- Artist
- Ishmael Ensemble
- ReleaseProduct
- A State Of Flow
- Label
- Severn Songs
- Catalogue Number
- SEVS4
- Release Date
- May 6, 2022
-
Vinyl 1×LP (Deluxe)
UnavailableEco vinyl
Read MoreSEVS4
- Over 60% reduction in energy consumption
- 85% reduction in carbon impact
- Pressed from a unique innovative plastic
- Less waste
- Faster manufacturing
- More recyclable
- Audio quality as good as standard vinyl – in fact the manufacturers claim that the quality can exceed standard pressing due to the benefits of injection moulding
Genres
This new longplayer builds on Cunningham’s work as proud protector of Bristolian heritage, sketching loving sonic pictures of the South West in his Bristol-inspired ‘Severn Songs’ series, whilst also incubating local visual and musical talent, within the Ensemble.
These endeavours have won him acclaim and support, not only from venerated musicians and broadcasters including Caribou, Carl Craig, Gilles Peterson and Tom Ravenscroft, but also UK tastemaker press, and attuned jazz fans – who voted a UK Jazz Special at the BBC’s Maida Vale featuring the Ensemble ‘Session of the Year’, at the Worldwide Awards.
The new album broadens these horizons, showing more collaborators in the shape of vocalists Holysseus Fly and Yama Warashi, plus acclaimed horn player Yazz Ahmed. Further colouring outside the defined lines of jazz is also evident, yet is always anchored by the flow theme; the flow of water, of time, of cultural exchange and of roles within the Ensemble.
‘A State Of Flow’ touches on various styles of jazz, stirring ambient invocations, club-ready percussive workouts, spiralling grooves, hazy psychedelic electronica and Japanese lyrics.
Nodding to the city’s instantly-familiar hilltop location Dower House, ‘Yellow House’ explores geographic duality, with Japan-born, Bristol-based vocalist Yama Warashi singing native-language tales, of the magnetic and pastoral charm, of her adopted home.
The organic garage beats of ‘Full Circle’ and classic trip hop style ‘Waterfall’ fuel Fly’s honey tone and evocative lyrics. On the latter, she was inspired by the Bristol exhibition of Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai, which fits conceptually like a glove, exploring as it does themes of water and personal freedom.
The stirring invocation of songs like ‘The Chapel’ and ‘First Light’ — waking to life like a sunrise in nature and littered throughout with sonic miniatures and fragmented details — contrast with the heady intoxication of ‘Siren!’, or ‘The River’s arabesque leads.
No matter what inspiration the group gesture toward, the album maintains a uniform sense of clarity and poise. Throughout, expressive peals of saxophone, crisp drum flourishes and finely-textured electronic brushstrokes can be heard as recurrent main motifs, even as stylistic diversions mimic tributaries, arrowing out of the Severn.
Influences flow freely too, ranging from Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith, Radiohead, Mahavishnu Orchestra and Roni Size/Reprazent, to the ambience of Yellow Magic Orchestra’s Haruomi Hosono and Ryuichi Sakamoto.
This would be a confusing melange, but for Cunningham’s excursions as a genre-agnostic DJ – something evident in the real house shuffle of ‘Lapwing’ – which evokes walking into a smoky afterhours haunt and finding a session in full, forward motion.
This album, borne of strong vision and stronger hometown pride, embellishes Ishmael Ensemble as one of the UK’s finest new groups. As shown across ‘A State of Flow’, the future of Bristol’s musical legacy is in more than capable hands.
- 1 The Chapel (4:36) 2:00
- 2 Full Circle (feat Holysseus Fly) (4:25) 2:00
- 3 Siren! (2:50) 1:25
- 4 Lapwing (4:52) 2:00
- 5 Yellow House (feat Yama Warashi) (3:25) 2:00
- 6 The River (5:00) 2:00
- 7 First Light (4:46) 2:00
- 8 Waterfall (feat Holysseus Fly) (4:06) 2:00
- 9 Surge (6:04) 2:00
Ishmael Ensemble
-
- Artist
- Ishmael Ensemble
- ReleaseProduct
- Visions of Light
- Label
- Severn Songs
- Catalogue Number
- SEVS6
- Release Date
- August 6, 2021
- LP
- CD
-
- Artist
- Ishmael Ensemble
- ReleaseProduct
- Songs For Knotty
- Label
- Banoffee Pies Records
- Catalogue Number
- BPLP002D
- Release Date
- February 3, 2017
- Download
Severn Songs
-
- Artist
- tAKX
- ReleaseProduct
- Exile
- Label
- Severn Songs
- Catalogue Number
- SEVS26
- Release Date
- December 8, 2023
- Download
-
- Artist
- tAKX
- ReleaseProduct
- Return
- Label
- Severn Songs
- Catalogue Number
- SEVS18
- Release Date
- March 31, 2023
- Download
-
- Artist
- Lyrebird
- ReleaseProduct
- Tomb For Birds
- Label
- Severn Songs
- Catalogue Number
- SEVS017
- Release Date
- March 17, 2023
- Download
-
- Artist
- Tiny Chapter
- ReleaseProduct
- For How Long Have We Been Asleep?
