s ‘Contemporary Album Of The Month’ and MOJO’s ‘Jazz Album Of The Month’, it led to Maida Vale sessions for BBC

6Music’s Gilles Peterson and Tom Ravenscroft. Sophomore album Visions Of Light (2021) saw Cunningham reimagine what the ensemble could do, working with various collaborators to explore soaring strings, writhing electronics and jagged guitars. Praised by The Observer, UNCUT, Dummy etc. and playlisted by BBC 6Music (chosen as Huey Morgan’s ‘Album Of The Year’), it led to festival slots including Glastonbury (West Holts Stage) and New York’s Winter Jazz Festival. Following a 17-date UK & EU Tour, including sell-out shows at London’s Jazz Café and Bristol’s Thekla, they were also the subject of a lengthy feature on the BBC documentary Jazz UK: Spitting Fire.

Ishmael Ensemble now prepare for their next chapter, following a slew of collaborations with the likes of Grove, Sandunes and Medlar; these saw Cunningham breathe new life into Visions Of Light, in the form of remix album Versions Of Light. New single ‘The Rebuke’ arrives October 21st, featuring a stunning performance from the group’s lead vocalist Holysseus Fly. On February 3rd Ishmael Ensemble will release their New Era EP with guest vocalist Rider Shafique – the Gloucester-based wordsmith noted for his urgent, bracing lyricism with the likes of Swindle, Mala & The Young Echo collective.

Growing up just south of Bristol, Cunningham spent his schooldays learning saxophone, violin and guitar, and his evenings picking through his parents’ Pink Floyd, Frank Zappa and Joni Mitchell LPs. However, it was the sounds from the attic upstairs – jungle and drum & bass records being played by Cunningham’s older brother – that ignited his passion for electronic music. Digging a little deeper, Cunningham discovered albums such as Roni Size & Reprazent’s New Forms and Adam F’s Colours: music that seemed to marry this exciting new world of electronic music he’d found with the live instrumentation he knew and loved. He soon began DJing at warehouse parties and quarry raves around the South West, before finally moving to Bristol during its dubstep heyday. Pinch’s seminal Dubloaded and Subloaded nights became Cunningham’s church, where he would pass demos to the likes of Mala, Kode9 and

Peverelist as well as exchange production tips with like-minded peers.

Cunningham spent the years that followed playing saxophone in local bands and DJing around town, whilst working in his studio to blur the two worlds. In 2017, these efforts culminated in the creation of Ishmael Ensemble. Taking the name of Moby Dick’s sailor protagonist, whose epic voyage saw him draw strength and inspiration from his shipmates, Cunningham assembled his own crew: Jake Spurgeon (bass/synths), Stephen Mullins (guitar) and Rory O’Gorman (drums). Harnessing the camaraderie of a traditional band, Cunningham now had a vehicle to collaborate as a producer with whoever he chose – not least in bringing aboard inimitable vocalist Holysseus Fly. Since then, Cunningham’s own rise as an in-demand remixer has led to remixes for the likes of techno royalty Carl Craig and legendary jazz label Blue Note Records, in addition to composing original scores for the BBC.

Cunningham’s genre-agnostic approach to working with new collaborators, embracing their different musical backgrounds and unique creative spirits, has seen Ishmael Ensemble take myriad shapes: an expanding crew on an intrepid voyage, in which human relationships between artists underpin far-ranging, stunningly ambitious and emotionally heavyweight compositions.