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GOGO PENGUIN

GoGo Penguin

Everything Is Going To Be Okay

    Emotive, break-beat minimalist trio GoGo Penguin are back, with their brand new album “Everything Is Going to Be OK”. Bursting with the optimism of new beginnings, with a new drummer, their new record label, (Sony Records' electronica and classical imprint XXIM Records), and a subtly updated and developed sound, the band are ushering in a more ambient era.

    “Everything Is Going to Be OK” is born from a time of turbulence and loss. During an oppressive grieving period, the studio offered the band a sanctuary from real life. The resulting project, given such vibrant life here, draws its strength from a shared understanding and empathy. Life has many great aspects to it and despite the lows, we should be mindful and grateful to celebrate the highs at every turn. Through our hardships, we will emerge stronger - everything is going to be ok.

    STAFF COMMENTS

    Barry says: I've loved GoGo penguin in every iteration of their sound thus far. Minimal loungy jazz business, flickering electronica and grooving soulful instrumentals, they've all been brilliant. It's a big thing then, when I say with some confidence then that the optimistic melodic turns and perfectly produced hazy flicker of 'Everything Is Going To Be Ok' is by far my favourite GGP sound yet. Lovely.

    TRACK LISTING

    You’re Stronger Than You Think
    Glimmerings
    Saturnine
    Glow
    Friday Film Special
    Soon Comes Night
    An Unbroken Thread Of Awareness
    We May Not Stay
    Everything Is Going To Be OK
    Last Breath
    You’re Stronger Than You Think (Revisit)
    Parasite
    Sanctuary

    Gogo Penguin

    Between Two Waves

      Recorded at the end of 2021, Between Two Waves, marks the latest chapter in the story of GoGo Penguin. A joyful, powerful collection of new music is now available on vinyl which also includes 5 postcards.

      As the band regroup after the strange, challenging and at times, tragic couple of years which preceded it, this album captures a moment of rebirth and movement for one of contemporary music’s most exciting bands and explores that sense of excitement and anticipation as you move through life. With a new line-up, drummer Jon Scott joined pianist Chris Illingworth and bassist Nick Blacka a few months before the recording sessions at Peter Gabriel’s Real World Studios, and a new label, XXIM Records. For the band, it represented both business as usual with a welcome return to the recording studio, but also something of a fresh start. A chance to explore new ideas and experiment, as they expanded the range of sounds and voices within the tracks, and the Eurorack modular and Moog synths found their places between their signature piano, double-bass and drums on tracks like Badeep, Wave Decay and Lost in Thought. 

      TRACK LISTING

      Badeep
      Ascent
      Wave Decay
      Lost In Thought
      The Antidote Is In The Poison

      Manchester has produced some of the UK's greatest rock bands from Joy Division to the Stone Roses, but it isn't just the indie scene that thrives here, from the likes of Jon Thorne and Stuart McCallum to the Beats & Pieces Big Band and trumpeter Matthew Halsall, Manchester's jazz scene has produced some of the UK's brightest and most original jazz groups. Now with its eighth release Matthew Halsall's Manchester based Gondwana record label shines a light on another of Manchester's expansive, brilliant piano trio GoGo Penguin. Featuring pianist Chris Illingworth, bassist Grant Russell and drummer Rob Turner (all still in their twenties), GoGo Penguin, draw on a heady brew of influences from Aphex Twin to Brian Eno, Debussy to Shostakovich and Massive Attack to EST.

