Biography
Thee Ideal Gus is a sprawling experimental collective originating from Hamilton, New Zealand, in the early 1990s. Born from the same prolific underground “gene pool” that produced acts like Pumice, Armpit, and G.Frenzy, the group is characterized by a fluid, loosely defined membership and a steadfast commitment to lo-fi, improvised, and chance-based recording.
The project is perhaps best known for its “double-barreled” obsession with the year 1999. During that time, members conducted a massive cross-country recording project, capturing daily sounds and performances in Whangarei, Wellsford, and Dunedin. The resulting diaries and tapes were mailed between the North and South Islands, eventually culminating in a mythically rare 20-copy lathe-cut double LP.
“A ramshackle one-man band, playing guitar, vocals, tape loops and drums simultaneously, [Stefan Neville] bridges the void between all-out improvisation and tightly executed song craft… often all at once.”
—The Wellingtonista (Reflecting the shared aesthetic of the collective)
“Thee Ideal Gus began in Hamilton… sprung from the same gene pool and time as Armpit, GFrenzy, and Pumice… its membership has never been settled or defined.”
Members
- Stefan Neville (guitar / drums / vocals / organ / electronics, 5608, Pumice, Sunken, The Coolies)
- Clayton Noone (guitar / vocals / electronics, Armpit, C.J.A., Moomog, The Tits)
- Sugar Jon Arcus (drums / vocals / electronics, 5608, Alien Space Wreck, Pumice)
- Indira Neville (vocals, The Aesthetics, The Biscuits, The Coolies)
- Kaaterama “Motty” Morehu (vocals / percussion, Pumice, Smokehouse, The Strange Girls)
- Witcyst (vocals / various instruments, Pumice, White Saucer)
- Dan “Eemonk” Powell (electronics / various, Pumice)
- Rachel Garbott (various instruments)
Discography
- 1999 [2 x Lathe-cut LP, Album] (1999, Stabbies And The Rocket Recordings)
- The Ideal Gus / The Aesthetics – Split [Cassette] (1999, Freedom From)
- 1977 e.p. [CDr, EP] (2002, Root Don Lonie For Cash)
- 2002 [Lathe-cut 7″] (2002, Stabbies And The Rocket Recordings)
- All My Life I’ve Loved You [CDr, Album] (2005, Foxglove, 053)
- No Ballheads [CDr, Mini-EP] (2007, Root Don Lonie For Cash, 211)
- 99 [Vinyl, LP, Album/Compilation] (2015, Planam, ideal planam)
Links
- Discogs: Thee Ideal Gus
- Bandcamp: Thee Ideal Gus via Stabbies
- Label Profile (Forced Exposure)