Catching Light with Ishmael Ensemble – Details, episodes & analysis

Pete is joined by the Mercury nominated Scottish multi-instrumentalist, producer & band leader Liam Shortall aka corto.alto about his creative process & the importance of building a strong musical community to keep inspired & motivated.

This episode is sponsored by Slate & Ash.

This week we dig into the archive for a chat with multi-instrumentalist & Mercury nominated composer Hannah Peel. Pete & Hannah discuss the influence of Delia Derbyshire & The Radiophonic Workshop on modern electronic music, writing music for orchestras & how to navigate being a multi-genre & multi-discipline artist. 

This episode is sponsored by Slate & Ash.

This week Pete is joined by the musician, producer & member of Ex-Easter Island Head - Andrew PM Hunt aka Dialect. His solo album "Atlas of Green" is a beautiful exploration of sound, inspired in part by a world of fantasy & sci-fi books whilst the critically acclaimed sixth album "Norther" by Ex-Easter Island head expands their palette of minimalism & prepared guitar into exciting new realms. Both records and projects are discussed in depth as well as a healthy amount of chat about gardening & literature... Enjoy!

Reading List

Always Coming Home - Ursula K Le Guin  
Riddley Walker - Russell Hoban
Book of the New Sun - Gene Wolfe  
The Ever Present Origin - Jean Gebser  
Prophetic Culture - Federico Campagna
The Wake - Paul Kingsnorth
Ears To The Ground - Various

Pete is joined by Gondwana Records saxophonist & composer Jasmine Myra to talk about her creative process and musical journey, from early days in Leeds to working with label boss and trumpeter Matthew Halsall in crafting her sound...

Pete sits down with Chicago based musician & producer Will Miller aka Resavoir to talk about his creative process and musical journey...

This week Pete is joined by broadcaster, writer & DJ, Zakia Sewell. At a time when the country feels more divided than ever, finding pride and reason to celebrate the music and folk traditions of Britain is conflicting, however on her BBC radio documentary My Albion, Zakia navigated this rough terrain with careful and often challenging clarity - this chat digs into that world as well as Zakia's early days behind the counter of Honest Jon's, her NTS show "Questing" which soundtracked many of our weekends & how to stay focused in a world of distraction.

This week, Pete is joined by the Netherlands based, Scottish guitarist & producer Jonny Nash. From the nascent Amsterdam scene of the 2010's which led to his records with Suzanne Kraft & Gaussian Curve to his more recent collaborations with Ana Best & Teguh Permana, Jonny's work practices restraint and subtlety in a world full of noise & attention grabbing content, a breath of fresh air amongst the madness. 

Pete welcomes drummer and composer Tom Skinner for a deep dive into his musical journey so far. From a keen teenage jazz head jumping in on jam sessions across London in the late 90's, helping lay the foundations for the UK jazz boom alongside fellow Tomorrow's Warriors Tom Herbert, Soweto Kinch & Dave Okumu at the Jazz Cafe in the early 00's, forming Sons Of Kemet with Shabaka Hutchings, becoming bandmates with Thom Yorke & Jonny Greenwood in The Smile, to now releasing his second eponymous album Kaleidoscopic Visions - Tom's rhythm's have played a major part in shaping the sound of UK jazz and beyond for the last two and a half decades...

Pete is joined by Geordie Jazz maestros, Knats for an in depth chat about their new album "A Great Day in Newcastle" - a beautiful depiction of working class life in the North-East set to Stravinsky-esque orchestral arrangements and frenetic horn solos all glued together by poignant yet witty spoken word. 

Pete invites multi-instrumentalist, producer, and composer Sam Beste to talk about his latest album "Under A Familiar Sun". Sam is perhaps best known as the former live pianist for Amy Winehouse but under his alias The Vernon Spring, he creates atmospheric, genre-blending music that fuses ambient piano improvisation, jazz, and subtle electronic production.