"..so damn crisp, clean, unified and simple/not objective to any ear out there.."
Gusgus
Provocative Catatonia
Gusgus Bio:
Being a quirky nine-piece co-ed band from Reykjavik, Iceland, GusGus were almost bound to inspire comparisons to the Sugarcubes, though a different decade caused the group to inherit the influences of electronic fuzz and trip-hop rhythms rather than the bout of post-punk lunacy that inspired the Sugarcubes during the late '80s. Formed as a cinema collective in early 1995 by filmmakers Stefán Árni and Siggi Kjartansson, the group was gradually expanded to include musicians such as DJ Herb Legowitz and programmer Biggi Thórarinsson, as well as singer/songwriters Daníel Ágúst, Hafdís Huld, and Magnús Jónsson (former actors all), cinematographer Steph, and producer Baldur Stefánsson. The band's decidedly indie sensibilities led to its signing by 4AD after a four-part series of dance mix EPs in 1996.
Among a handful of groups in the late '90s with access to both close-knit dance circles as well as the notoriously uptight indie community, the group gained support from LFO (with Mark Bell's remix of "Believe") and one of London's most celebrated DJ stores, Fat Cat Records, while playing its first date in England. Awarded a combined U.S./U.K. release due to 4AD's agreement with Warner Bros., GusGus' debut album, Polydistortion, hit international stores in April 1997. This Is Normal followed in 1999, and one year later the anthology release Gus Gus vs. T-World appeared. Released in 2002, Attention featured a slimmed-down band -- the lineup had been downsized to four members, all of them DJs -- and an appropriately focused sound. Mixed Live appeared a year later, and the group returned with new material in 2007, funneling its mix of acid-inspired synths and streamlined dance tracks into Forever. GusGus then linked with Cologne, Germany's Kompakt label, where they released 2009's sprawling 24/7 and 2011's relatively song-oriented Arabian Horse.
Hello, how are you?
Just fine thank you.
What are you currently listening to?
PJ Harvey's "Let England Shake" (Island Records) and Robag Wruhme’s mix CD "Wuppdeckmischmampflow" (Kompakt).
Can you tell us a little bit about the theme behind "Arabian Horse"?
Tears on my pillow, stones in my heart. The beauty in the human gutter. Cords that tear up your heart and circle riding in the desert of ideologies.
To me it feels like one of your most personal releases since you first began, where does it rank in your catalog for you personally?
It is the best Gusgus album so far. But then you might expect that answer. All albums are of some extent move from the albums before into some realm that one wants to explore. On "24/7" we moved from girly housy stuff into darker bass dominant territory. On "Arabian Horse" the emphases on bass lines was dropped and the starting point where cords arrangements or arpeggios. To be honest tears are tangled with most cord movements so I guess one could state that this album is quite personal.
Will you be touring North America with said release?
Hopefully, but no promises.
Do you guys ever write songs based off of lyrics/words, or do most of your songs begin from jam sessions?
Well, in 90’s we mostly worked from demos containing vocal and acoustic guitar. But after the drastic change in the band in the year 2000 we have mostly worked from demos of either some cord arrangement or bass arrangement. There have been some exceptions like 'Moss', 'Call Of The Wild' and 'On The Job'. Sometimes we start out with some instrumental backbone but when the vocal has emerged alterations on the spine are sometimes drastic.
Do you guys have any side projects we should know about?
I have been producing Earth’s (our female vocalist) solo album with our friend Oculus. There should be some releases in the summer from that project. President Bongo has his Gluteus Maximus project and is also starting some experiments with Högni (the singer in 'Wtihin You, Deep Inside' and 'When Your Lovers Gone'). Daníel just released his second solo album called “The Drift”.
Who do you think is the most underrated musician out there currently?
Not sure, we could rank higher though.
You can only keep/listen to ONE album for the rest of your life ..which album would it be?
As you are describing the aim of our production you can guess the answer.
Are you living your dream?
Aren't we all living in a dream, zombies parting from the now. I guess I'm in mine.
Thanx Fallon, Biggi & Veira!
Gusgus recently released one of their greatest efforts to date, make sure to check that out and then go back to the beginning of their catalog and listen to how they have evolved over the years (it's quite fascinating actually)...
