Isaac Aesili
Isaac is a classically trained trumpet player and self-taught producer, vocalist and DJ with a passion for R&B, soul, funk, jazz, world and electronic music. He also has a passion for political science and human rights; in 2003 Isaac completed a Masters Degree in Political Science From the University of Auckland with a thesis on the topic of Human Rights, Indigenous Peoples and Neo-Colonization.
Adopted as a baby and raised in Christchurch, with a cultural and ethnic heritage comprising Guyanese, Pakeha, and Maori, Isaac has always known what it is like to look and feel different. These experiences would later form the inspiration behind Eye See as he was drawn to make an album that celebrated people's differences and explored the universality of music in an increasingly diverse world. Fittingly, the album features collaborations with a variety of gifted kiwis; Aaradhna, Rosita Vai, Rachel Fraser, Mara TK and Deva Mahal.
Over the last decade Isaac has been an integral member of Solaa, Opensouls and Recloose Live, and has toured to Europe, the US, Australia and Japan. A prolific collaborator, he has co-written songs with Ladi6 and Tyra Hammond and done recording session work playing trumpet on Hollie Smith's Long Player, Shapeshifter's Soulstice, House of Shem's Keep Rising and Crowded House's Time on Earth.