New York, NY (Top40 Charts) GoGo Penguin - the UK trio of drummer Rob Turner, double bassist Nick Blacka and pianist Chris Illingworth - have announced the March 3 digital release of their Live at Abbey Road EP. The Mercury Prize nominated band will make their first-ever appearances at the SXSW
Music Festival in Austin later this month with performances at the British Underground and Jazz Re:freshed showcase (March 15 @ 9:00pm) and St. David's Historic Sanctuary (March 16 @ 11:00pm).
Recorded at the world famous Studio 2 at Abbey Road Studios in London, the is a beautifully recorded snapshot of the band at work. Featuring three tracks from their 2016 Blue Note debut Man Made Object ("Branches Break" "Initiate" "GBFISYSIH") the EP also features the recording debut of "Ocean In A Drop," an extract from their live score for Godfrey Reggio's cult film Koyaanisqatsi.
Check out what the critics have said about GoGo Penguin:
"an energized sound... the band's new album takes hold right away and sustains an upbeat groove… It's a piano-driven blend with all the traditional aspects you'd expect from the genre while still scanning as something refreshingly vibrant and contemporary."—Pitchfork
"…a construction of jazz, classical, electronica, and trip-hop building blocks, it flows together naturally. Their playing centers around delicate piano, which weaves in and out of a tumultuous maelstrom of intense drumming, and a fury that seems to push the limits of what a double bass can achieve.... There's an almost dangerous kinetic energy to Man Made Object, explaining the 'go go!' cry in the group's name."—SPIN
"To ask whether GoGo Penguin plays jazz misses the point of the sense of adventure in contemporary popular music... They are experimentalists in pursuit of superior improvisational music. The groove matters most... the trio knows what it's doing and does it exceptionally well."—Wall Street Journal
"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."—NY Times
"Jazz, techno, hip-hop and dubstep are glimpsed here, but for all the looping motifs and dance floor vibes, this is the work of three sure-footed improvisers with deep jazz roots"—The Guardian
"After turning heads with their superlative Mercury Prize nominated v2.0 in 2013, they've signed to Blue Note and deliver a potent debut for the legendary jazz label that juxtaposes pastoral lyricism with urban angst"—MOJO
