Celer: Will Long and Danielle Baquet-Long. A husband and wife duo based in Southern California, who made some of the most moving ambient music I’ve ever heard. They were straight up there on high rotation with my other ambient heroes like: Brian Eno, Harold Budd, Steve Roach, Thomas Köner, William Basinski, to the modern standard bearers like: Fennesz, Stars of the Lid, Windy & Carl, Grouper etc etc. This was an album I just recently got, and it’s been getting its requisite flogging, especially at night when I hop in bed and don the headphones. Dream fuel. This is ambient at its most minimal. They fused field recordings from the isle of Capri and distilled them with their signature nurturing drones throughout 29 songs that hover around you, invisibly cataloguing the tender harmonics of inner and outer space. Treated piano/horn/guitar statements that echo and resonate like the residual memory of times past, leaving an unseen watermark in the catacombs of the mind. The latent emotions are pinned further with evocative titles like: “An Erne of a Sigh”, “When Ice Makes You Weep” and “I’ve Got My Love to Keep Me Warm”. These guys were incredibly prolific, with over 30 releases in five or so years. The obvious dedication to their art was truly remarkable. Danielle even found time to release more music under the name Chubby Wolf. These were artists who made you feel like you should be doing more with your life. Like living it. Eating it up and getting creative. They’ve set an enviable benchmark for other DIY music makers. And hopefully over time more people will come in contact with their music and enjoy the legacy. Now, you may wonder about my use of past tense. And it’s because on July 8th 2009, Danielle Baquet-Long died from heart failure at the age of 26. It’s always incredibly sad to hear of the passing of such a young and talented artist. Do yourself a favour and seek out the music of Celer. And be thankful. Coz there’s more than ten lifetimes worth of material waiting for you.

~ DECOY SPOON
2009/09/06

Celer Official
www.celer.jp | Spotify | Bandcamp