Dungen

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will this do?
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Dungen

Post by will this do? »

Surprized no-one here's discussed Dungen.

I was alerted to them by someone on another board ages ago, but didn't really pay any heed, until I saw their record "Ta det lugnt" in the shop, and thought "in for a penny". I've not had it long, and can't really be certain, but I think I like it. It's hard, becasue all the singing is in Swedish, but the music certainly has a lot going for it.

It is definately growing though.

Also, there seems to be some hype (I don't buy the papers, so it's second hand to me). Folk are saying it's the album the Stone Roses were trying to make (2nd Coming), and that Dungen are the best band in the world.

Anyone?
vaporizer
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Post by vaporizer »

Haven´t had a listen to ta det lugnt yet, but what I´ve heard of their previous releases really annoyed the hell out of me. Perhaps because I understand what they are saying, sometimes it´s better not to... If you haven´t heard another swedish band called Träd, Gräs och Stenar I can recommend you to have a listen. I haven´t heard that much myself so I can´t really point you in any direction, but the music is instrumental, very psychedelic and spacey at times. I´ve been meaning to buy some of their stuff for a long time but haven´t gotten around to it yet.

[Folk are saying it's the album the Stone Roses were trying to make (2nd Coming
Yeah releasing an album in swedish would probably have confused the hell out of the critics anyway! Maybe something to take in consideration if the reunion would take place?

By the way I just bought a compilation with Amadou & Mariam "Je pensé a toi" (excuse my weak french), and it is so f#cking good I almost can´t believe it!!! The guy in the record shop recommended me to have a listen to Fela Kuti, which sounds very interesting, any suggestions as where to start anyone?
will this do?
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Post by will this do? »

Fela Kuti...

if I might don my 'Politically incorrect' hat for a second:

I never ever got that World Music that John Peel used to play/Andy Kershaw still plays. I know that there's a *whole world* out there, and to the people of *the world* this is just folk music. But to the people of my part of *the world* (ie me), it just sounds like a lot of twangy nonsense, and I don't like it. I therefore view people who DO like it with suspicion (suspicion that they're try-hard right-on guilty wholemeal liberals).

Fela Kuti invented Afro Beat, anyway, and some of it's ok in small doses I guess - to dance to. He played the saxophone, and smoked dope. He died. His son has followed in the family business, and he's called Femi Kuti.
vaporizer
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Post by vaporizer »

But to the people of my part of *the world* (ie me), it just sounds like a lot of twangy nonsense, and I don't like it. I therefore view people who DO like it with suspicion (suspicion that they're try-hard right-on guilty wholemeal liberals).
Now thats a bit narrowminded ain´t it? It´s your loss though, to exclude all the great music coming from outside of northern europe and north america.
Personally I tend to view people who listen to music in swedish without understanding it with uttermost suspicion, you probably buy all your furniture at IKEA too! :lol:
will this do?
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Post by will this do? »

vaporizer wrote:
But to the people of my part of *the world* (ie me), it just sounds like a lot of twangy nonsense, and I don't like it. I therefore view people who DO like it with suspicion (suspicion that they're try-hard right-on guilty wholemeal liberals).
Now thats a bit narrowminded ain´t it? It´s your loss though, to exclude all the great music coming from outside of northern europe and north america.
Personally I tend to view people who listen to music in swedish without understanding it with uttermost suspicion, you probably buy all your furniture at IKEA too! :lol:
Spot on (apart from my furniture: less than half of it is from ikea).

But seriously, it's the only the WORDS I don't understand - the music is in English... (erm :) )

Oh, and (seriously again) R&R comes from Africa.
vaporizer
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Post by vaporizer »

The Jig, thats exactly the sort of shit I´m talking about! I´guess I´ll do the same and just buy any of the albums, I´m sure there is a lot good stuff to discover. If I find anything good I´ll post a thread on this board despite running the risk of being branded as a
try-hard right-on guilty wholemeal liberal
by mr Will this do :lol:
BzaInSpace
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Post by BzaInSpace »

Wait, hang on.

The Fela Kuti records I have heard are as funky as hell.

World/folk/funk...whatever.

I can't understund a lot of what he says...but I can't understand Can's singers much either.

The feeling is like angry panoramic James Brown, and very heavy on the funk.

As The Jig mentions a lot of his tunes stretch - often 2 or three tracks per LP.

The pick (for me) have to be under Fela Kuti & Africa 70 :

'Expensive Shit'/'He miss road'

'Confusion' /'Gentleman'

There are many more....hypnotic shit. I refer to the 2for1 CDs.

There is a collaberation with Roy Ayers called 'Music of Many Colours' that I like too.

However, your best place to start is the 'Black President' compilation.
Superb selection of tunes on 2CD. Generally available and easy on the ca$hmoney
veep23
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Post by veep23 »

if u wanna try some real good world music, give ali farka toure a listen! the records he did with ry cooder are AMAZING. very blues influenced or vice versa.
vaporizer
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Post by vaporizer »

Thank you BZA! The black president compilation definately sounds like a good place to get started, it´s next on my list.
I would also like to push once more for the band called Träd, gräs och stenar, that I mentioned earlier on in this thread. I had a quick look on allmusic to check out what they had released and interestingly enough the review mentioned spacemen 3 as a referencepoint to their sound. So it might be of interest to some people here.
will this do?
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Post by will this do? »

vaporizer wrote:...running the risk of being branded as a
try-hard right-on guilty wholemeal liberal
by mr Will this do :lol:
I hope you realise, I know that this is my shortcoming. You do what you want.

