Shahzad Ismaily is a Pakistani-American multi-instrumentalist, composer, and producer based in Brooklyn, NY. Known primarily for his sensitive and genre-fluid collaborations, he has appeared on nearly 400 albums since arriving in New York in 2000. Though often working in the background, his sonic fingerprints can be found on records by artists as diverse as Feist, Yoko Ono, Laurie Anderson, Moses Sumney, Cass McCombs, and Bonnie “Prince” Billy. A longtime member of Marc Ribot’s trio Ceramic Dog, Ismaily is also a core member of the acclaimed project Love in Exile alongside Arooj Aftab and Vijay Iyer -- their 2023 debut was nominated for a Grammy. Other notable collaborations include Laraaji and Merz (Dreams of Sleep and Wakes of Sound), Jolie Holland (The Living and the Dead), and appearances in Ragnar Kjartansson’s The Visitors and Bob Dylan’s concert film Shadow Kingdom. His Brooklyn recording space, Figure 8, has become a vital hub for experimental artists and home to his boutique label of the same name.