Gus Gus Vinyl, CD & Tape 4 Items

It's been two years since GusGus graced us with their enigmatic Kompakt debut "24/7". This album was return to form for the trio, earning much acclaim and fanfare thanks to its conceptual rigidity and pure glamour. Conceived solely with the help of two precious Doepfer modular systems and Daniel August's all-pervasive vocals, it could have been easily characterized as Gus Gus' unofficial live album. If you had the chance to catch one of their many live shows on their exhaustive world-wide tour, you know what drive and emotion their show brought to the stage and crowd. Let’s fast forward to present day. The trio comprised of President Bongo, Biggi Veira and Daniel August felt the urge to reunite. They set up a makeshift studio in a summer cottage in the depths of the lava field. Secluded in silence and beauty they began working on their seventh studio album and have delivered "Arabian Horse" - a full length that brims with highlights showcasing GusGus’ versatility and stunning songwriting ability to creative levels that we feel is their greatest accomplishment in their 15+ year history. A vast array of illustrious guest musicians and singers abound on these powerful ten new songs. Most prominently, we welcome the long awaited return of former band member and gifted vocalist Ur?ur "Earth" Hákonardóttir who appears on the three songs “Be With Me”, “Arabian Horse” and “Over”. Hogni Elisson recently released a wonderful album with his band Hjaltalin and lends his voice to some of the album's most memorable and deepest moments. Samúel Jón Samúelsson contributes the elevating, goosebump-inducing string arrangements, Davd Thor Jonsson contributes accordion and the banjo. Even an un-named Gypsy combo leave their mark on "Arabian Horse"! Compared to GusGus’ stripped down predecessor for Kompakt, "Arabian Horse" is much more "in your face" – the songs brim with big gestures, enthralling hooks, pop and soul! GusGus have perfected the craft of balancing that fine line between commercial pop and underground dance music. But who needs compartmentalization when we're talking about music and emotion? Take the powerful schaffel (aka shuffle) anthem "Deep Inside" which makes use of big room chords you'd normally hear in more commercially tunes but balances that with a ferocious bass line and vocal duel that belongs to anyone. This sincerity in their music carries throughout “Arabian Horse”. Another prime example of this is the Högni fronted "Within You" – strings converge with his breathtaking vocals backed by a thoroughly addictive techno bass kick. It’s a fact that GusGus retrace their original influences and have created a dance pop album that equally resonates a forgotten period of early ‘90’s dance pop (think The Beloved), classic house music and urban soul a la Massive Attack. But make no mistake, "Arabian Horse" does not sound like pure retro in any way. It's deeply rooted in the sound of today backed by one of the most state-of-the-art quality productions Kompakt has released to date. Still need a tag? Why not: Icelandic Hi-Tech Soul.

The forever exploring electronical entity of a band, Gusgus, has opened yet a new era in their unique sonic multiverse. With their 12th album, the course is set to a strange mysterious place called DanceOrama. A Rave-Mall in a nostalgic future, DanceOrama is the place to be, where you can experience infinite freedom, genre and gender free. Moving from the pulsating new-wave influenced techno pop of the last album “Mobile Home” (2019), Gusgus emits the vibe of DanceOrama on their new album as an arousing, melody-rich hybrid of 80s/90s parties and raves. The 9- track album is slated for a November 10th release. The release is evenly split up in euphoric fusioned pop anthems and genre-free instrumental journeys.

Gusgus‘ last album “Mobile Home” was the later of twin albums that found the band exploring early 80’s new wave influences and reviving them in the iconic Gusgus soundscape. The highlight on the album was a pulsating techno reggae track called “Higher” that introduced a new member into the band, Margrét Rán, the lead singer of “vök”.

Whereas on “Mobile Home”, the concept was stationed in a rural environment of a dystopian side reality, Gusgus now moves to the city. In this city of strange discomforting future omens, DanceOrama stands out as the rave-mall of freedom. Leaving the new wave influences, this album is a strange hybrid of the 80’s and 90’s parties twisted into a genre-free blend of arousing experiences.

The album consists of 5 instrumental tracks and 4 vocal pop songs, ranging from 105-158 bpm and exploring various influences from the 80’s and 90’s and even the 70’s in a strange fusion of techno, trance, italo-disco, house and pop that emits the rawness and innocence of previous decades. The pop songs are quite strictly set as stories related to the mysteries and rumors of DanceOrama. One track in particular will be very exciting for our fans, as it has been a regular final track on our live show since the album “Arabian Horse” in 2011. This is the track “Breaking Down” that was recorded during the album “Mexico” in 2013 with “Earth” and “Högni” on vocals but, due to emotional turmoil, has never been released until now.

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World-renowned group GusGus have returned with their 11th studio album, the highly emotive Mobile Home, marking their first album release since 2018. The collective once again prove their commitment to pushing their artistic boundaries as they release one of their most ambitious and powerful albums in decades. For their latest record, GusGus call on VÖK’s lead singer Margrét Rán to help expand their style, keeping the collective’s sound as fresh as ever. The 9-track album features a concoction of electronic rock, ambient, darkwave, downtempo, and synthpop.

After announcing a new album in October 2020, GusGus wowed fans with their first single “Higher,” offering a first taste of how VÖK’s impactful vocals mesh seamlessly with GusGus’ intelligent and powerful electronic production. “Higher” was soon followed up with the darker, downtempo “Stay The Ride” and the bright and energetic synth work on “Our World.” The three captivating singles each received equally remarkable music videos courtesy of founding members Arni & Kinski, the directing team known for working with the likes of Sigur Rós, Kiasmos, Ólafur Arnalds, Of Monsters and Men, and more.

Every track on Mobile Home doubles as a window into a futuristic dystopian world that has been overtaken by machines. A nod to the rise of technology and ever-growing uncertainty surrounding automation, the album explores themes of solitude, rebellion, science fiction, hedonism, pleasure, and anger. Swirling within this world is a disconnected, aching soul who is on the verge of slipping into complete dementia. Forgotten purpose and goals but continues to be driven by the hedonistic default program of material consciousness; sensually self-indulgent and engaged in the pursuit of pleasure alone. In Mobile Home, GusGus challenge themselves like never before, resulting in a wonderfully chaotic reflection of the ongoing war between soul and machine.

With Mobile Home, GusGus show the quality and sonic diversity of the singles pervades throughout the full LP, while preserving the melodramatic themes that tie its 9 tracks together. “Simple Tuesday” showcases the group’s aptitude for blending contemporary electronic production with pop sensibilities while keeping an optimistic tonality at the forefront. Meanwhile, “Love Is Alone” and “Original Heartbreak” offer a slower, more pensive take on synthpop, and evoke feelings of solitude and deep melancholia. “Silence” and “The Rink” boast some of GusGus’s more experimental production, each alternating between radio-ready vocal verses with inventive and exciting synth elements. GusGus closes Mobile Home with “Flush,” an instrumental score that leaves the listener riding high as they finish the LP.