Fastingen - 92

Daniel Ogren is one of the key artists in Sweden's contemporary, underground music scene. He has already accrued quite the back catalogue, both as a member of the sensational quartet Dina Ogon and also as a solo artist with eight albums already under his belt.

'Fastingen-92' was originally released as a limited-edition vinyl pressing in 2020 on the independent label Sing A Song Fighter Records (the same label that first introduced us to Dina Ogon's music). The album came to Mr Bongo's attention after hearing Daniel's solo band performing live at the Stockholm Jazz Club, Fasching. The band featured Love Orsan and Christopher Cantillo of Dina Ogon fame (who also records with the incredible Sven Wunder), and their sensational genre-busting set blew them away. It convinced us that this now out-of-print album needed to reach a wider audience.

'Fastingen-92' doesn't sit in one genre, it draws from Daniel's love of South American folk music, soul, Nordic folk music, and film soundtracks, resulting in something unique, dreamlike, and transformational. It features "Idag" an epic, beautiful, cinematic song that introduces the ethereal vocalist Anna. "Idag" has gained a cult following, and Daniel has stated that it was the spark that started the Dina Ogon project.

Tracks like "Annalena" and "Kristinehamn by Night (for Christopher)" sound like a new club sound that hasn't yet been invented (which Nicola Cruz would spin in his DJ sets), mysterious, hypnotic, and engaging. Other songs like "Maj (for Tintin)" and "Picasso" venture into blissed-out Scando-Balearic realms. Daniel's love of nature and the inspiration he draws from the geographic environment of the Swedish countryside can be felt in these tracks, they take you to other places and times and are simultaneously familiar, ancient, and alien.

Alongside the collaborations with Anna and Christopher, the album features Josefin Runsteen playing the drums on "Idag" and Swedish musicians Edvin Nahlin and Ulrik Ordin. The majority of the album was played, recorded, and mixed by Daniel. For the Mr Bongo edition, they have added the Bonus track "Angel" which was previously only available digitally. "Fastingen - 92" is a truly remarkable record that gets into your soul, so please delve in!