Reykjavík Grapevine - 12.09.2014, Síða 22

22
The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 14 — 2014
Continues from P.21
no. “It was really melodic, taking it a bit
down-tempo,” says Biggi. “Those years
were such a beautiful time for techno
music.”
But the abiding friendship between
the band’s members held things together,
remembers Daníel. “We never stopped
being friends,” he says. “The threads be-
tween us remained. So when Earth de-
cided to leave, it seemed natural for me to
take the torch and carry on.”
And indeed, Daníel’s supremely con-
fident, flamboyant stage performances
resonated with the deeper techno sound
of ‘24/7’, making it feel like something of
a rebirth for the band.
“I was just quenching my thirst for
the stage,” Daníel says. “I’m very at-
tracted to the stage, I love the stage. And
sometimes the stage loves me.”
He laughs, thinking, before continu-
ing. “Generally I’m a shy person, but it’s
such a good outlet. I find it really reward-
ing to express myself through perfor-
mance. Especially music. When I was
two or three years old I nicked the broom
and pretended it was an instrument, and
was singing in front of my family in the
living room. It was a natural thing for me
to sing. In my teens I wasn’t that keen
on making it a career—I had interests in
other fields as well—but music became
my passion and my life.”
I feel like dancing
It’s evident watching Daníel now that he
is a born performer who has developed
into a formidable force on the stage. He
wheels around the space with an unin-
hibited confidence, spinning freely under
the lights, and seeming to embody the
energy of the music, in a liberated, sha-
manistic style. His movements channel
the music to the crowd through dance,
leading by example—and they respond
in kind.
“Being on stage is the best state of
being,” he smiles. “To be all opened up,
to completely lose yourself to the music.
You get so much energy back from per-
formance, too. It’s intensely rewarding.
Music can be physical—it connects mind
and body, and you put some spiritual con-
tent to it, as well—it’s a toy for the body,
mind and spirit to play with. We cater to
curious, exploring minds with our music.
There are no rules, basically.”
When Högni joined the band, it was
a departure from his previous style of
performance with his other project,
Hjaltalín. “It was very new to me,” Högni
says. “I was like a loose monkey on my
first tours with Gusgus. Now I’m asking
more about what my movements mean.
I’ve grown as a performer, I have to say.
As a performer and a vocalist, the slight-
est movement can mean something. You
learn more every time, expressing some-
thing through your body. It’s very special.
I try to look at it artistically. In my circle
of colleagues I have people in dance art.
It’s a lively scene here, small but strong,
and abstract physique is very interest-
ing—it resembles music and pushes the
abstract.”
“It’s a good kick in the butt for him!”
smiles Daníel. “To just go out there and
dance—losing yourself in music is a great
and healthy expansion of mind and
body.”
Magnified love
‘Arabian Horse’ saw Gusgus hit a new
peak, becoming their biggest album to
date and tripling their album sales re-
cord, with the three-pronged attack of
Daníel, Urður and Högni creating incen-
diary results. “We employed more song
structures and more of a pop sound,” re-
calls Biggi. “And people are always close
by in Iceland, of course, so that was when
Högni came into the studio and helped us
out on some choruses.”
It was Högni’s friendship with Presi-
dent Bongo that led to his joining the
band. “I met Steppi a long time ago, he
helped me bounce a Hjaltalín track one
time,” he remembers. “I thought he was a
cool guy, we kind of clicked. We ended up
going for sushi one time with David Þór
[Jónsson, composer] and Ragnar Kjar-
tansson [artist], and he said, ‘Hey, I’m
going into the studio, wanna come by and
maybe do some backing vocals?’ I wrote
some demo lines for a few tracks, and a
couple of days later, Steppi said, ‘We’re
going to the Faroe Islands to record, wan-
na come?’ And I was like, ‘Yes, of course.’
It was the first time I’d met Daníel, and
I remember feeling a bit star-struck. And
that’s when we made ‘Arabian Horse.’”
It took time to acclimatise. “When
I joined the band I felt a little bit alien,”
Högni says, “but now that our set list is al-
most all songs from ‘Arabian Horse’ and
‘Mexico’, it feels more like it’s mine. Like
it’s precious, and more personal.”
