Music interview: Ross Ainslie prepares to launch his new album at Celtic Connections

Going with the flow is the best approach to the latest album from piper and multi-instrumentalist Ross Ainslie. A stern injunction printed across the sleeve declares: “This album is designed to be listened to continuously from beginning to end (NO SKIPPING TRACKS).” Those unequivocal capitals are his. It’s not an album tailored for shuffle mode, then, or for short attention spans. Fortunately Sanctuary (Great White Records) is a delight to listen to, the whole thing flowing seamlessly, sometimes in a limpid glide, sometimes like a burn in spate. It also elegantly incorporates influences ranging from Mike Oldfield to Indian music. And if Ainslie’s album of two years ago, Remembering, was a venture into songwriting that gave the impression of taking stock, the all-instrumental Sanctuary is a striking marker of where he finds himself now and the profound importance to him of music.