      GoGo Penguin

      RMX

        Cooked up in the Blue Note Lab, RMX presents last year’s band-defining masterpiece, GoGo Penguin, re-imagined through the filter of some of the world’s finest producers and remixers. For RMX the idea was both simple and inspired; commission a remix of every track from last year’s album and present a total re-imagination of the record, a remix, or as the band title it, a RMX. In the end they went one better; with a remix of every track (and two of one) plus a remix of the track Petit_a, which was originally released only in Japan before surfacing on their Live from Studio 2 digital EP. The idea behind RMX was also the catalyst for a remarkably inspired collaboration. The Manchester trio's music has always drawn heavily on electronica (alongside jazz, indie and classical influences) and so commissioning ten of their favourite artists to rework their music made perfect sense - and the results are spectacular. One of the very best remix projects you will hear anywhere. Amongst the many highlights are Squarepusher’s thumping remix of F Maj Pixie, alongside Japanese producers Cornelius and Yosi creating sublime new landscapes with the band’s music on Kora and Embers. James Holden assembles an epic synth odyssey around Totem and Portico Quartet produce a sympathetic reworking of Don’t Go. Band faves Clark and Nathan Fake produce inimitable reworkings as does noted French producer Rone, while American producer Machine Drum turns Atomised into dance floor friendly ‘belter’ which is also the first single. Finally, the band have not forgotten their hometown - Manchester is well represented, with remixes from elder statesman and dance music legend Graham Massey (808 state) and new discovery Shunya, whose enigmatic reworking of To The Nth almost steals the record.

        STAFF COMMENTS

        Barry says: You only need look at the lineup for this to get some idea of how far GGP have come. From their early days as mellow jazz underdogs to their staggering newest LP for the legendary Blue Note records, they've proven their undeniable talent at every turn. This project sees a number of stratospherically big names remixing their work with incredible results. Stunning.

        TRACK LISTING

        1. Kora (Cornelius Remix)
        2. Atomised (Machinedrum Remix)
        3. Embers (Yosi Horikawa Remix)
        4. F Major Pixie (Rone Remix)
        5. F Major Pixie (Squarepusher Remix)
        6. Open (Nathan Fake Remix)
        7. Signal In The Noise (808 State Remix)
        8. Totem (James Holden Remix)
        9. To The Nth (Shunya Remix)
        10. Petit_a (Clark Remix)
        11. Don’t Go (Portico Quartet Remix)

        GoGo Penguin

        V2.0 - Signed Orange Vinyl Special Edition

          PICCADILLY EXCLUSIVE SIGNED COPIES.

          Originally released in March 2014, v2.0, was GoGo Penguin's breakthrough album and the first to feature the rebooted line-up with new bassist Nick Blacka, pianist Chris Illingworth and drummer Rob Turner. It was named a Mercury Prize album of the year 2014 alongside albums from Damon Albarn, Young Fathers and Jungle. The extended version was first released on 2xLP for RSD 18 on clear vinyl.

          This version features the same extended tracklist on translucent orange vinyl.

          Newly remastered for vinyl (by the original engineer)
          2xLP deluxe gatefold edition.
          A percentage of sales on this edition will be donated to NHS Charities Together.

          v2.0 includes the hit singles, Hopopono, Garden Dog Barbecue and Kamaloka as well as the remarkable One Percent and live favourite To Drown in You. Included here for the first time is theincessant 'Break' featuring a killer groove that offers a notdto the one and only Squarepusher, 'Wash', a haunting slice of the band at their most ambient and the wonderful 'In Amber', the first track that the new line-up wrote completely together.


          TRACK LISTING

          1. Murmuration 
          2. Garden Dog Barbecue 
          3. Kamaloka
          4. Fort 
          5. One Percent 
          6. Home
          7. The Letter 
          8. To Drown In You
          9. Shock And Awe
          10. Hopopono
          11. Break 
          12. In Amber
          13. Wash

          Signed to Matthew Halsall's Gondwana Records and championed by DJs from Mike Chadwick to Gilles Peterson and Jamie Cullum GoGo Penguin's skittering break-beats, telepathic interplay and a penchant for anthemic melody all contribute to a sound that's wholly their own. Pianist Chris Illingworth's yearning classical influenced melodies are filtered through the dance music energy of bassist Nick Blacka and drummer Rob Turner.

