15 questions with…ISHMAEL ENSEMBLE
Computer Music|October 2021
Ishmael Ensemble is a collective of Bristolian musicians, throwing elements of that city’s rich and varied history into a melting pot of styles and fusions. ‘Experimental jazz’ is one label, only the results are much better than that sounds, and have already drawn praise from the national press and landed the band two BBC sessions…
15 questions with…ISHMAEL ENSEMBLE

With Ishmael Ensemble’s debut album, A State Of Flow, garnering praise from The Guardian, Mojo and The Wire and landing the band sessions at Maida Vale for Gilles Peterson and Tom Ravenscroft, the pressure was on for its followup. Luckily, new album Visions Of Light is just as wide-reaching and ambitious and looks set to only increase the band’s success. The ensemble is led by producer and saxophonist Pete Cunningham, with Holysseus Fly on vocals, Stephen Mullins on guitar, Rory O’Gorman on drums and Jake Spurgeon’s on synths. Their sound takes all sorts of elements from the rich musical history of their home city of Bristol and mixes it up with experimental jazz leanings and a very decent helping of tech...

1 Tell us how you got into music

Pete Cunningham: “I first got into music through my parents’ record collection. All the classics: Dylan, Pink Floyd, Joni Mitchell, Joan Armatrading, Nick Drake etc. We didn’t have a TV so we would just sit around and listen to records on a Sunday evening. I used to listen for hours, picking apart the arrangements and noting each instrument. The first music I discovered for myself was Placebo, Radiohead and Green Day, which led me to the guitar. I got an Epiphone Les Paul from one of my brother’s friends and a Danelectro distortion pedal. I had a friend who was a drummer and he asked if I wanted to join a band. One of them, Jake Spurgeon, now plays bass and synths in Ishmael Ensemble. I was 8 and he was 12!”

2 When did you get successful?

This story is from the October 2021 edition of Computer Music.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the October 2021 edition of Computer Music.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM COMPUTER MUSICView All
Sonuscore The Score $399 PC MAC
Computer Music

Sonuscore The Score $399 PC MAC

The Score comes up with a film soundtrack based on your stylistic choices, but that’s just the start of it. Andy Jones scores The Score

time-read
3 mins  |
November 2024
Baby Audio Humanoid $129 PC MAC
Computer Music

Baby Audio Humanoid $129 PC MAC

Humanoid brings the ‘extreme’ and ‘radical’ to the world of vocals, but is also one of the easiest plugins to use and abuse, says Andy Jones

time-read
4 mins  |
November 2024
The Synth Factory Horizen $129 PC MAC
Computer Music

The Synth Factory Horizen $129 PC MAC

A synth/sampler that packs in a lot of power at an almost silly price - despite its low profile, Andy Jones gazes at Horizen...

time-read
3 mins  |
November 2024
Flow Mastering Suite $15/month PC MAC
Computer Music

Flow Mastering Suite $15/month PC MAC

Mastering your music just got as easy or as complex as you want. But, Andy Jones asks, is it worth yet another monthly subscription?

time-read
3 mins  |
November 2024
Universal Audio LA-6176 $299 PC MAC
Computer Music

Universal Audio LA-6176 $299 PC MAC

UA has bundled three of its classic emulations into one channel strip. Is this analogue dream your ideal plugin team? Andy Jones finds out

time-read
4 mins  |
November 2024
Rack'em up...
Computer Music

Rack'em up...

IK Multimedia has announced a comprehensive update to its mixing and mastering software, T-RackS, that brings some smart mastering additions

time-read
1 min  |
November 2024
FX Collection 5 €499
Computer Music

FX Collection 5 €499

Arturia's huge bundle of effects gets its regular update and it's still easily as essential as the company's V Collection

time-read
3 mins  |
November 2024
Make a pulsing bass with GForce Axxess
Computer Music

Make a pulsing bass with GForce Axxess

Get mechanical, with a garage-inspired bass patch, which gets right to the pulsing heart of the Axxess synthesiser

time-read
4 mins  |
November 2024
The software that shaped us
Computer Music

The software that shaped us

Computer Music has had a 25-year history, and over the life of this magazine, the technology behind music production has changed beyond recognition. Here are the products that set the stage for the modern world…

time-read
5 mins  |
November 2024
PERFECT VIRTUAL GUITAR!
Computer Music

PERFECT VIRTUAL GUITAR!

Need a great guitar sound, but lacking any guitar-playing contacts, or the skills to play it yourself? Have no fear, your computer is here! With a few pointers, buying advice and hands-on tips, you and your PC or Mac can emulate the greatest guitarists in the world…

time-read
6 mins  |
November 2024