Exclusive: Gustav Ejstes Talks New Dungen Album
"I say people should eat and drink music as much as they want."

International success can make for some pretty basic misunderstandings. So when the vintage psychedelia of Dungen's third album-- 2004's Ta Det Lugnt-- caught on outside of singer, songwriter, and bandleader Gustav Ejstes' native Sweden, he was suddenly forced to answer questions about why he sang in Swedish, as if it was the result of an aesthetic choice and not simply his native tongue. ("Hey Sufjan, why don't you sing in Portugese?")

We were able to avoid the question when we talked to Ejstes recently, though we did ask if he ever writes nonsense lyrics just because he could probably get away with it (he doesn't). He also told us about the recording process, his interest in production, and his love for hip hop (especially Madvillain). Oh, and there was the matter of Dungen's currently untitled upcoming record (tracklist below), which Kemado will release May 1 in the U.S. A Swedish release on Subliminal Sounds is scheduled for around the same time, and Dungen plan to tour "later this spring."

Pitchfork: How is this new album different from Ta Det Lugnt?

Gustav Ejstes: Each song stands out more. [There are] shorter songs than on Ta Det Lugnt, [which] had that collage vibe [where] one song slips into another one, changing and fading into each other.

Pitchfork: Are there fewer of the jazz-influenced instrumental passages?

GE: There are instrumental parts, and the jazz influences are still there. [But] I think the songs are more like traditional songs. The album is not Ta Det Lugnt 2. I think it would be bad if it were just a "volume two."

Pitchfork: Ta Det Lugnt had kind of a summery vibe to it. Does that carry over to the new one?

GE: Yeah, there are those elements. I've heard someone say it has more of an urban feeling, but there is definitely the folksy summer vibe on this album. And there are hard rock songs, too.

Pitchfork: When we talked to you a couple of years ago, you said you were really angry during the recording of Ta Det Lugnt. Were you angry while recording this album?

GE: Yes. I mean, music-making for me-- I have discovered that I always get pissed off when I'm doing it.

Pitchfork: Does the frustration come from the process of writing and recording, or is it personal?

GE: It's personal. When you create, when you do something, you pick things from within. I can't write pop songs that are not personal; they always have been personal. And the older you get, the more problems [you have], and [you] get more and more pissed off.

Pitchfork: Do you ever feel like you're running out of personal drama to write about?

GE: I'm going through stuff all the time, and there's always stuff to write about.

Pitchfork: Did you record this album the way you did Ta Det Lugnt, where you played most of the instruments yourself?

GE: Yeah. I mean, I play a few less instruments on this one. We had a guy here who played a Turkish stringed instrument, and I had a friend singing and doing some harmonies. But I played drums, and I played bass, guitar, organs, flute, strings...all that on this one, too. There is one song where we-- a four-piece band-- played at the same time. But the rest of it is like Ta Det Lugnt, working on my own.

Pitchfork: After the success of Ta Det Lugnt in the U.S. and the UK, and with the knowledge that a large portion of your audience doesn't speak Swedish, have you started to pay more attention to the sound of your lyrics? Do you ever write a line that makes no sense in Swedish just because it sounds good and you can get away with it?

GE: I have always [written] lyrics in that way, where it's about the music. Swedish is a great language to sing in; it's pretty. It's hard, but there's a great melody to Swedish I think. [But] the lyrics are important, and we have Swedish listeners, people who do understand what I say. So it's very important that I write lyrics that mean something, to me. On Ta Det Lugnt, there were Swedish people who understood the words but didn't get what I meant; [the lyrics] could mean a lot of things. In my lyrics, there's a lot of personal stuff, like last time, but it's not the main thing in the music. I listen to a lot of music where I don't understand the lyrics: Turkish music, Brazilian music, and even [in] some American rap music there's a lot of slang that I can't relate to. But I listen to the music because I love it.

Pitchfork: Speaking of rap music, I know that you're a big fan of guys like Pete Rock and DJ Premier. Is there any recent hip hop that you like?

GE: Definitely. All Stones Throw artists. Madvillain is a big favorite, Edan, MF DOOM. I can definitely feel some kind of connection between that and what I do, and the people that listen to that kind of hip hop. It's an open-minded kind of listening. Everything from Brazil to old funk to psychedelic rock to folk music, everything is okay.

Pitchfork: It's funny you say that because even though you don't directly incorporate hip hop into Dungen, the music does seem to have the same crackly, hissing-old-record feel that you get from someone like DJ Premier.

GE: Yeah, [and] the drums and the grooves have a very big part in my music-making. I'm always thinking about beats.

Pitchfork: Has your love of hip hop given you more of an interest in the more textural or production-oriented aspects of music?

GE: I've always been interested in the production aspect, ever since I heard Hendrix and the Beatles when I was a kid: "How do they make drums sound like that?"

Pitchfork: Are you satisfied with your production abilities? Have you found out how they accomplish those sounds?

GE: I don't know. This time I have been thinking about musicianship another way. It's how you play the instrument. The instruments should sound good, but you have to play your instrument well.

Pitchfork: Do you feel like you're better than you used to be at the instruments you play?

GE: I hope so. I play a lot, so I hope I improve.

Pitchfork: Are you still studying Swedish folk music?

GE: Definitely, and it's one great influence. It's very important music for me, and I practice a lot of violin and play a lot of folk tunes. I don't use it in Dungen, but I get inspired by it as good music, the same way I listen to hip hop.

Pitchfork: How do you keep your folk music studies separate from Dungen in your mind?

GE: It's like day and night. I play music, that's all I do, and I need to have the different moods. Sometimes I just play violin for a few days, and then I have the inspiration and strength to get into the songwriting and rock music. Then I get into the turntables for a few days.

Pitchfork: You have your own set of turntables?

GE: Yeah, sure.

Pitchfork: Do you ever DJ parties?

GE: I've been DJ-ing some, but I'm a closet DJ. I play my hip hop favorites, and I actually have been practicing a lot of scratching and tricks and beat-juggling.

Pitchfork: Are you getting good?

GE: I don't know. I'm from Sweden, and you can't if tell you're good.

Pitchfork: Have you tried to write songs for the violin in the Swedish folk style?

GE: No. Actually, I can't. I've done one traditional folk tune, that's it. And it's just...ew. It's another language. I think I know the language, but I just feel that I'm-- when you write rock music, you can't think that all this has been done before. I never think that I have to be original. I just play because it's fun, and it's easier to write rock music and feel that you have done something new.

Pitchfork: Is there any new Swedish music right now that you're excited about?

GE: Definitely, there are a lot of Swedish bands, but I have been totally into Madvillain and-- I don't know. I don't [visit] music clubs. I'm a bad follower. I say people should eat and drink music as much as they want. I think that's more common now because everything is available. There's so much going on.

Tracklist:

01 Intro
02 Familj
03 Gör Det Nu
04 Caroline
05 Du Ska Inte Tro Att Det Ordnar Sig
06 Mon Amour
07 Så Blev Det Bestämt
08 Ett Skäl Att Trivas
09 Svart Är Himlen
10 En Gång I År Kom Det En Tår

[Photo by Carl Abrahamsson]