GusGus | |
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![]() GusGus performing in Aarhus, Denmark 2016 | |
Background information | |
Origin | Reykjavík, Iceland |
Genres | |
Years active | 1995–present |
Labels | |
Members |
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Website | gusgus |
GusGus is an electronic music band from Reykjavík, Iceland. [1] Although initially a film and acting collective, the group is mostly known for its electronic music. [2] The group's discography consists of twelve studio albums.
GusGus was initially formed in 1995 as a film and acting collective. [2] The band's name refers to the 1974 German film Ali: Fear Eats the Soul (German : Angst essen Seele auf) by Rainer Werner Fassbinder, where a female character is cooking couscous for her lover, pronouncing it Gusgus. [3] GusGus' music is eclectic, and although primarily classified as techno, trip hop, and house music, the band has experimented with other styles. [2] They have remixed songs of popular artists such as Björk, Depeche Mode, Moloko, and Sigur Rós.
Membership in the band has varied, and included:
In 1997, the band performed in Toronto. They returned for a second visit as part of a tour supporting their second album, Polydistortion . [4]
In 1998, a remix of the track "Purple" appeared on Paul Oakenfold's trance compilation Tranceport .
After the group's third album, This Is Normal (1999), the filmmaking arm of GusGus (Kjartansson and Árni Þorgeirsson) split off to form the production company Celebrator, now known as Arni & Kinski, [5] which has produced advertisements and videos.
In January 2004, they released the song "Desire" with Ian Brown.
As of 2011 the band had sold over 700,000 copies worldwide. [6]
Its 2015 incarnation consists of four members (President Bongo, Biggi Veira, Urður Hákonardóttir and Daníel Ágúst Haraldsson). A few former members such as Hafdís Huld, Blake, and Daníel Ágúst have gone solo; Emilíana Torrini provided a song for the soundtrack of Peter Jackson's film The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers .
1995 |
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1996–2000 |
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2001–2007 |
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2008–2010 |
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2011–2013 |
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2014–2016 |
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2016–2020 |
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2021–present |
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Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | ||||
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ISL [7] | FRA [8] | GER [9] | SWI [10] | UK [11] | ||
Gus Gus |
| — | — | — | — | — |
Polydistortion |
| — | — | — | — | — |
This Is Normal |
| — | 40 | 65 | — | 94 |
Gus Gus vs. T-World |
| — | — | — | — | — |
Attention |
| — | — | — | — | — |
Forever |
| — | — | — | — | — |
24/7 |
| — | — | — | — | — |
Arabian Horse |
| — | — | — | — | — |
Mexico |
| — | — | 62 | 82 | — |
Lies Are More Flexible |
| — | — | — | — | — |
Mobile Home |
| 11 | — | — | — | — |
DanceOrama |
| — | — | — | — | — |
The music of Iceland includes folk and pop traditions, as well as an active classical and contemporary music scene. Well-known artists from Iceland include medieval music group Voces Thules, alternative pop band The Sugarcubes, singers Björk, Laufey, Daði Freyr, Hafdís Huld and Emiliana Torrini, post-rock band Sigur Rós and Múm, post-metal band Sólstafir, indie folk/indie pop band Of Monsters and Men, blues/rock band Kaleo, metal band Skálmöld and techno-industrial band Hatari. Iceland's traditional music is related to Nordic music forms. Although Iceland has a very small population, it is home to many famous and praised bands and musicians.
FC Kahuna was a British DJ and electronic music production duo, consisting of Jon Nowell and Daniel Ormondroyd. The group released only one album, Machine Says Yes, in the spring of 2002. It had a number of singles released from it, most notably "Machine Says Yes" and "Hayling", which both featured vocals by Icelandic singer Hafdís Huld. The album sold over 50,000 copies and received positive response from critics at New Musical Express, Dallas Observer, and others.
Fálkar is the soundtrack to Falcons, which was directed by Friðrik Þór Friðriksson in 2002. With 12 tracks, this album contains a variety of Icelandic artists, from Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson, who was in charge of the music composition of the soundtrack, to Mínus, Múm, and Daníel Ágúst Haraldsson, among others.
Love in the Time of Science is the third album by Icelandic singer-songwriter Emilíana Torrini. It was her first album to be released internationally.
"Viðrar vel til loftárása" is a song written and recorded by Icelandic post-rock band Sigur Rós for their second studio album Ágætis byrjun. The song appears as the seventh track on the album. It was also released as the B-side of Sigur Rós' debut single "Svefn-g-englar".
Daníel Ágúst Haraldsson is an Icelandic singer and producer. He is the lead singer of the bands GusGus, Nýdönsk, and Esja.
Hafdís Huld Þrastardóttir, known simply as Hafdís Huld, is an Icelandic singer and actress. She began her musical career as a member of the electronic band GusGus in 1995 and left the group in 1999. Hafdís made her solo debut with her 2006 album Dirty Paper Cup.
Attention is a studio album by GusGus, released in 2002. The band recorded the album as a quartet.
Merman is the second album by Icelandic singer-songwriter Emilíana Torrini, released in 1996. It includes covers of Tom Waits' "I Hope That I Don't Fall in Love with You" and The Velvet Underground's "Stephanie Says". It was the highest selling album in Iceland in 1996. It was co-produced and co-written by Jón Ólafsson. The song "The Boy Who Giggled So Sweet" was nominated as the song of the year at the Icelandic Music Awards.
The discography of Sigur Rós, an Icelandic post-rock group, consists of eight studio albums, three remix album, five extended plays, one soundtrack album, sixteen singles, twenty-three music videos and two video albums. Sigur Rós was formed in 1994 in Reykjavík, Iceland, by singer and guitarist Jón Þór Birgisson, bassist Georg Hólm and drummer Ágúst Ævar Gunnarsson.
Me and Armini is the fifth studio album by the Icelandic singer and songwriter Emilíana Torrini. It was produced by Dan Carey, and released on September 8, 2008. The album spawned three singles: "Me and Armini", "Big Jumps" and "Jungle Drum".
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Arabian Horse is the eighth studio album by GusGus, released in 2011. It has the same line-up as the previous album, 24/7: Stephan Stephensen(aka President Bongo), Biggi Veira and Daníel Ágúst Haraldsson, and the return of Urður "Earth" Hákonardóttir and guest spots from Högni Egilsson of Hjaltalin and Davíð Þór Jónsson. The photo used for the cover art is by Wojtek Kwiatkowski.
Jónas Sen is an Icelandic pianist, music critic for Fréttablaðið, composer and TV host.
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Pale Green Ghosts is the second solo album by former The Czars frontman John Grant, released on March 11, 2013, on the Bella Union label. Recorded in Reykjavík and produced by Icelandic musician Birgir Þórarinsson, the album features a range of local musicians alongside Irish singer Sinéad O'Connor providing backing vocals.
The Icelandic Music Awards are the official annual music awards given in Iceland to commemorate the musical achievements of the year.
Mexico is the ninth studio album by the Icelandic electronic musicians GusGus, released on Kompakt label, following successful album Arabian Horse. It contains nine tracks, one of which is instrumental. After several line-up changes, Mexico was produced by Stephan Stephensen and Birgir Þórarinsson. Högni Egilsson of Hjaltalín, Daníel Ágúst Haraldsson and Urður Hákonardóttir made appearance as vocalists for this LP.
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