CHILLED TO THE BONE
Interview with Gus Gus for Coming Up

Imagine a politically active, blue-eyed lover of neck warmers with the voice of Benny from Top Cat. Disengaging himself from his lorry driver parents, he becomes the owner of Iceland's largest collection of vinyl, only to wind up being ceremonially massacred in a Viking B-Movie. Let your florid imagination chew over that one and you might be half way towards understanding Gus Gus.

Hailing from the world's Northern-most island republic, Gus Gus have no frontman, no pop stars, no picture postcard icons. They are instead the living embodiment of the working, democratic collective - a group of friends and comrades, making an ice-cool blend of trip-hop and techno, smarting with good old-fashioned pop sensibilities. And there's a growing suspicion that they might just conquer the world.

Baldur Stefansson is today's ambassador for the band, operating not only as manager but also as one-ninth of the decision making process. Downing the Jaegermeisters in a Wandsworth hostelry, Baldur prattles with an exuberance untainted by their recent romp across America.

"We've sold four times as many albums in America as we have here," he pronounces, "and the difference is that there is no pre-set electronic scene in America. There are no indicators so they respond right away to what you bring to them. Here you have to go through so many different stages of awareness because there is so much competition around."

With such a flock of disorientatingly disparate personalities, it's unsurprising to learn that the genesis of Gus Gus was a characteristically curious affair. "We all came together in 1995 when we were supposed to making a film," rambles Baldur, effortlessly tripping through a mind bulging with detailed anecdotes. "The directors, Sigg and Stefan, had been working in Iceland for five years, so they used their contacts to bring people in as actors, and suddenly we had all the biggest rock and pop stars in Iceland in one place. We had to postpone the shooting for financial reasons and so everybody we had a little gap. We knew that we had an ambitious musical team, so we thought 'why don't we go and make an album?'"

So convinced was Baldur that Gus Gus were such a delicious prospect that he sold his car to pay for a spell of recording in one of Iceland's most exquisite studios. Five weeks later, the call from 4AD came through and thus Gus Gus were signed to the label famed for such musical maestros as The Cocteau Twins and the Pixies.

Back on British soil for a London date, Gus Gus are simultaneously releasing a remix package from their delicious debut, Polyesterday. Mixes come not only from luminaries such as Carl Craig and DJ Vadim, but also from the legendary Sasha, tweaked out of self-imposed exile to remake the album's parting shot, Purple. "Sasha called us and said that he hadn't been doing remixes for over a year," says Baldur, clearly delighted at being in such singular company, "but he was really taken by the song and wanted to do something with it. Since he was so enthusiastic about doing it and he is so inspirational, we decided to go for it."

Baldur seems misty-eyed about the future of the project, knowing full well that the band's working methods will keep them safe from harm. "It should be complex," he asserts. " but because we are so aware of it, we have been trying to come up with ideas of how to really make it work. It's an effective system and we're well organised in terms of deadlines and budgeting, so this has become a combination of artistic creation and the most fun job you could ever ask for. At the end of the day, if we hadn't recorded that first album, we would all be doing something else right now. I might have been down in Brazil being a driving instructor, as was my plan. When the dream is over in ten years, maybe I'll be there."

back to text | back to top