Dungen

"The sound of Dungen corresponds to all my teenage ideas of happy hippies. All these psychedelic flutes amazingly convey a mystical forest vibe. It is undoubtedly shocking that this is done now, and not in 1969" - Viceland Magazine. The founder of the Dungen project, Gustav (Gustav Ejstes), grew up in a small Swedish town called Lanna in the Vastergotland region. His father, who played both cello and violin and also taught music, introduced Gustav to the mysterious and incomprehensible world of Swedish folk music at an early age and showed him the basics of playing guitar and piano. As a teenager, Gustav became interested in hip-hop and sampling, which combined with his love for folk music shaped his musical vision. He delved into the world of vinyl records and today is the proud owner of many incredibly rare Swedish recordings from the 1960s and 70s. This opens up a whole new world for the musician. Gustav returns to old guitars, drums, bass, and keys. He moves to his mother's farm, located deep in the woods, where his interest in Swedish folk music is further intensified. After a full day of work on the farm, he spends all night working in his music studio - his grandmother's basement. The music he composes becomes increasingly individual and unlike anything else. Rumors of Dungen, who stubbornly composes strange "folk rock psychedelia," quickly spread through the Swedish music underground. Gustav's friend named Stefan Kry releases the first Dungen record on vinyl at his Subliminal Sounds studio. The record was approved by underground connoisseurs all over the world. Soon, three CD singles are released on the major label Doolores/Virgin, one of which completes the soundtrack to the second part of "The Jungle Book," released in Scandinavia. The album Stadsvandringar ("urban walks" in translation) was also released on vinyl under the title "II" with tracks selected by Subliminal Sounds, attracting the attention of Swedish media. However, despite this, Gustav refuses to collaborate with the majors, binding himself in a close partnership with Subliminal Sounds. In early 2006, a new Dungen album is released. This record turned out to be exactly as Gustav wanted it to be: uncompromising. The new album Ta Det Lugnt (the English version - Take It Easy) from Dungen has been universally acknowledged as his most interesting work. The album features absolutely stunning and original compositions; Ta Det Lugnt is an uncompromising, multifaceted musical journey straight into the listener's consciousness, transporting them somewhere into the dense forests of Sweden. The extraordinary creativity of the project has been recently recognized by the global music community. As a result - invitations to the best club venues and stages of the most progressive festivals, among which is the iconic Coachella in the USA and the Dutch Eurosonic, where Dungen has already performed this year. Also on Dungen's itinerary are shows at Amsterdam's Paradiso, tours across Europe, Australia, the USA, concerts in Iceland, Germany, and the UK.