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Who? Manchester’s Chris Illingworth, bassist Nick Blacka and drummer Rob Turner are a trio who fuse traditional jazz elements with electronica and classical. Formed at the start of 2013, their second album was recorded in a rehearsal room with no windows, and they cite Aphex Twin, Four Tet, Arvo Pärt, Squarepusher as influences – meaning their sound goes beyond a modern-day, coffee-table jazz. They’ve cultivated a cultish fanbase in their hometown, and Jools Holland, Jamie Cullum, and Gilles Peterson are (obviously) admirers of their music.
The album: v2.0
Previous releases to date:
Fanfares – 2012
What the press said: “v2.0 is the sound of a band moving forward – not in leaps and bounds, but in small steps. There’s really no need to jump headlong into the unknown when the foundations set down on Fanfares were so strong. v2.0builds on those foundations with style, further establishing GoGo Penguin as one of the most exciting young bands on the contemporary scene.”
What they said: “[v2.0 is] based on the terminology used for new software. We wanted to make it clear that this album was a development and progression from the first album and we were also more heavily influenced by electronic music and felt this title reflected that.”
Notable Mercury-friendly accolades: Manchester jazz trio whofuse traditional jazz elements with electronica and classical. That’s all you need to know, surely?
Likelihood to win: With hyper-revered artists such as James Blake and Flying Lotus proclaiming their love of jazz, GoGo Penguin aren’t as tokenistic as some sceptics may suggest. Their interest and recalibration of strands of leftfield music, not to mention more mainstream experimental acts like Radiohead and Portishead, is a style which was recognised by the Mercury panel on New Forms, by 1997 winner Roni Size/Reprazent. Regardless, they’re currently outsiders, at 20/1.
Stream album:
