Nicolai Dunger
Encyclopedia
Nicolai Dunger is a singer and acoustic songwriter from Piteå
in Sweden
. He has released twelve EPs and albums, singing primarily in English, and collaborated notably with Will Oldham
, the Esbjörn Svensson
jazz trio and Ebbot Lundberg
. He also records under the alias A Taste of Ra. He uses his full real name of Claus Wilhelm Nicolai Dunger for composing credits but this has caused confusion with some tracks being credited to two separate "composers" Claus Wilhelm and Nicolai Dunger.
records, releasing two albums that did not sell enough copies to enable him to give up his part-time job as a gardener.
A meeting with Ebbot Lundberg
of the Swedish band The Soundtrack of Our Lives
led to two further albums, a tour with Emilíana Torrini
and the use of one of his songs in an advertisement for an oil company. This small influx of cash enabled the production of a trio of vinyl albums with the Esbjörn Svensson
jazz trio.
This steady production of somewhat experimental acoustic music attracted the attention of Americana luminaries Will Oldham
and Jonathan Donahue
, and a contract with the Dolores Recordings
branch of Virgin Records
followed. The first album on this label, Soul Rush with backing from the Esbjörn Svensson trio attracted some limited attention in 2001, but the next album, 2003's Tranquil Isolation, achieved widespread attention, especially thanks to its input from Will Oldham.
A third album, Here's My Song, You Can Have It followed in 2004. He has featured on both Nina Perssons second "A Camp" record, and on Maia Hirasawas album GBGVSSTHLM.
Nicolai's song "Dr Zhivago's Train" was recorded by Robert Palmer on his album "Drive"
Piteå
Piteå is a locality and the seat of Piteå Municipality in Norrbotten County, Sweden. The town has 22,650 inhabitants out of a municipal total of 41,000 in 2008.- Geography :...
in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. He has released twelve EPs and albums, singing primarily in English, and collaborated notably with Will Oldham
Will Oldham
Will Oldham , better known by the stage name Bonnie 'Prince' Billy, is an American singer-songwriter and actor. From 1993 to 1997, he performed and recorded under variations of the Palace name, including the Palace Brothers, Palace Songs, and Palace Music...
, the Esbjörn Svensson
Esbjörn Svensson
Esbjörn Svensson was a jazz pianist and founder of the jazz group Esbjörn Svensson Trio, commonly known as E.S.T...
jazz trio and Ebbot Lundberg
Ebbot Lundberg
Torbjörn "Ebbot" Lundberg is a Swedish musician and the lead singer of the Swedish rock band The Soundtrack of Our Lives. He co-founded the band with Björn Olsson and Ian Person in 1995....
. He also records under the alias A Taste of Ra. He uses his full real name of Claus Wilhelm Nicolai Dunger for composing credits but this has caused confusion with some tracks being credited to two separate "composers" Claus Wilhelm and Nicolai Dunger.
Biography
A former football player, Nicolai was signed by the Telegram label of WarnerWarner Music Group
Warner Music Group is the third largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry, making it one of the big four record companies...
records, releasing two albums that did not sell enough copies to enable him to give up his part-time job as a gardener.
A meeting with Ebbot Lundberg
Ebbot Lundberg
Torbjörn "Ebbot" Lundberg is a Swedish musician and the lead singer of the Swedish rock band The Soundtrack of Our Lives. He co-founded the band with Björn Olsson and Ian Person in 1995....
of the Swedish band The Soundtrack of Our Lives
The Soundtrack of Our Lives
The Soundtrack of Our Lives, alternatively known as T.S.O.O.L. or Soundtrack, is a Swedish rock band that formed in 1995 after the dissolution of the punk band Union Carbide Productions....
led to two further albums, a tour with Emilíana Torrini
Emilíana Torrini
Emilíana Torrini Davíðsdóttir is an Icelandic singer, best known for her 2009 single Jungle Drum, 1999 album Love in the Time of Science and for performing "Gollum's Song" for Peter Jackson's film The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.-Early life:Torrini grew up in Kópavogur, where, at the age of...
and the use of one of his songs in an advertisement for an oil company. This small influx of cash enabled the production of a trio of vinyl albums with the Esbjörn Svensson
Esbjörn Svensson
Esbjörn Svensson was a jazz pianist and founder of the jazz group Esbjörn Svensson Trio, commonly known as E.S.T...
jazz trio.
This steady production of somewhat experimental acoustic music attracted the attention of Americana luminaries Will Oldham
Will Oldham
Will Oldham , better known by the stage name Bonnie 'Prince' Billy, is an American singer-songwriter and actor. From 1993 to 1997, he performed and recorded under variations of the Palace name, including the Palace Brothers, Palace Songs, and Palace Music...
and Jonathan Donahue
Jonathan Donahue
Jonathan Daniel Donahue is an American rock musician. He has been an integral member of two of North America's more influential indie/experimental bands of the 1990s; The Flaming Lips and Mercury Rev....
, and a contract with the Dolores Recordings
Dolores Recordings
Dolores Recordings is a Swedish record label owned by Virgin Records, whose roster includes I'm from Barcelona, Swingfly , Caesars and some releases by The Soundtrack of Our Lives and Dungen....
branch of Virgin Records
Virgin Records
Virgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny...
followed. The first album on this label, Soul Rush with backing from the Esbjörn Svensson trio attracted some limited attention in 2001, but the next album, 2003's Tranquil Isolation, achieved widespread attention, especially thanks to its input from Will Oldham.
A third album, Here's My Song, You Can Have It followed in 2004. He has featured on both Nina Perssons second "A Camp" record, and on Maia Hirasawas album GBGVSSTHLM.
Discography
- 1996 Songs Wearing Clothes
- 1997 Eventide
- 1999 This Cloud Is Learning
- 2000 Blind Blemished Blues
- 2001 A Dress Book
- 2001 Soul Rush
- 2002 Sweat Her Kiss
- 2002 The Vinyl Trilogy
- 2003 Tranquil Isolation
- 2004 Here's My Song, You Can Have It...I Don't Want it Anymore
- 2006 Sjunger Edith Södergran
- 2007 Rösten Och Herren
- 2008 Nicollide and the Carmic Retribution
- 2009 Play
- 2010 Original Motion Picture Soundtrack - Vallmo (duo album with Jonas Kullhammar, released on vinyl only in 300 copies)
- 2011 Ballad of This Land
Trivia
Nicolai's song "Something in the Way" was featured in a Volvo commercial in the U.S. in July 2008Nicolai's song "Dr Zhivago's Train" was recorded by Robert Palmer on his album "Drive"
External links
- Official website
- Short biography
- Pitchfork MediaPitchfork MediaPitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
review of Tranquil Isolation