Beequeen etc.

[bogskaggmannen]

Continuing the organic ambient-tendencies from my part...

I have never heard BEEQUEEN - please enlighten me! Or are you too busy squirting off on your sexnoise collection?

This Beequeen-description made me interested:

"Beequeen's 1993 debut full album, Der Holzweg, is about minimal droning ambient with some minor industrial and electro-acoustic influences. The whole album sounds very honest and of course pretty darkened. It is too bad that there are actually 11 rather short separate tracks on the album, as those creations usually demand more time to be fully appreciated. Nevertheless very recommendable if you like minimal ambient."

Or for that matter - other recommended ambient groups in the organic, minimal, darker vein. Please, no computer made CMI dork ambient.

Tommy - I already made an order for that NARWAL album, thanks for the tip!

[Zeno Marx]

I can't be of much help, but most of what I've heard has been good.  They're, at least, consistently interesting.  Check out their blog.  It could keep you busy for a long time.
http://www.beequeenarchives.blogspot.com/

[manuel-ronf]

You also might like to check WANDER as a side project of BEEQUEEN members,
I released about 6 months ago a Wander Mini-CDr, you can check it here:
http://ronfrecords.com/menu/rnf/rnf038.php

[bitewerksMTB]

Without looking it up or pulling out the record, I have a split 7" w/NWW that I think has BEEQUEEN on the other side. It's the only NWW rel. I have other than 150 M.Passions boot. 7" is pretty harsh from what I recall. Simple black sleeve w/OBI-type strip.

[bogskaggmannen]

As I thought - not too many Beequeen-lovers here...

However, I found the "Der Holzweg" LP for pretty cheap recently so i'll send my comments on that one here later on.

[Steve]

Errr, I really like Beequeen - what I have is essential. I've got a 3"CD that lists all the tors on Dartmoor, got it from These Records years back. I have a 7"Flexi too. "Nouen". Just because I didn't join in the discussion doesn't mean I don't love 'em! 

[FreakAnimalFinland]

Beequeen "gund" CD, ok'ish. I like many of the sounds, but tracks don't seem to flow that well all the time. Kind of start.. goes on, then stops. Few of them work well due nice sounds, but also some terrible track of "glitch" type of nonsense noise sounds. From 1998.
"Time Waits for No one" CD much better. This is recorded in 92-93 and originally Staalplaat 1994. Re-issued, remastered in 2007. Herbal International label. Flow of tracks is much better. They have more variation, more things going on, great sounds as well. File under experimental ambient perhaps? There are couple of tracks, which gave me nearly spooky flashbacks. "Ruper writes a rainbow" at first sounded to me almost like nicole 12 "holiday". Synth sounds almost identical at times, and it was kind of "what the fu...?" moment, where for few seconds strange thought of that track being drenched in reverb comes to my mind. Although utmost foolish, since this was obviously created decade before.. hah.

Saw these two on some discount list and grabbed immediately due being reminded this topic.

[post-morten]

As I thought - not too many Beequeen-lovers here...

Well, I certainly am, and collected a bunch of their releases over the years. 

Sorry if anyone objects to digging up yet another old thread, but I've been browsing the archives over the last couple of days and found plenty of interesting topics that died prematurely. As for Beequeen, I find their soft, organic approach to droning up there with alumnis such as :zoviet*france: or Mirror. Almost all of their early albums (that I've heard at least) are consistently sublime, and it's hard to recommend any of for example Der Holzweg, Gund, Treatise, or Sugarbush over another. On surface it may all sound pretty much the same, but careful listening reveals so much more going on in the distant; plucking of strings, muffled percussion, treated concrete sounds, etc.

If I had to pick one favorite, it'd probably be the Aughton - The Patient Books LP on Beta-Lactam Ring. Still similar stylewise, it has a darker, more ominous vibe that very much appeals to me. The elaborately packaged Natursymfonie LP on the same label proved to be a disappointment though - a prime example of form over content. I find myself returning to the Do Be Do 2xLP box a lot too, which collects a a number of inspiring live outtakes. Speaking of which, as somebody already mentioned, all their concerts are available for download at their website, including the one at Stockholm/Fylkingen five years ago.

Finally a word of warning, seeing as they abandonned their previous style/sound in favour of a more "dreamy pop" direction some years ago. Albums like Ownliness, The Bodyshop, and Sandancing  can be safely avoided. It's not totally awful, but tons of band do this better. Frans&Freek took their drone concept to Wander instead, but what I've heard of them so far (granted, only the SmallVoices CD) wasn't as convincing. 

[ironfistofthesun]

Its the guy from Korm plastics recs...he also did a few things as Goem..(micro-tonal rhythms) wich was up more my street. Also picked up a 12" called SHIFTS on Entr'acte recs which i can give a thumbs up too if you like your drone music that starts nowhere and goes nowhere...also got a beequeen pizza box 12" hand painted with dried leaves in as inserts on beta lactam ring...nice but a bit over the top!

[post-morten]

Or for that matter - other recommended ambient groups in the organic, minimal, darker vein.

...which reminds me... I recall you said you were going to check out Tesendalo. Did you ever come around to do that? I believe they are pretty much what you ask for... I'd say they play in the same ballpark as Contrastate - minus the political undertones - but have a bit more of Tangerine Dream's pedigree in their dna.

There's a shitload of tapes and CDR's that I haven't heard, but I have collected all the vinyl albums and singles. Just had a session where I gave them a spin, and it's indeed great stuff apart from that horrible last LP, with the moronic title Muuh!. Basically you can't go wrong, though my favorites are the first album (refered to as Suite de Sons on discogs - unfortunately ltd to a mere 100 copies) and Wendezeit.

[FreakAnimalFinland]

I see its been about 10 years since last had this in CD player!

Material from 1992-1993, originally Staalplaat cd in 1994, remastered and reissued in 2007. Really good stuff. I am no way expert in discography of Beequeen, but this "time waits for no one" CD could be the best I have?
Good sounds, good amount of experimentation as well as ethereal atmospheric drones.
I am often not that big fan of all sorts of current digital processing, nor too hi-tech gear. Granular synthesis or obsessive modular stuff. Often in such things seems as if people are kind of surprised by possibilities - but then can't really do anything that interesting with those possibilities. Stuff like Beequeen here, seems like there might be relatively simple gear. Talking of early 90's, so it is likely that computers was not in very big role (if any), and barely anyone had massive walls of gear. Instead, you got fairly simple, but distinctive sounds. Effects that may be as simple as a bit echo, distortion or slow phaser applied on interesting sound. Mixed together with various elements and it has vastly different impact than "tech gimmick".

Any Beequeen suggestions?!