GusGus

by John Bush
 
Being a quirky coed nine-piece from Reykjavik, Iceland, Gus Gus 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 trip-hop rhythms rather than the bout of post-punk lunacy that inspired the Sugarcubes during the late 80s. Begun as a cinema concern 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), a cinematographer (Steph), and a producer (Baldur Stefánsson). The bands decidedly indie sensibilities led to their signing by 4AD after a four-part series of dance mix EPs during 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 Bells remix of Believe) and one of Londons most celebrated DJ stores, Fat Cat Records, while playing their first date in England. Given a combined U.S./U.K. release due to 4ADs agreement with Warner Bros., their debut album, Polydistortion, hit the stores in April 1997. This Is Normal followed in 1999, and one year later the anthology release Gus Gus vs. T-World appeared. 2002 saw the release of Attention; Mixed Live appeared a year later. The group returned with new material in 2007 with Forever.