Sunday 15 June
“Music that straddles the experimental lines between electronica, jazz and dance” – Line of Best Fit
Over the past 5 years, producer & saxophonist Pete Cunningham’s Ishmael Ensemble has gone from being a humble bedroom recording project to an integral part of the thriving U.K. Jazz scene.
The group’s debut album “A State Of Flow” saw Cunningham explore an array of sonic scenery from lush cinematic soundscapes to raucous peaks of psychedelia that received high praise from listeners & journalists alike.
“A deeply arresting sound from one of our favourite cities, simply beautiful” – Mary Anne Hobbs
The group’s follow up record ‘Visions of Light’ saw them further blur the lines between Jazz & Electronic music, taking the listener on an expansive journey in sound whilst flying the flag for their hometown of Bristol. The record went on to be crowned Huey Morgan’s “Album of the Year” on BBC 6 Music and saw them perform at The New York Winter Jazz Festival for Gilles Peterson.
All of the above has solidified Cunningham’s status as an in demand producer & remixer, working with a broad range of artists and labels from techno royalty, Carl Craig to the legendary jazz label, Blue Note Records.
How would you describe your music in 5 words?
Studio fun with many mates
How do you feel about performing in the Paper Factory?
We can’t wait, we’ve been leaning pretty heavily into the electronic side of things for our live show, which couldn’t be better suited to a dark warehouse space. Hope you’ve got some fog machines!
Which song provides the best introduction to those unfamiliar with you?
That’s a hard one, it’s quite a varied sound, tracks like feather encapsulate the jazzier side of what we do but we definitely turn it up a notch on tracks like Fever Dream & Wax Werk.
Any exciting plans for 2025 you would like to share?
New music! New ways of performing and lots of time in the studio 🙂
Please share one interesting fact about you that we need to know!
I’ve never played a gig in a disused Paper Factory before!