- Label
- Severn Songs
- Catalogue Number
- SEVS07
- Release Date
- December 3, 2021
- Download
Jazz
-
- Artist
- Underground Canopy and Aréna
- ReleaseProduct
- Zero-F (Portuguese Cut)
- Label
- Underground Canopy
- Catalogue Number
- UC002-C
- Release Date
- April 26, 2024
- Download
-
- Artist
- Oren Ambarchi, Johan Berthling, Andreas Werliin
- ReleaseProduct
- Ghosted II
- Label
- Drag City
- Catalogue Number
- DC917
- Release Date
- April 26, 2024
- LP
- Download
-
- Artist
- Telemakus, Chino Corvalán & Ted Taforo feat. Raghav Mehrotra
- ReleaseProduct
- Future Overture
- Label
- Fresh Selects
- Catalogue Number
- FSX068DIG2
- Release Date
- April 25, 2024
- Download
-
- Artist
- David Versace
- ReleaseProduct
- Okra
- Label
- La Sape
- Catalogue Number
- 5050580783768
- Release Date
- September 9, 2022
- Download
-
- Artist
- Carlos Niño & Friends
- ReleaseProduct
- Love to all Doulas!
- Label
- International Anthem
- Catalogue Number
- IARCS180
- Release Date
- April 11, 2024
- Download
-
- Artist
- Jon Hassell
- ReleaseProduct
- Amsterdam Blue
- Label
- Ndeya
- Catalogue Number
- NDEYA11D
- Release Date
- April 11, 2024
- Download
-
- Artist
- André 3000
- ReleaseProduct
- New Blue Sun
- Label
- Epic
- Catalogue Number
- 19658814751
- Release Date
- January 26, 2024
- LP (special)
- CD
-
- Artist
- Kamasi Washington & Andre 3000
- ReleaseProduct
- Dream State
- Label
- Young
- Catalogue Number
- YO369DS
- Release Date
- April 4, 2024
- Download
R&B
-
- Artist
- Eliza Rose and MJ Cole
- ReleaseProduct
- Business As Usual EP
- Label
- Rosebud Recordings
- Catalogue Number
- OHX030a
- Release Date
- April 24, 2024
- Download
-
- Artist
- Eliza Rose and MJ Cole
- ReleaseProduct
- Business As Usual
- Label
- Rosebud Recordings
- Catalogue Number
- OHX030a
- Release Date
- April 3, 2024
- Download
-
- Artist
- Fabiana Palladino
- ReleaseProduct
- Fabiana Palladino
- Label
- Paul Institute
- Catalogue Number
- PAULINST0023DA
- Release Date
- April 5, 2024
- LP
- CD
- Download
-
- Artist
- Rochelle Jordan
- ReleaseProduct
- Play With The Changes (Remixed)
- Label
- Young Art Records
- Catalogue Number
- YAR37D
- Release Date
- September 16, 2022
- Download
-
Pre-order
- Artist
- Baby Rose & BADBADNOTGOOD
- ReleaseProduct
- Slow Burn
- Label
- Secretly Canadian
- Catalogue Number
- SC490DIGITAL
- Release Date
- April 12, 2024
- LP (special)
- Download
-
- Artist
- Beyoncé
- ReleaseProduct
- Cowboy Carter
- Label
- Columbia
- Catalogue Number
- 19658894931
- Release Date
- April 12, 2024
- LP
- CD
-
- Artist
- Beyoncé
- ReleaseProduct
- Renaissance
- Label
- Sony
- Catalogue Number
- 19658744502
- Release Date
- July 29, 2022
- LP (special)
- CD
-
- Artist
- Machinedrum featuring Duckwrth
- ReleaseProduct
- ILIKEU
- Label
- Ninja Tune
- Catalogue Number
- ZENDNL299LW
- Release Date
- March 28, 2024
- Download
Electronic and Electronica
-
- Artist
- pigbaby
- ReleaseProduct
- i don't care if anyone listens to this shit once you do
- Label
- PLZ Make It Ruins
- Catalogue Number
- PLZ050D
- Release Date
- April 26, 2024
- Download
-
- Artist
- mui zyu
- ReleaseProduct
- the rules of what an earthling can be
- Label
- Father/Daughter Records
- Catalogue Number
- FD127DIG4
- Release Date
- April 23, 2024
- Download
-
- Artist
- Maria Chiara Argiro
- ReleaseProduct
- Closer
- Label
- Innovative Leisure
- Catalogue Number
- 810874027146
- Release Date
- April 26, 2024
- Download
-
Pre-order
- Artist
- Lanark Artefax
- ReleaseProduct
- Metallur
- Label
- AD 93
- Catalogue Number
- WHYT078
- Release Date
- April 26, 2024
- EP
- Download
-
- Artist
- Actress
- ReleaseProduct
- Dolphin Spray / Static
- Label
- Smalltown Supersound
- Catalogue Number
- STS428DIGI1
- Release Date
- April 25, 2024
- Download
-
- Artist
- Yosa Peit
- ReleaseProduct
- Gut Buster
- Label
- Fire Records
- Catalogue Number
- FIRE704
- Release Date
- April 26, 2024
- LP
- Download
-
- Artist
- Sega Bodega
- ReleaseProduct
- Dennis
- Label
- ambient tweets
- Catalogue Number
- at001
- Release Date
- April 26, 2024
- LP
- Download
-
- Artist
- Oren Ambarchi, Johan Berthling, Andreas Werliin
- ReleaseProduct
- Ghosted II
- Label
- Drag City
- Catalogue Number
- DC917
- Release Date
- April 26, 2024
- LP
- Download