A Beginner's Guide to Dungen

Wed 10th May, 2006 in Features

First things first: let’s get the pronunciation right. Dungen is pronounced ‘doon-yen’, not ‘dun-ghin’ or ‘dungeon’. Dungen is also “a Swedish word for a small area with a group of trees in an open field”, according to frontman Gustav Ejstes.

In the musical realm they have been called “a four piece prog-rock, psychedelic head-trip that are guaranteed to blow your mind”. Oh, and they sing in Swedish.

Last year the English and American press started to sit up and notice of Dungen’s live performances after the release of their third album Ta Det Lugnt, which roughly translates as “Take It Easy”. So much so that in a matter of months they made the 2005 Best Albums lists of such publications as NME, Rolling Stone and Spin.

When asked if Gustav is surprised by the fact that English-speaking people like Dungen, even if they have no idea what they sing about he answers: “I am totally surprised, but at the same time the music could be interesting as a whole with the vocals as an instrument”.

So how did Dungen go from being a quaint little Swedish band to being known the world over, albeit in certain circles? “I met Stefan Kery, of Subliminal Sounds, in the summer of 2000. We actually ended up next to each other on a train that none of us were supposed to be on. I gave him a tape; he called me later on and wanted to start releasing records. He’s been, and is, working hard on getting my music out there,” Gustav says.

When asked what’s been their best or most memorable tour, he answers, “They’ve all been good”. Obviously Dungen don’t play the favourites card, even after playing on the Conan O’Brien show and be seen by millions of people.

Even though the tribal drums, raging bass and fuzzy guitar that reminisces of 70s stoner-rock is plenty to keep even the most snobbish music lover happy, you can’t help but wonder what their songs are about. Gustav answers “The songs are about me. It’s what I do and think about. People I meet, love, hate and life to be. Panda could be an unhappy love song or it could be about pop music fans.”

Gustav grew up in the tiny village of Lanna. His father, a violinist and music teacher, introduced him to the world of music and taught him to play the piano and guitar. Before long Gustav was entranced by a lot of bands from yesteryear. “I am a very big fan of music. I like a lot of different types of music from all over the world. Some of my all-time favourite types of music are: pop and rock from the 60s to present day. I’m a huge fan of early 90s hip-hop and Swedish folk music, Turkish heavy/psych etc.”

A band making decent music is great; when they are friends that get along it’s even better. Gustav recalls on how the band met: “I met Fredrik Björling when we were studying sound engineering 99-00, I recorded myself playing drums and very often record when Fredrik plays. Reine Fiske is one of the best guitar players I know, we have been playing together since 2000. The bass player is Tiaz, he has been in the band since last year but we’ve been friends forever.”

Playing to thousands of fans all over the world, certain bands tend to lose all modesty. Not Dungen, “We are very honoured to for the chance to perform for so many people, but my life is the same as before,” says Gustav.

Dungen are supporting Wolfmother on their national tour this July, definitely not a bad support slot to get: they will be playing large theatres and some arenas, and spread their message to a whole spectrum of potential new fans. When asked if Gustav has any expectations of playing in Australia he answers, “Of course we are looking forward to come (sic), we are honoured and flattered that people in Australia listen to our music. No expectations, we try to have a good time and play good music.”

See Dungen supporting Wolfmother this winter and be blown away.

Tour Dates:
Thu 13 July – Thebarton Theatre, Adelaide
Sat 15 July - Festival Hall, Melbourne
Sun 16 July – Challenge Stadium, Perth
Thu 20 July – Hordern Pavilion, Sydney
Sat 22 July – The River Stage, Brisbane