Author: sebalewisac4b643335

Ishmael Ensemble

I’ve been listening for a while now this amazing Bristol band, Ishmael Ensemble, led by Pete Cunningham. I came across Soma Centre, which immediately caught my attention – brilliant tune. Then I listened Visions of Light, their second album, which is fantastic – loads going on in terms of style, ideas, voices, synths and rhythm. Then I went for their first album, A State of Flow – also great, though I’d put it below Visions of Light. Well, last weekend I finally had a chance to seem them live at EARTH in Dalston – brilliant venue btw – and the show was ANOTHER LEVEL. For the first part they brought on guest orchestral players, which worked very well. Then they moved into the more electronic tunes, many from their latest album Rituals. The standout track for me – by far – is Fever Dream.

Pete Cunningham / Sebastian Lewis

Rubio – Venus & Blue

Rubio, the Chilean band led by Fran Straube, just dropped their new album Venus & Blue. Some great tunes, others not really my thing. I thought it would have more of the really good stuff they played at their Tiny Desk in Washington DC back in October 2025 – hopefully that’ll come out soon! Great to see them live in Santiago for MFEST 2026, alongside Ela Minus and the terrific electro-pop trio Chicarica.

Sebastian Lewis / Fran Straube

Gogo Penguin – Necessary Fictions

Gogo Penguin, the absolutely brilliant fusion-jazz trio from Manchester, released their new album Necessary Fictions a few months ago, and it’s a great listen. There are some excellent tracks on it, including contributions by Daudi Matsiko and violinist Rakhi Singh. They toured the album worldwide, and I was lucky enough to see them front row at London’s Barbican Centre. Honestly, a spectactular gig. They played some of my favourites — Smarra and Break probably at the top of the list — along with several tracks from the new album. Glad to have a signed copy of the record.

Jon Scott, Chris Illingworth, Nick Blacka, Sebastian Lewis

Hania Rani – Non Fiction – Piano Concerto in Four Movements


The great Hania Rani, one of my favourite contemporary composers by far, released her new album Non Fiction – Piano Concerto in Four Movements last week. An important departure from what she’s been composing in the last few years (notably Ghosts and Home), though not a radical one — some clear reminiscences of Inner Symphonies (with Dobrawa Czocher) but more immersive and definitely darker. Very few synths, except in the last movement. A fascinating composition: combining dark and intense moments with ESJA-type melancholic melodies. I had the chance to see her debut the album at Rough Trade East, London, in an intimate gig. Got my copy of the album signed. Thanks!

Sebastian Lewis / Hania Rani

Foehn Trio – Highlines


Can you remember the last time you found an album you just couldn’t stop playing? For me that’s Highlines (2020), by the French trio Foehn Jazz. I’ve had it on repeat for the past four months and still haven’t tired of it. It’s a very elegant mix of melodies, instrumentation, and rhythm. It’s definitely much better than Elements, their latest release (2023), and even slightly better than Magnésie (2017), which is itself a terrific album. Check it out! If you’re curious where to begin, start with Camera Obscure (my favourite by far), La Barma, and Old Ocean.