Dutch stories, part 1 – GoGo Penguin

It is with great pleasure that I write this text about the three boys from Manchester, as they like to introduce themselves. Especially after their last gig in Eindhoven that took place during this year’s So What’s Next festival, where the audience didn’t want the show to end. Like we mentioned earlier, our team split up, in order to manage to be everywhere at the same time. And the members that were lucky enough to witness the concert in the Netherlands, had only one thing to say – human beings never cease to amaze us – especially the three boys from Manchester. That’s music that has to be heard live! GoGo Penguin have already been a serious contender in this year’s music. Here is the right place for a big side note – with real musicians, the live music, playing live, always exceeds studio recordings. And with GoGo Penguin that’s an especially accurate statement. You just don’t want it to end – that’s the biggest compliment that any musician could get. That’s what happened in Eindhoven. 

A couple of words about the Manchester trio: 

Chris Illingworth – piano, Nick Blacka – bass, and Rob Turner – drums, form the trio in 2012 and come out with the album Fanfares. 2014 is when their second album, V2.0, came out. In 2015, they join the Blue Note label and throughout the next year they issue Man Made Object, that was ranked as one of the best jazz albums of 2016. This year, the fourth album – Humdrum Star – was shortly introduced here. 

We put electronic music and classical music together and we listen to GoGo Penguin. Subject matters, way closer to Bjork, Aphex Twin, Massive Attack, but played entirely acoustically, with a whole lot of craftsmanship, innovation and incredible concentration. Magic!

Enjoy listening to GoGo Penguin’s acoustic electronica.

November 2018 

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