          Brilliantly recorded by their long-term sound engineer Joe Reiser and studio engineer Brendan Williams the band have taken full advantage of the increased recording budget, the success of their debut afforded, to record a statement of real intent. 'v2.0' is a gloriously vibrant technicolor snap-shot of a band finding their own voice - as drawing on a heady brew of influences from Brian Eno, John Cage and Squarepusher to Manchester's grey rain-streaked urban streets they create a brave new sound all their own.

          "A really brilliant modern piano trio that takes in the whole history of music. I think they're really special." - Jamie Cullum

          "That is a little bit special, brand new album, it's been a year now GoGo Penguin working on their latest material, out of Manchester, 'Kamaloka' the name of this track." - Gilles Peterson


          TRACK LISTING

          1. Murmuration
          2. Garden Dog Barbecue
          3. Kamaloka
          4. Fort
          5. One Percent
          6. Home
          7. The Letter
          8. To Drown In You
          9. Shock And Awe
          10. Hopopono
          11. Break (Indies Exclusive Bonus Track)
          12. In Amber (Indies Exclusive Bonus Track)

          Shop favourites (2016 end-of-year chart high-rollers) Gogo Penguin return for their latest outing on legendary jazz label, Blue Note. The thing about Gogo penguin is, they're a jazz band, but without all the things you'd associate with a jazz band. The beards are as few as their years, and the chin-stroking is not only minimal, but actively discouraged. Their last outing (the stunning 'Man Made Object') mixed the subtle downtempo percussion and slowly unfurling progressions of traditional jazz with tender, minimalistic electronics and ambient textures reminiscent of modern-classical contemporaries liberally littered around the Erased Tapes roster.

          Whilst their compositions are completely instrumental, there seems to be a wealth of outside influence making itself known through the phrasing and keys used. While 2015 / 2016 were in no way dream years for society in general, it was clear that there was a playfulness in their delivery of songs like 'Quiet Mind' (incidentally, this particular piece reminded me of the other 'Penguin' band, no bad thing).

          As soon as we finish the frenetic buzzing and claustrophobic atmospheres of 'Prayer', it becomes clear that the rather torrid world climate has indeed osmosed into their compositions, swapping out the languid bobbing atmospheres of yesteryear for a highly charged, powerfully visceral sound experience. While the melodic counterpoints are as ever, impeccably realised (and perfectly accentuated by Turner's mindblowing skin-smacking), the euphoric peak is often hidden behind a flurry of call-response dialogue, the peak only being reached through an intentionally laboured conversational swell.

          While throughout the album, the simmering malaise invariably breaks through into a grand and sweeping relief, it is in pieces like 'A Hundred Moons' that we get the full-force of their compositional genius, breaking through the residual gloom with airy, tropical percussion and a cleansing palate of major-key lifts and twinkling plucks. Without waxing lyrical about every song in turn, there really isn't much more that can be said, you'll just have to listen to it yourself. Truth of the matter is, Gogo Penguin are one of a kind, and continue to pioneer their own spellbinding brand of electronic jazz. 


          It’s been an astonishing couple of years for GoGo Penguin, the UK trio of 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 their 2014 album 'v2.0' shortlisted for the Mercury Prize. Drawing on a heady brew of influences from Brian Eno, John Cage, Massive Attack and Aphex Twin, GoGo Penguin has created a brave new sound that is wholly their own.

          Now signed to iconic jazz label Blue Note Records the trio release their new album. 'Man Made Object is 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, a statement that begs for elaboration. “We’re recreating electronic music on acoustic instruments. It’s like a man-made object that has become humanized 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.”

          TRACK LISTING

          1 All Res 5:16
          2 Unspeakable World 4:44
          3 Branches Break 4:23
          4 Weird Cat 5:39
          5 Quiet Mind 4:24
          6 Smarra 6:31
          7 Initiate 4:47
          8 GBFISYSIH 3:22
          9 Surrender To Mountain 3:59
          10 Protest 4:45


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