Music Style Sun Ra drops acid and jams with Can

Musical Influences Nurse With Wound, Shub-Niggurath, Harry Partch, Sun Ra, Third Ear Band, Can, Amon Düül, Träd Gräs & Stenar, Älgarnas Trädgård, Ya Ho Wha 13, Jacula, Terry Riley, Harvester

Similar Artists Nurse With Wound, Shub-Niggurath, Harry Partch, Sun Ra, Third Ear Band, Can, Amon Düül, Träd Gräs & Stenar, Älgarnas Trädgård, Ya Ho Wha 13, Jacula, Terry Riley, Harvester

Artist History The history of Gaga Blung can be traced back to early 1996 when the short-lived project Analogo Bung was formed. The founding members were Conny Blom and Daniel Elander, and they were to become the only permanent members of future Gaga Blung. Around 1992 Blom was part of an ensemble, which attempted to create suitable music to the dadaistic poetry written by himself and Björn (Björne) Perborg. Blom played bass and handled the vocals, while the other members played Hammond organ and congas. Unfortunately, none of the music was recorded or put down on notes and seems now to be lost forever. The only thing remaining from this project appears to be the lyrics of the track "Mecklot", still in Blom's possession. After the disbandment of this group Blom focused on art solely, until teaming up with Elander.Elander started out as guitarist in The Fathers, a group in which Michael Sideridis also was a member. They played avant-garde rock, but never recorded any of their material. Some of it exists in note-form, though. Blom was once asked to join the group but declined. After The Fathers Elander worked solo and recorded a couple of compositions on home equipment, before forming Analogo Bung with Blom. Before evolving into Gaga Blung, Analogo Bung recorded a cassette for private use only. Except for Blom and Elander the line-up of Gaga Blung varied. During 1996 the new group recorded a number of compositions, some of which were released on a self-titled cassette. In early 1997 work began on a second cassette, "Amputation Piece", but meanwhile another group was formed. The cassette came to be released under the name of this new outfit, Näskören, though it really was a Gaga Blung recording, both in sound and production. "Amputation Piece", recently rereleased on CD with a previously unreleased bonustrack, may very well be considered the climax of this the first recording-active period of Gaga Blung. Around this time some of the Gaga Blung members also took part in another short-lived formation, Sekten (The Sect) - a loosely structured constellation of people into diverse forms of art. This outfit intended to record a post-war epic, accompanied by a book. Due to lack of funding and organization this project was never realized. There has been talk of rewriting the story for the theatre, but so far nothing of this has seen the light of day. In 1998, after having recorded a couple of albums on cassette and CD with Näskören, Elander and Blom reformed Gaga Blung with new members. So far this has resulted in the improvised, entirely acoustic album "Raga Blung" (1999), recorded as a five-piece, "Destruction In Art" (2000) and two EPs, "Documenta 72" (1999) and "Das Wort" (1999).

Albums Gaga Blung, Amputation Piece (Gaga Blung version), Blago Bung, Documenta 72 (EP), Raga Blung, Das Wort (EP), Destruction In Art

Press Reviews "Gaga Blung and Näskören are two related projects led by Daniel Elander and Conny Blom who first came together in 1996 when they formed Analogo Bung in Sweden. Analogo Bung evolved into Gaga Blung, which eventually became Näskören, and now they're back to Gaga Blung. Confusing? Not to worry... we'll focus on the music. Elander and Blom have been the mainstays throughout and the bands have included a varying cast of musicians. At their mp3.com web site the Musical Style blurb states, "Sun Ra drops acid and jams with Can". This is pretty darn accurate. But if I were asked to write the blurb I would have said, "Univers Zero drops Sun Ra and meets the Residents in a dark dangerous alley". Are you following me? Näskören's "Amputation Piece" includes Parts I & II of the title track totaling about 30 minutes, plus a six minute version of Gaga Blung's "Documenta 72". The first minutes of "Amputation Piece- Part I" consists of a single pulsating, and very mechanical, synth line. Percussion and guitar soon join in, and the whole thing sounds very much like a musical machine shop. I began to imagine an avant garde soundtrack to Metropolis. Next a dark fuzzed Roger Trigaux sounding electric guitar plays a slow dark melody line. The atmosphere created by this guitar line against the coldly mechanical rhythm section (if we can call it that) is difficult to describe, but the effect is jarring. I've already mentioned UZ and Trigaux and as the music develops I really am reminded of a darker and more industrial version of UZ or Present. Part II is very much a continuation of Part I. It begins with an terribly annoying nails on the blackboard sound that is quickly replaced by a repetitive synth pattern, once again joined by an electric guitar which, though similar in sound to Part I, is a bit more thrashing and aggressive. Both parts do a good job building the intensity level slowly but peaking early and maintaining a grueling level throughout the remainder of the piece. The Näskören and Gaga Blung versions of "Documenta 72" differ little other than the Gaga Blung version being an extended length 15 minutes. This of course allows it more time to develop, though the development is slow and very subtle. But overall this is more atmospheric and less industrial than the "Amputation Piece" works, and perhaps a bit more on the minimalist side. Definitely a good candidate for a horror movie soundtrack. Eerie stuff using organ to good effect, though I think the band makes their statement better in the shorter version. "Tummen Tittar Pa Natten", the second track on the "Documenta 72" CD is a short avant garde chamber music piece featuring percussion in the form of various blocks cracking together, dissonant guitar strings, and a whirring wall of background sound. While the previous two discs are heavy on electric guitar and keys, "Raga Blung" is, as Daniel Elander explains, "all acoustic and dominated by diverse, more or less mutated string instruments like zithers and customized guitars." Raga Blung is without question the most off the beaten path and experimental of the these three releases. Yet it's also, in it's own dissonant way, the most upbeat and melodic of the three. Most of the disc is an exploration of the possibilities derived from plucking and strumming freely and lazily on stringed instruments. Dissonant avant blues? "Raga Blung - Part I" introduces us to Gaga Blung's experiments with stringed instruments and includes some intermittent howl in the wind' chanting. "Asly Flound" offers more of the same but is more interesting having added more layers of instrumentation. Intentional or not, there's an element of playfulness here that came as a surprise after the intensity of the the other two discs. "Raga Blung - Part II" is still more of the same, but with more of a focus on percussion in the form of blocks, tapping, and various other tangibles that you hit. Much more of a group feel than the the first two tracks, Part II definitely had the most happening and succeeded most at keeping my attention. Highly recommended to fans of creatively conceived improvisational mayhem. I found the dark electric music to be the exciting stuff, but at the same time I'm really pleased to have experienced different sides of the band."-- Jerry Kranitz, Aural Innovations

Location Helsingborg, Skåne - Sweden

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