Juno Daily Premiere: be the first to see the video for Ishmael Ensemble’s ‘The Gift’

Taken from jazz and broken beat crew’s upcoming album Visions of Light

Bristolian jazz-electronic group Ishmael Ensemble have unveiled the video for their new single ‘The Gift’, harkening their upcoming album Visions of Light. 

With producer and saxophonist Pete Cunningham at the helm of the project since its inception, the Ensemble focuses on leftfield dub and cinematic jazzdance, with electronic sensibilities redolent of Bristol’s diverse musical history. Cunningham’s rise as a producer has previously led him to remix Carl Craig, as well as various talents on Blue Note Records.

‘The Gift’ is a slow-burning broken beat track, with longing ambience and melancholic vocals by Waldo’s Gift guitarist Alun Elliott-Williams aka Tiny Chapter”  

Cunningham said of the collaboration, “I first got to know Waldo’s Gift guitarist Alun Elliott-Williams aka ‘Tiny Chapter’ through the Bristol jazz scene. I’d always known him as a guitarist until seeing him perform backing vocals for STANLÆY. His ethereal falsetto style blew me away and I knew we had to collaborate on something for this new record.”

Visions of Light is a starkly multi-instrumental album, making use of various instruments including saxophone, 808, resonator, guitar, piano, modular synth, synth bass, drums, percussion, vocals, harp, keys, bass, double bass, flute, violin, CR78 and bass clarinet.

It follows their 2019 debut LP A State Of Flow, The album expands on that album’s theme to reimagine what an ‘ensemble’ can do, transcending a rigid group format into a free-flowing, holistic collective. The result is a 10-track album, featuring a long list of collaborators on every track – including Holysseus Fly, Rory O’Gorman, STANLEY, Tiny Chapter, and Jake Spurgeon.

Visions of Light will be released on all formats on August 6 Pre-order your copy herhttps://www.juno.co.uk/products/ishmael-ensemble-visions-of-light/824849-01/e