Ishmael Ensemble are finding the heart and soul in experimentation

Surrounded by music his entire life, Cunningham is, for all intents and purposes, a musical sponge. The folk music his dad would play him; the '90s dance music his brother and his friends would blast out in the attic that inevitably led him to production; the instruments he picked up in school (most notably saxophone); and the skate video soundtracks and subculture pals who'd go onto encourage his brass studies. Cunningham is a swirling amalgamation of a lifetime of influence.

Now, the 34-year-old Cunningham is a far cry from the child who soaked up the variety of musical flavours in his household but he still retains that sense of wonder. It's what fuels Ishmael Ensemble's consistent sonic exploration: "I like naivety and the immediateness of playing some music in a room with people," he tells me.

The spark of Ishmael Ensemble was lit after a brief solo stint. Forming the outfit with guitarist Stephen Mullins and bassist Jake Spurgeon – school friends who he's been playing music with for 20-odd years – Cunningham mentions, "They always joke with me, you had the cream of the crop of all the best musicians in Bristol, why did you choose us? But for me, it's all about that trust. We've already got, 15/20, years of a relationship of knowing our exact reference points."

The alchemy of music is where Cunningham's interest lies: How all of the parts, physically and spiritually, work together to create something bigger than he or anybody listening is what keeps him ticking.

Eventually adding drummer Rory O'Gorman into the mix, another school chum, Cunningham says he's more akin to a metal drummer ("He'd play 10 times louder than all these jazz drummers," he laughs). The final addition was vocalist Holly Wellington – recruited after Cunningham had caught her performing around Bristol – and together this five-piece became the core of Ishmael Ensemble. The project's origins were rooted in collaboration, with various guest vocalists and collaborators popping by. This was an innate part of Cunningham's methodology: "I've always thrived off the human connection that you get with getting multiple people together far more," he explains. "I can't ever imagine wanting to do a solo project, or anything like that. I'm always interested in the mechanics of it, that's been something that's been there forever."

Pooling together his musical upbringing, Ishmael Ensemble's offerings have seen them grow from a sonically traditional outfit. They found nods to jazz cliques and scenes following them from their 2019 debut A State Of Flow – tag that's not entirely out of place, given the spotlight on Cunningham's extensive saxophone education from school and beyond. While any tag is a restriction Cunningham doesn't care for, he remains grateful for the foundations it laid out for his project: "We got swept up in that jazz boom, which I would never regret, that did wonders for us and it's probably a hugely responsible part of where we're at and what we're up to," he smiles.

Ishmael Ensemble's 2022 follow-up, Visions Of Light, moved on slightly but not quite enough. It did manage to win them critical acclaim and led to rigorous touring schedule, including a spot on Glastonbury's West Holts stage. For their third record Rituals – released this week – it was time to break free from these chains and explore newer territory: "Hold on, we've got a metal drummer, our guitarist has got a million pedals, and can make these luscious walls of sound. We're all really into dub and all these big electronic sounds...why don't we lean into that?" Cunningham explains.

Focusing on his electronic influences, this facet stems from those childhood moments stolen when his brother and his friends were listening to drum 'n' bass in their parent's attic. This led to a preteen Cunningham being piqued toward DJ'ing and blossomed into an interest in composing: "I used to make electronic music out of samples, the classic download a sample pack, and I'd spend hours searching for the perfect kick drum," he chuckles.

Throughout Rituals, there's dance, rave, and prog all finessed together in a culmination of Cunningham's journey to this point. Having his four key players behind him is pivotal in this sonic exploration. It's why, as a component, he's taken a backseat for their third offering. "I'm less interested in putting myself at the forefront as a musician on record," Cunningham explains. "There's far less of me in an obvious sense, and much more of digging into the bigger thing, how can we make those moments of euphoria out of these multiple elements? That's more where I'm interested, and I love working with what other people have done."

Cunningham has always had an ear for the construction of music. As a young child, he'd listen to his parents' music and try to identify the instruments, laying the groundwork for the production he'd come to undertake. Wanting to push the envelope of what he can do, his natural inclination to move to the outer limits of creation came as a reaction to the studious nature of learning an instrument. Refuting the idea of becoming a "virtuous saxophonist", he's more than happy for other players to take this lead in his musical creations. For Cunningham, it's all about slotting the puzzle pieces together in the search for the bigger picture.

This care and craft gives Ishmael Ensemble their edge – they're unbound, and the only anchor point is that opening sentiment: does what they're creating offer an emotional reaction? "At least, if I can pour that in, someone else might find they've had that same emotional response and it reminds me othem of something else that's happened in their life," he explains. "When I think of all my favourite types of music, it's always emotion over genre. It's always, Does this do the thing? Yes, it does."

But perhaps the most overarching theme for Cunningham is an unbridled love of music. It's an overstatement for most musicians yet the devotion to his output and exploring his multitudes gives the collective's driving force a loving glow that courses through every project and shines brightly on Rituals: "I think that's the most important thing, I just really love music. Maybe I'd just be happy even just listening to music…it's everything for me."