(Press Release)
It’s been an astonishing couple of years for Manchester based trio GoGo
Penguin (drummer Rob Turner, double bassist Nick Blacka and
pianist Chris Illingworth). Their trademark mash-up of minimalist
piano themes, deeply propulsive bass lines and electronica-inspired drums has
seen them shortlisted for the Mercury Prize and fuelled their exhilarating live
shows from Manchester to Montreal and Paris to London.
They’ve written and
performed a new score for Godfrey Reggio’s cult film Koyaanisqatsi and
collaborated with noted choreographer Lynn Page for a Gilles Peterson-curated
night at the Barbican. And in the midst of all this they’ve signed a
multi-album deal with Blue Note Records, the most famous jazz label on earth.
Their new album is called Man Made Object and it’s the sound
of a band confidently pursuing their own path. “The title is partly inspired by
my fascination with ideas of robotics, transhumanism and human augmentation,”
says pianist Illingworth. “We’re recreating electronic music on acoustic
instruments. It’s like a man-made object that has become humanised and it
seemed like a good album title, one that also means something different to each
of us, and hopefully to each listener.”
Indeed, although they're predominately an acoustic piano
trio, GoGo Penguin’s music draws from many areas of contemporary electronic
music, one where you can hear arcade game bleeps, glitchy breakbeats, hypnotic
Aphex-style melodies, grinding bass lines and a rumbling low-end. It has been
described as “acoustic electronica”, a term which perfectly sums up their modus
operandi. “Many of the songs on this album started out as electronic compositions
that I made on sequencing software like Logic or Ableton,” says drummer Turner.
“I’ll then play it to the band and we’ll find ways of replicating it
acoustically.” And it is that ability to synthesis the seemingly
disparate influences of electronica, jazz and classical music into their own
unique musical DNA that gives GoGo Penguin such an instantly recognisable and
compelling sound. One that is set to reach an even wider audience with the
release of Man Made Object on February 5thand with a busy
international touring schedule taking in dates from Coachella in California to
Tokyo, New York to Paris, Berlin to Seoul and way beyond.
Man Made
Object is released on 5th February
on Blue Note Records
The single All Res –
featuring mixes by Matthew Herbert, Dabrye and Stray is out now.
06 FEB Cardiff The Gate
12 FEB Norwich Arts Centre SOLD OUT
13 FEB Coventry Warwick Arts Centre
16 FEB Glasgow Oran Mor
17 FEB Aberdeen Lemon Tree
18 FEB Gateshead Sage Gateshead
19 FEB Leeds The Wardrobe - SOLD OUT
20 FEB Manchester Band on the Wall - SOLD OUT
21 FEB Manchester Band on the Wall - SOLD OUT
23 FEB Birmingham Glee Club
24 FEB Bristol The Lantern - SOLD OUT
25 FEB London The Village Underground - SOLD OUT
05 MAY London Koko – extra date by special demand!
“It's obvious why the Manchester clubs are jumping to this band.” The Guardian
“The members stayed locked in their grooves, three young men making music with jazz instruments, rock dynamics and circumscribed dance-music strategies. You’ll soon hear about them.” New York Times
No comments :
Post a Comment