GusGus: an Icelandic collective with a five-piece line-up and a sound from trip-hop to house

They come from Iceland’s capital and began in the early nineties as a 9-member film and music collective. Often compared to The Sugarcubes, Bjork Gunmundsdottir’s original band, they soon developed their own unique formula. Rather than a punk-rock aesthetic, it was closer to the music of the then hugely popular trip-hop pioneers Massive Attack, Tricky and Lamb. Emiliana Torrini, known for her subtle performances, began her career in GusGus.

Spotted by the famous English label 4AD, they signed a deal and released their debut album, “Polydistortion”, to a warm reception from critics and audiences alike. In 1997, it quickly conquered the annual best-album lists.

Five years of exceptionally intense activity gradually took their toll on the collective, which had originally been formed more with filmmaking than music in mind. Members left one after another, and by the beginning of the previous decade, only Stephen Stephensen and Birgir Þórarinsson remained. Over the years, the band changed musical direction repeatedly, without always winning the approval of fans of their first two albums.

The Icelanders’ music took a distinctly more dance-oriented turn, fitting the vogue for minimal techno and house. This was already evident on 2002’s “Attention”, and fully confirmed by “Forever” in 2007. Released two years later through Cologne label Kompakt, “24/7” also marked the return of Daniel August and his unmistakable vocal timbre. Paweł Gzyl of Nowa Muzyka wrote of the record:

“A distinctive blend of melodramatic melodies and hypnotic rhythms from three producers brought the band back from several years of obscurity to the forefront of today’s electronic scene.”

Everything suggests GusGus are on the rise. Still with Kompakt, they released the acclaimed “Arabian Horse” a few months ago. The album is considered their strongest since their debut, and not only by fans of strictly electronic productions.

The new album’s strongly song-based material, steeped in a hypnotic, trance-like atmosphere, will probably form the core of the concert programme at Wrocław’s Eter club on 9 October.

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