One artist, four albums: Isaac Aesili’s expansive musical year

Isaac Aesili has always felt like a bit of a shapeshifter in Aotearoa’s music scene. A multi-instrumentalist, producer, trumpet player, percussionist and sonic architect, he moves effortlessly across genres, cultures and collaborations. I’ve always found myself pulled toward everything he creates, which is why his latest releases deserve a proper spotlight.

I first came across Isaac’s music in 2012 through Funkommunity’s album Chequered Thoughts. That record remains firmly on my “best of New Zealand music” list. Central to its magic was vocalist Rachel Fraser, whose husky, rich tone was unmistakably her own — never an imitation. Together with Isaac’s skills in production, programming, and his command of horns, bass and synths, Funkommunity gathered some of the country’s finest musicians into a project that felt both soulful and forward-thinking.

The first track I heard was 'Make It That Way', and it instantly hooked me. One song in particular, 'Sorceress', still lingers in my memory.

Now, more than a decade later, Isaac has revisited that era by releasing instrumental versions from records he made across various bands and projects. Songs like 'Make It That Way' appear under an album project named: Somekommunity clearly a play on the former Funkommunity later Sorceress. Hearing that song again feels like opening a time capsule, polished but still deeply familiar.

In an interview with Tony Stamp in 2020 around the release of Aesili's album Hidden Truths, Isaac spoke candidly about how that record marked a personal and musical turning point. He shared his struggles with mental health and credited moving to Thailand, writing the album, and committing to therapy as lifelines. Hidden Truths was created with hope in mind — music for people navigating dark times.

Since then, Isaac has been living in Thailand, a place he says has helped heal him. He’s studying toward a PhD with ambitions to teach, while continuing to DJ and create music. In a surprise burst of creativity this year, he’s released four records — a kind of retrospective of his work. These include Somekommunity, The Sorcery of Karlmarx (revisiting his 2011 project with his brother), EYE See Hidden Truths, and Latinaotearoa in Latinoamerica, celebrating his work within modern Latin music in Aotearoa. Each album I have welcomed with open arms, soundtracking my road trips across the country through summer, revisiting these albums with a refreshing familiarity.

Naturally, I find myself returning to the track that made me a fan: a newly remastered instrumental of 'Dandelion', co-written and co-produced alongside Christoph El Truento. Listening to it now takes me right back to that first moment of discovery — a reminder of just how enduring and timeless Isaac Aesili’s music and production really is.