Breaking Artist: The Go! Team
Who: A lively mixed-race, mixed-sex crew of English kids who make a peppy, exuberant blend of rock, hip-hop, funk and TV-theme music that belies their band moniker (they’re named after the workers who clear wreckage in the wake of plane crashes).
Sounds Like: Band mastermind Ian Parton assembles mash-up-mad rock grooves stocked with strange found-sound samples, and the rest of the group, including MC Ninja, raps and shouts on top of the collage-like concoctions.
Three Things You Should Know:
1. Ninja joined the band after answering Parton’s ad for a female rapper. The MC (who has real martial-arts skills) auditioned for a soap opera and a science show called Tomorrow’s World just prior to landing her Go! Team gig.
2. Guests on the group’s latest album, Proof of Youth, include Public Enemy’s Chuck D, Bonde De Role’s Marina Vello, a cheerleading troupe from Washington, D.C. and a group of literally old-school rappers called the Double Dutch Divas (they’re in their fifties).
3. The Go! Team’s famous fans include Dennis Hopper and Tony Blair, who asked to use one of their songs for a Labour Party advertisement (Parton declined).
Get It: The Go! Team’s second LP Proof of Youth comes out September 11th. The band hits the U.S. for a handful of tour dates in October.