Högni’s fingerprints seem more ap-
parent on the sound of ‘Mexico’, which
features string and brass arrangements.
““Obnoxiously Sexual” is the first time
a Gusgus song has had a brass arrange-
ment,” he says. “I had to bang my fist on
the table to get those brass chops in. But
that’s why I’m there—to bring in some-
thing new. Of course, there are some dis-
putes in the production of the album—it’s
very common—but it naturally grew in
some direction, and people are very real-
istic—there are no empty shirts, nobody
is just there for decoration.”
Totally Mexico
The relative critical and commercial suc-
cess of ‘Arabian Horse’ felt like it light-
ened the load for work on their newest
album, the magnificent ‘Mexico’. “Ev-
erybody came to us after ‘Arabian Horse’
and said it was the best Gusgus album,”
laughs Biggi, “and I thought, ‘Okay, I’ve
done that, I don’t have to do it again. I
felt like we could do whatever we wanted
afterwards. ‘Mexico’ is more free—we’re
just doing whatever, trying out different
styles in the different tracks. You can
hear more of our history, and everybody
gets to do a bit of what they want, instead
of having to agree on everything. I feel
like my responsibility is to make every-
one sound like it can fit on the same al-
bum.”
And what next? “I feel like we could
do whatever—experiment a bit more
with this pop sound, or maybe do some-
thing a bit more experimental,” Biggi
says. “Who knows!”
The future is bright, says Daníel:
“We’re the most popular we’ve been, I
think; and the quality standard is high.
We’ve come a long way and shoveled
through the difficult times, but we’re
also surfing the wave of electronic mu-
sic’s popularity. We’re lucky to be still
at it while it’s happening. All the things
are working together,” he smiles. “Like
clockwork.”
As Gusgus come out for their encore
at a sold-out Hafnarhús show, the crowd
almost raise the roof with their whoop-
ing and cheering. Gusgus are about to
spread their wings once again, and tour
‘Mexico’ until Christmas in Russia and
the Baltic states. They’ll go to Mexico,
too, of course. Where this enduringly
free-spirited troupe will race from there,
nobody knows. But it’ll be a pleasure to
watch them do it.
Birgir Þórarinsson
Birgir is a founding father of Gusgus and
as of now, the only 100% full-time mem-
ber. He also goes by Biggi Veira, Veiran
and Biggo. He is responsible for the pro-
duction and programming side. He was
in the band T-World with Maggi Lego
before forming Gusgus.
Stephan Stephensen
More commonly known by his moniker
President Bongo, though he has been
known to be fond of the pseudonyms
President Penis and Alfred More. Presi-
dent Bongo is one of the founding mem-
bers of Gusgus, and one of only two
permanent members. He is, however,
currently "on holiday" from the live show
and living in Berlin. President Penis is
the production mainstay of the band and
one of its boldest personalities. He is a
popular DJ in his own right.
Daníel Ágúst Haraldsson
The (beautiful) face of Gusgus, Daníel
is a vocal mainstay for the band and
one of the founding members. He took a
break from the band in 2000 to pursue
solo projects, formally rejoining in 2009.
Daníel represented Iceland for the Eu-
rovision Song Contest in 1989, where he
received zero points. He is also the lead
singer for the Icelandic bands Nýdönsk
and Esja.
Magnús Guðmundsson
Also goes by the names Maggi Lego,
Herb Legowitz, Herr Legowitz, Hunk
of a Man, Buckmaster De La Cruz,
Fuckmaster or The Fox. One of the early
members of the band, he is currently
enjoying being on-again, off-again with
Gusgus. Reemerged for the Hafnarhúsið
album release show to replace President
Bongo in his absence. Has been described
by Daníel Ágúst as "an eccentric genius.”
Högni Egilsson
New blood for Gusgus, Högni came on
board starting with their last album
‘Arabian Horse’. He is well known as a
vocalist for the band Hjaltalín. Högni
has now become a fully integrated Gus-
gus member, with his arrangements and
touches found all over ‘Mexico.’ Has a lot
of blonde hair.
“I’ve grown both as a
performer and a vocal-
ist, I have to say—shape,
physique and the
slightest movement can
mean something. You
learn more every time,
expressing something
through your body.”
Gusgus 2014
Mexico World Tour Members
Words by Melissa Coci