GusGus

electronic

GusGus, Iceland's leading techno-/soul band saw the light of day for the first time in 1995, during a break in the making of the shortcut Pleasure. Initially GusGus was as a multimedia collective that combined sexually tinged dance music with visual arts and shorts made by the group's members. The band's name refers to the 1974 German film Ali: Fear Eats the Soul by Rainer Werner Fassbinder A self-titled debut album appeared on their Kjól & Anderson imprint in conjunction with the screening of Pleasure. The UK label 4AD Records signed the band in 1996, and released Polydistortion (97), This Is Normal (99) and Gus Gus vs. T-World (00). 24/7 (09) was the first release with German label Kompakt, followed by Arabian Horse (11) and Mexico (14). Several lineup changes have occurred, and their current incarnation consists of Stephan Stephensen (President Bongo), Birgir Þórarinsson (Biggi Veira), Daníel Ágúst Haraldsson and Högni Egilsson. Gus Gus has had a varied lineup, including Magnús Jónsson (a.k.a. Blake), Sigurður Kjartansson (a.k.a. Siggi Kinski), Stefán Árni Þorgeirsson, Hafdís Huld Hákonardóttir, Emilíana Torrini Davíðsdóttir, Urður Hákonardóttir (a.k.a. Earth), Magnús Guðmundsson (a.k.a. Herb Legowitz a.k.a. Buckmaster DeLaCruz, The Fox, Fuckmaster, or Herr Legowitz) and Baldur Stefánsson. After their third album, This Is Normal, the filmmaking arm of Gus Gus (Kjartansson and Árni Þorgeirsson) split off to form the production company Celebr...