About

Coming off their sophomore effort, 2014's Barclaycard Mercury Prize-shortlisted V2.0, GoGo Penguin return with their equally ambitious 2016 follow-up, Man Made Object. A jazz trio at their core, Britain's GoGo Penguin have garnered well-earned plaudits for their distinctive, genre-bending sound that combines elements of forward-thinking post-bop with stylistic elements borrowed from indie rock and electronic dance music -- all without the aid of any actual electronic instrumentation.

Showcased in GoGo Penguin are the talents of pianist Chris Illingworth, bassist Nick Blacka, and drummer Rob Turner. Together on Man Made Object, they perform wholly original compositions that straddle the line between group improvisations and well-constructed thematic compositions.

Cuts like "All Res," "Branches Break," and the driving, punky "Smarra," all have the signifiers of jazz (sophisticated harmonies, kinetic rhythms, and an introverted, exploratory energy), but play out more like an adventurous Radiohead track, or the soundtrack music to a '70s heist film. The results bring to mind the work of similarly inclined artists like pianist Brad Mehldau and groups like the Bad Plus and Medeski, Martin & Wood. There's also a ruminative, impressionistic vibe running through much of the material on Man Made Object that positions GoGo Penguin at the vanguard of the new British jazz movement alongside the likes of trumpeter Matthew Halsall and bassist Jasper Hoiby's trio Phronesis. Comparisons aside, what sets GoGo Penguin apart from their contemporaries is their inventive group interplay and knack for dramatic arranging. Often, Illingworth will set up a pattern on piano, like the spritely, dancing intro to "Unspeakable Word," and Blacka and Turner will join in, answering his pattern with their own contrapuntal footwork. Just as you think the trio are going to lock up legs and topple over, they fall into a gorgeous minor-key stride and dissipate into a sweepingly ominous mid-song bass solo. Ultimately, it's these moments of dazzling group dynamics that help make Man Made Object a jazz-infused work of art on GoGo Penguin's own terms. — (via AllMusic)

Though 2014 Mercury Prize contenders GoGo Penguin are a jazz-schooled trio who now record for Blue Note, they’re a lot more interested in the nuances of groove, and in the contact points between acoustic and machine music, than in jazz as most beboppers know it. This Blue Note debut follows the minimalism-to-maelstrom paths of Fanfares and the more electronic v20, but many of these tracks started life on sequencers and then evolved through real-time group acoustic improv. Chris Illingworth’s looping piano motifs with their casual classical flourishes, Nick Blacka’s bowed bass and Rob Turner’s hustling drums sometimes fuse with a hip equanimity reminiscent of Robert Glasper; Weird Cat and the folksy Initiate show that GoGo tunes don’t have to be sparse; and the captivating Smarra is a highlight for its threading of an echoey, synth-mimicking throb through a humming undertow toward a deluge of cymbals. It still feels like clubbing music, and perhaps best heard live, but plenty of house and techno fans might be surprised by how good at partying three closet-jazzers can be. — (via The Guardian)

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Label:  Blue Note 
Format: 2 x Vinyl, LP, Album, Stereo
Repressed: 2025 / Originally released: 2016
Genre: Jazz
Style:  Contemporary Jazz, Modern Jazz

File under: Jazz // Modern/Future Jazz
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