The new album v2.0 by Manchester based jazz trio GoGo Penguin has been shortlisted for one of the most respected prizes in the music industry; the Mercury Prize ‘Album of the Year’. We are proud to say that the album was co-produced by MA Music student Joe Reiser and Interactive Music & Advanced Studio Production pathway leader Brendan Williams.

While he’s not teaching our students the ins and outs of a working recording studio, Brendan Williams helps to produce albums for various record labels including the independent jazz label Gondwana, to which GoGo Penguin are signed. Brendan was asked to produce the band’s second album and he enlisted the help of Joe Reiser, who has worked with the band for some time as a sound engineer for their live shows. According to Brendan, “Joe really is an integral member of the band when it comes to them achieving their sound.”

V2.0 was recorded at Giant Wafer Studios in Powys, with some additional sessions taking place at 80 Hertz Studios in Manchester. Joe and Brendan were able to apply their expertise of recording and production techniques to achieve the sound they wanted for the album, which is an eclectic mix of traditional acoustic jazz textured by modern electronic influences such as Square Pusher and Aphex Twin. It was released on 17 March to critical acclaim and in September it was named as one of the Barclaycard Mercury Prize albums of the year alongside albums by the likes of Damon Albarn and Bombay Bicycle Club.

Piano player Chris Illingworth said, “Working with Joe and Brendan was amazing. They made it really easy for us to sit down and play knowing that we had people we could trust in the control room. They brought a lot of original ideas that we hadn’t thought of to the music as well. It’s really exciting that the album got shortlisted and it’s opened a lot of doors for us to play bigger gigs.”

The University of Salford was fortunate enough to have GoGo Penguin come and kick of this semester’s series of music and performance master classes. Over 300 students filled Peel Hall to see the band play a mesmerising set of songs from v2.0. This was followed by an insightful discussion between Brendan, Joe and the band about the various innovative techniques used to record the album. After another couple of songs, the floor was opened up and questions were put forth by our students, covering topics such as the band’s influences, their journey as musicians, their improvisational style and of course, the Mercury Prize nomination.

Joe will now join the band as they embark on a short tour of the UK and Europe before heading down to London on 29 October to mix the sound during GoGo Penguin’s live performance at the Mercury Prize award ceremony.

More professional musicians, performers and industry figures will be visiting the university every Friday afternoon to give master classes on various subjects. Visit the Events page on the School of Arts & Media website for a full list of the master classes and other events.

For more information on the MA Music course, visit course finder.

Leave a comment

---