Measure out your dancing space, tape up your feet and tie down your jockstrap! The President hits where it hurts! And it hurts twice as bad as it should. With an amazing roster of the coolest, the hottest, the dirtiest clubs all around the world the President is sure to direct everyone to the dance-floor with his compacted fusion of techno, house and whatever comes into that rotting mind when connected to his native Gaybon superpowers. The president is never to busy to make love, and his love is music. Soft leather gloves and blackened matt hand-grenades, do you like fisting? He does. A fist full of records. Number one records.
Gusgus
"It was a long series of mistakes... I was swindled into this..." - says President Bongo when asked about his “job” in Gusgus. "And now I work 24/7. It's a shitty deal when you really count the hours. But I kind of like it". The dj/producer from Hafnarfjordur (Iceland) has been a member of the electronic soul band Gusgus since 1995. After 6 records, short films and innumerable experimental music videos released on various labels since 1995 (latest on Kompakt) this man is unable to stick to one thing - a jack of all transitions. Bongo has done remix work for the likes of Ada (his favourite musician), Björk, Wareika and Super Mama Djambo, exhibited photographic projects and constantly produces something. In his time away from music Bongo is a mountain guide in the Icelandic highlands, something he does to recharge in the summertime, but "it wasn't until our album Attention that I really started producing the music and writing songs... or whatever they are, these tracks", says Bongo. "The first Gusgus albums I didn't really touch musically. I worked with Veiran arranging and had creative input though mostly I was concerned with the good art of photography and film. It was only when earlier members had moved to other projects that I found myself without a choice on the future of Gusgus's direction in music. And that is the real reason why we don´t have any money" - The Bongmachine says grinning. He is talking about the 3 techno focused post-millennium Gusgus albums "Attention (Underwater)", "Forever (Pineapple)" and their latest dub influenced collection "24/7 (Kompakt)". Entirely different musically from previous albums, the internationally acclaimed 24/7 is being hailed as the best and darkest Gusgus work so far.
Gluteus Maximus
"The inception for this collaboration was caused by the awareness of the name - It's impossible to be in a group that has no name, there is just no point in that. It would be like putting on your finest 3 piece, cuffs and spats... and not combing your moustache. Absurd" - says Bongo. "I mean Gluteus Maximus is the worlds slickest band name. It is carved with a golden chisel into Ancient granite, by the bleeding hands of an albino virgin. The name for a band usually comes way before the band itself. You have motorcycle leather outfit but you don't have a gimp - classic!" screams the President. With numerous remixes released, the two members, Bongo & Jack Schidt are currently working on original material due in 2010, or at least when they are ready. Rome wasn't rebuilt in a day.
President Bongo
As I ask the President about his artist name he is more than willing to tell me all about it! "In the Iceland underground it is an unwritten rule that one cannot choose his own dj name, as there is a big tradition here for giving people their nick names. There is Gummi Leather, Siggi Majones, Margeir Mcgyver, Keli Kaldi etc and mine I got after returning from Africa in 2001. My sister and her family live there and I visited during the re-elections of the late Omar Bongo. I returned to Iceland with bags of t-shirts and accessories that were distributed in the streets of Libreville. I had just begun to work on a video script with director Dagur Kári Pétursson and, well, to make a long story short Dagur saw it fit to call me "President" as I was wearing all these promotions from Omar. And thus my name was President Bongo! And now there is only me." - explains President Bongo with a single bead dripping from his upper lip, and adds: "May the original rest in peace!"
President Bongo with GusGus - albums:
GusGus (Kjól & Anderson, 1995)
Polydistortion (4AD/Warners/Labels, 1996)
This is Normal (4AD/Warners/Labels, 1999)
Attention (Underwater/Moonshine Music, 2002)
Forever (Pineapple/Gung Ho, 2007)
24/7 - (Kompakt, 2009)
President Bongo as band producer - album:
Petter & the Pix - Easily Tricked (Pineapplerecords 2006/Gung Ho 2007)
President Bongo with GusGus - selected remixes:
Björk (Hunter - One Little Indian)
Moloko (Cannot Contain This - PIAS)
Roy Davis jr (Got to get to Heaven - R&S)
Model 500 (Got to be Brave - R&S)
Depeche Mode (Only when i loose myself - Mute/Virgin)
Sigur Ros (Von - Smekkleysa)
Noir Desir (Tostaky - Labels)
Aaron-Carl (I'm not Free - Wallshaker)
Trabant (Nastyboy - Southern Fried Records)
President Bongo with Gluteus Maximus - selected remixes:
Klovn (I want you - Jón Jónsson Records)
Trentemöller (Miss You - Pokerflat)
Captain Comatose (100$ - Playhouse)
Ghostdigital (Bank - Smekkleysa)
Gusgus (Add this song - Kompakt)
Dirty Deal (Ahh - Spinout Records)
Snax (Don't Wanna Get Over - defDrive)
Sigurrós (Gobblidigook - Kompakt)
Ada (Stoned Love - Kompakt)
Ben Frost (Peter Venkman pt1 - Bedroom Community)
Wareika (Burnin' - Tartelet)
Múm (Blow Your Nose - Morr Music)
