GoGo Penguin

GoGo Penguin have managed to create a sound that is wholly their own - anthemic melodies from pianist Chris Illingworth hypnotise over rolling, skittering beats from drummer Rob Turner, all propelled forward by pulsing acoustic bass lines from Nick Blacka.

Their instrumentation might be the archetypal piano trio but while the melodic, harmonic and structural ideas are influenced by both classical and jazz, the rhythms are drawn from across the rich history of the UK rave scene. It’s this meeting of opposites that makes their unique acoustic-electronica sound so exciting, drawing on a heady brew of influences from Brian Eno, Debussy and John Cage to Squarepusher, Aphex Twin and Massive Attack, with a dose of the grey, rain-streaked urbanity of Manchester thrown into the mix.