GusGus: Biography

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• Hypnogaja
• Björk
• Moloko
• LFO
• Cornershop
• Thievery Corporation
• Lamb

• The Sugarcubes
• Saint Etienne
• Aphex Twin
• Björk
• Death in Vegas
• Massive Attack
• Portishead

• United State of Electronica

• Daníel Ágúst

• Magnús Jónsson
• Pall Gardarsson
• Daníel Ágúst

Formed:

Jan 1, 1995 in Reykjavik, Iceland

Genres:

Electronic & Dance Music, Trip Hop Music, House Music

Decades Active:

1990's|2000's

Artistic Quality

Low

Cultural Impact

Low

Popularity

Low

Ratings Guide

Being a quirky, coed, ninepiece band from Reykjavik, Iceland, GusGus was almost bound to inspire comparisons to the Sugarcubes, though the onset of ten years caused the group to inherit the influences of electronic fuzz and triphop rhythms rather than the bout of postpunk 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 their signing by 4AD after a fourpart series of dance mix EPs in 1996.

Among a handful of groups in the late '90s with access to both closeknit 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 their 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. TWorld appeared. 2002 saw the release of Attention, which featured a slimmeddown 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 their mix of acidinspired synths and streamlined dance tracks into Forever. Another studio effort, 24/7, arrived two years later on Cologne, Germany's Kompakt label.

- John Bush, All Music Guide