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Jazz band GoGo Penguin turns electronic music acoustic

The trio play at the Dave Dunnet Theatre Sept. 8.
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With a sound as unique as their band name, GoGo Penguin performs tonight in the Dave Dunnet theatre.

The Manchester trio, of drummer Rob Turner, double bassist Nick Blacka and pianist Chris Illingworth, have released three albums Fanfares (2012), v.2.0 (2014) and 2016’s Man Made Object, under their new multi-album deal with acclaimed jazz label Blue Note Records.

While GoGo Penguin is an acoustic band, their inspiration is drawn largely from contemporary electronic music. Their sound has been described as “acoustic electronica,” and often, drummer Turner does indeed create electronic music using sotware such as Logic or Ableton before he and his band attempt to replicate that music acoustically. Essentially, the band attempts the reverse of the popular trend to move away from acoustic and toward electronic, which has been practiced among artists and singers of all genres for decades.

Through their work, the band has been shortlisted for a Mercury Prize, written and performed a score for Godfrey Reggio’s cult film Koyaanisqatsi, collaborated with choreographer Lynn Page for a Gilles Peterson-curated night at the Barican, and toured internationally from Manchester to Montreal, Paris to London.

Tickets are $32.50 available at rmts.bc.ca.