Gusgus
Provocative Catatonia
Gusgus Bio:
Being a quirky nine-piece co-ed band from Reykjavik, Iceland, GusGus were almost bound to inspire comparisons to the Sugarcubes, though a different decade caused the group to inherit the influences of electronic fuzz and trip-hop rhythms rather than the bout of post-punk lunacy that inspired the Sugarcubes during the late '80s. Formed as a cinema collective in early 1995 by filmmakers Stefán Árni and Siggi Kjartansson, the group was gradually expanded to include musicians such as DJ Herb Legowitz and programmer Biggi Thórarinsson, as well as singer/songwriters Daníel Ágúst, Hafdís Huld, and Magnús Jónsson (former actors all), cinematographer Steph, and producer Baldur Stefánsson. The band's decidedly indie sensibilities led to its signing by 4AD after a four-part series of dance mix EPs in 1996.
Among a handful of groups in the late '90s with access to both close-knit dance circles as well as the notoriously uptight indie community, the group gained support from LFO (with Mark Bell's remix of "Believe") and one of London's most celebrated DJ stores, Fat Cat Records, while playing its first date in England. Awarded a combined U.S./U.K. release due to 4AD's agreement with Warner Bros., GusGus' debut album, Polydistortion, hit international stores in April 1997. This Is Normal followed in 1999, and one year later the anthology release Gus Gus vs. T-World appeared. Released in 2002, Attention featured a slimmed-down band -- the lineup had been downsized to four members, all of them DJs -- and an appropriately focused sound. Mixed Live appeared a year later, and the group returned with new material in 2007, funneling its mix of acid-inspired synths and streamlined dance tracks into Forever. GusGus then linked with Cologne, Germany's Kompakt label, where they released 2009's sprawling 24/7 and 2011's relatively song-oriented Arabian Horse.
Hello, how are you?
Just fine thank you.
What are you currently listening to?
PJ Harvey's "Let England Shake" (Island Records) and Robag Wruhme’s mix CD "Wuppdeckmischmampflow" (Kompakt).
Can you tell us a little bit about the theme behind "Arabian Horse"?
Tears on my pillow, stones in my heart. The beauty in the human gutter. Cords that tear up your heart and circle riding in the desert of ideologies.
To me it feels like one of your most personal releases since you first began, where does it rank in your catalog for you personally?
It is the best Gusgus album so far. But then you might expect that answer. All albums are of some extent move from the albums before into some realm that one wants to explore. On "24/7" we moved from girly housy stuff into darker bass dominant territory. On "Arabian Horse" the emphases on bass lines was dropped and the starting point where cords arrangements or arpeggios. To be honest tears are tangled with most cord movements so I guess one could state that this album is quite personal.
Will you be touring North America with said release?
Hopefully, but no promises.
Do you guys ever write songs based off of lyrics/words, or do most of your songs begin from jam sessions?
Well, in 90’s we mostly worked from demos containing vocal and acoustic guitar. But after the drastic change in the band in the year 2000 we have mostly worked from demos of either some cord arrangement or bass arrangement. There have been some exceptions like 'Moss', 'Call Of The Wild' and 'On The Job'. Sometimes we start out with some instrumental backbone but when the vocal has emerged alterations on the spine are sometimes drastic.
Do you guys have any side projects we should know about?
I have been producing Earth’s (our female vocalist) solo album with our friend Oculus. There should be some releases in the summer from that project. President Bongo has his Gluteus Maximus project and is also starting some experiments with Högni (the singer in 'Wtihin You, Deep Inside' and 'When Your Lovers Gone'). Daníel just released his second solo album called “The Drift”.
Who do you think is the most underrated musician out there currently?
Not sure, we could rank higher though.
You can only keep/listen to ONE album for the rest of your life ..which album would it be?
As you are describing the aim of our production you can guess the answer.
Are you living your dream?
Aren't we all living in a dream, zombies parting from the now. I guess I'm in mine.
Thanx Fallon, Biggi & Veira!
Gusgus recently released one of their greatest efforts to date, make sure to check that out and then go back to the beginning of their catalog and listen to how they have evolved over the years (it's quite fascinating actually)...
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