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Wander CD-R (ltd. 150) ZHB-XXXV 1. Wander [mp3] total length: 42:19 release date: December 14, 2012 price: €7 * bandcamp.com * beequeen.nl/wander.html

Wander is a duo from the Dutch town of Nijmegen consisting of Frans de Waard and Freek Kinkelaar, also known under the name Beequeen. Beequeen have been recording music since 1989 but in 2000 they decided to redirect this project to more accessible "almost-pop-music" and started Wander to unburden themselves in creating abstract soundscapes.

This recording was made during the Russian tour of Wander / Beequeen in October 2011 in the Moscow art cafe "Ex:Libris". Their performance was not improvised - within 42 minutes the listener can find several specific compositions bound together by more abstract interludes. Freek plays guitar and uses expedient means for creating noises while Frans takes care of electronics and field recordings. Like in a good movie their music reflects a full range of human emotions: from light-hearted sketches with serene guitar passages to disturbing dark ambient scenes and, of course, trademark minimal drones with careful textures and easy noises.

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Reviews

It starts with a squeaky door, this particular sound is the introduction of the concert which Wander played on 15 October 2011 in Ex Libris in Moscow. The CDR has been issued in a limited edition by the Russian label Zhelezobeton. The label releases noise, industrial, experimental and other non conventional music. Wander consists of Frans de Waard and Freek Kinkelaar and play together since 1989 under the name Beequeen. Wander is more into abstract soundscapes. The duo takes the listener into a carefully selected mix of field recordings, electronic sounds and guitar parts. Abstraction and pop structures alternate, meet, and merge with each other. The music is both nimble as meditative, minimal and comprehensive, minimal or constructed or intense layers. The cover is a picture of a famous chocolate brand in Russia. This chocolate also consists of several layers and fits in well with the sense of this publication. The image is recognizable and nostalgic. Clear guitar parts which are easy to recognize and refer to different music styles. Associative sound which trigger memories. Overall? A wonderful concert which will stands the test of time.

Wander has been hitting the underground scene for more or less 13 years now. Set up by the famous Beequeen-duo Frans de Waard and Freek Kinkelaar, the duo can already look back on an impressive discography. This record was made during the Wander / Beequeen-tour of 2011 at ‘Ex: Libris – Moscow’.

The work features a long during single piece, which sounds like a sonic voyage throughout multiple field recordings and empowered by a true arsenal of sounds. The work is filled with tons of sound manipulations resulting in noises and carried by dark atmospheres. We suddenly hear the intrusion of an acoustic guitar play moving into a kind of improvised-like country style until resonating noise waves bring the listener back into a total sound inferno.

Conclusion: Wander are the sound architects of a distant sonic galaxy characterized by abstract music. There’s neither real entrance nor an exit, but just an endless labyrinth of experimentalism. Welcome in the virtual space of Wander!