Bzainspace wrote:...Wait, hang on.

The Fela Kuti records I have heard are as funky as hell.

World/folk/funk...whatever.
The little I've heard of Fela Kuti, I know that's correct. It confounded my prejudices.

I'm still right about the other stuff though (until proven otherwise)!

BUT WHAT ABOUT DUNGEN? Are we ignorantly and patronisingly lumping all 'music in a foreign language' together in one thread? That is a typical bourgeois Anglo-centric attitude. Facists!
ORBITAL
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Post by ORBITAL »

What about 'Volare' By Dean Martin. Superb
Work is the scourge of the drinking classes
will this do?
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Post by will this do? »

AHA!!

'Foreign Language!' - hoist, on your own petard!

'Languages other than English', dear boy - they might be foreign to us, but you're looking down the wrong end of the telescope.
will this do?
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Post by will this do? »

"the wrong end of the telescope" is the one where you see Languages other than English as "Foreign", when more than half the world's population would have it vice versa.

My original use of the phrase was attacking the idea, which you subsequently proposed, of having a thread whose title wasn't 'Dungen'.

The "big deal" is that I sense that people are coming to the point of view that I am a nasty bigot because I admitted to an irrational fear of African Music, and explained why. That's all.
ORBITAL
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Post by ORBITAL »

We know you arent racist Will. I thought you were heading over to Ascot this week. Whether it is cars, Horses or even Drag. We know you have no problem with in this respect.
Work is the scourge of the drinking classes
will this do?
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Post by will this do? »

Yes,

BUT WHAT ABOUT DUNGEN?
BzaInSpace
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Post by BzaInSpace »

I dunno, I have never heard them.

Now i'm intrigued, how heavy are they Will? Psychedelic style?

Jig, Vaporiser, its all good. Have you heard Trad ?

Yeah, you are gonna love 'Black President'. Fela's back catalogue is vast, the best stuff could be with his bands - the Africa 70 and Egypt 80..

I know there is a lot of early recordings/UK sessions, but I ain't heard any yet.

Fela's life story is incredible. But the music is fucking great, so who cares?
veiko
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Post by veiko »

BzaInSpace wrote:Fela's life story is incredible. But the music is fucking great, so who cares?
i care.
easy does it.
Bza - go out, plant a tree or something, smoke some, don't forget to call your mom again.
yeah, surely, living art is more important then art of living... but...
it's just lame that people ask assurance of being careless.
you must have a point by saying "so who cares".

if i would care about Doors, would i take my broom from Tallinn all the way to Paris to clean Jim's grave - is that more respectful?
or i only have to watch out that my nose is clean and thats fucking it.

anyway, stupid argument anyway.

but even the shortest supply of information about Dungen looks interesting.

here's a link about them:

http://www.subliminalsounds.se/DOK/dungen2.html

so, it's a good recommendation.
will this do?
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Post by will this do? »

I'm going to look out for Fela then. But I can't promise to like it.

Dungen is growing on me.

It's kind of complicated, and sounds odd - not just the lyrics (which are in Swedish, and therefore utterly incomprehensible to me), but the music has an odd quality which I imagine is because it is the product of what is largely a one-man-band (although others do play on the record, the singer/songwriter/genius plays "guitar/drums/bass/violin/keyboards/etc etc").

The songs are intricately structured like Beefheart, and have quite unusual sounds in them. they are mainly quite fast (and bulbous). They do sound quite loose, but in a tight way. Unhinged, they never lose it. Good spacey dynamics.
u_nderscore
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Post by u_nderscore »

i haven't heard dungen, but it sounds interesting.

have to put a big, fat vote in for fela kuti - beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. 'black president' is great jig, i'm sure it'll hit the spot. i'm only just scratching the surface of his music and life, but i'm just so buzzed by the man right now. really inspirational.
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Post by Juzba »

Dungen is quite alright, but not a timeless classic of any sort. I'm referring to "Ta det lungt" here. Listened to it throughout last autumn and haven't listened to it since. I suppose TSOL aren't that quite far off from this.


Incredible that anyone should mention Träd, Gräs och Stenar... Saw them live here in Helsinki about a month and a half ago and what a gig. Their 15 minute intro was fantastic, Eno type shit. The bass player/lead vocalist played
his bass with a drum stick :) Sadly about halfway through the gig got a little less interesting, mainly because the songs were a bit too traditional for my taste as opposed to the experimental and inventive numbers the guys really had fun with in the first half. The funny thing bout' the gig was that some all in the band were well over their 60s and they certainly looked like it. They had probably escaped from a nursery home of some sort
:wink: The guitarist had some really nice effects and the talent to use them right.


Circle was the opening act, anyone fancy them?
will this do?
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Post by will this do? »

Woo hooo!

*waves*
Lipsmackin' thirstquenchin' acetastin' motivatin' goodbuzzin' cooltalkin'
highwalkin' fastlivin' evergivin' self aggrandizin' willthisdo?
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