Posts from the Celer Category

Talk about limited editions.  Only ten copies of Bliksem (the Dutch word for lightning) were made, and they were distributed on Celer‘s recent tour with Machinefabriek.  If I’d been in the Netherlands at the time, I’d have wanted one; it’s a great event-appropriate souvenir, recorded at midnight on the eve of Will Long’s flight.  As such, it reflects longing, excitement, hope, and a hint of the unknown: the quiet questions inspired by international travel.  Will the tour go well?  Will I make friends?  Will the music be effective?

Long is now home, and thankfully his experience was a positive one.  I’d be curious to hear a Bliksem II, a counterpart that incorporated the emotions of his time abroad.  The piece is perfectly set up for a sequel, as it bursts into life in the final five minutes.  Until then, it’s meditative, soothing, and benign, a series of electronic loops reminiscent of the ocean waters as viewed from the safety of a plane.  But in its closing sixth, Bliksem is visited by static bursts and a busyness we last heard on Celer’s 7″ collaboration with Machinefabriek – confirmation that the lines between artists were blurred on that release.  In these moments, Bliksem becomes more lightning than cloud.  These increasing hints of a new direction are encouraging.  It’s as if Long is beginning to emerge from extended sadness to tentative aggression; as if the cloud is trying to keep the lightning in check, but failing.  At the end, the static rises sharply, shoots over to the left speaker, then dissipates: easily one of the most effective Celer moments to date.

The shift in conversation from pattern and texture to moment and sound is a welcome development; we look forward to hearing more Celer music in this vein.

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Live performances recorded in The Hague, Brussels,
Maastricht, Deventer, Utrecht, Leiden and Drachten, March 2012.In March 2012, we had a tour of the Netherlands and Belgium together with Kleefstra|Bakker|Kleefstra. Seven gigs in total, which were all improvised. It was the first time we played together, and we didn’t rehearse. It might not have been brilliant all the time, but there was definitely some kind of magic going on sometimes. Not knowing what the other would do, these concerts were as exciting for us as (hopefully) for the audience. Trying to do something different each time, things got weirder and weirder with each performance, up to a point where it became really hard to keep a straight face while performing. It was simply a whole lot of fun, and an experience that seems worth sharing. It made the most sense to share it in the purest way, with all concerts in unedited form, from the first one to the last. These recordings, along with a postcard set with Will’s photos, form the set ‘Greetings from Celer & Machinefabriek’, which is available for 5 euros.
released 06 June 2012
All music by Will Long and Rutger Zuydervelt

Available here: http://machinefabriek.bandcamp.com/album/greetings-from-celer-machinefabriek

Tarde o temprano tenía que llegar el momento en que deberíamos prestarle más atención a esa entidad llamada Celer, a pesar de que hace más de un tiempo ya que los venía oyendo, pero pasa que entre tantos sonidos uno termina por perderse y confundirse. Celer, como muchos de seguro sabrán, es el dúo formado por la pareja de Daniel Banquet–Long y Will Long, marido y mujer que dieron vida a, como dije, un ente que desde el amor marital crearon obras de profunda belleza, la pareja se formó en 2005. en marzo de 2007 contrajeron matrimonio, el que se prolongaría por solo dos años. Maldito el destino: el 8 de julio de 2009 Daniel dejaría este mundo debido a una insuficiencia cardíaca. El proyecto legaba a su fin, pero Will seguiría editando material de ambos, anterior a su muerte, con los restos con vida que en vida dejaron sin concluir. De eso nacen estas dos nuevas referencias, de entre las más de ochenta que existen. Y tenía que ser gracias a su colaboración con el holandés Machinefabriek para que hoy le pongamos atención, al menos con palabras.

Ahora, recién en marzo de este año, Celer y Machinefabriek se embarcarían en una gira por Holanda y Bélgica, y para anticipar y celebrar ese acontecimiento es que publicarían, a través de la marca de Rutger, un single compartido, 7” en forma de split. Ambos se conocieron en Tokio en 2010, el 2011 comenzaron una colaboración mediante envío de pistas. A finales de 2011 dos traces estaban terminados, a partir de horas de material. Un lado para cada uno, partiendo por el inquieto Zuydervelt: “Maastunnel” –túnel que conecta las orillas del río Mosa Nieuwe de Rótterdam– corre a cargo del holandés escurridizo, oleajes marinos entre una tundra de quietudes reposadas en la arena. Son muchas las mascaras que usa este arista del sonido, esta es de esas más tranquilas, que entre ruidos acuáticos, voces humanas y electrónica subjetiva esconde más de un track en sus cortos cuatro minutos. Es como una especie de marea que fluye por bajo el suelo, una vertiente por galerías de piedra, una suerte de resumen de su inabarcable obra. “Mr. Mitake” –una montaña en Tokio– es el lado correspondiente a Will Long, que también comienza bastante relajado, pero que conforme avanza se va tornando más agresivo, dentro de sus límites, claro está. Algo así como nadar en l océano, entrar a un buque, caminar por su superficie expuesta al viento para luego adentrarse en sus motores, en el vientre de la maquinaria. Una maravilla de distancias cortas, normalmente las mejores, envuelta en un artwork que como es costumbre en Machinefabriek, es de lujo: un dibujo encontrado por Will en una tienda en Jimbocho, Tokio, famosa por sus librerías de segunda mano y luego diseñada por Rutger.

De regreso al circulo inicial, y volvemos a Will Long, el revelador de la herencia de su familia. “Tightrope”, una pieza de setenta minutos sin respiro, más que el aliento vital de esta masa de ambient descendente, creado en 2010. “Ese noviembre ese visité Tokio en una gira con Yui Onodera para promocionar nuestro álbum. El último sábado de la gira, tomé parte en una colaboración en una actuación en un templo en Tokio con Opitope y Corey Fuller, donde toqué algunas de las piezas utilizadas acá. Cuando volví a mi casa fue terminada en un corto tiempo. Un mes después, el 31 de diciembre de 2010, me mudé a Tokio”. Otra vez el Japón como escenario para aislarse del mundo y adentrarse en las profundidades del sonido espeso. “Piano, la televisión, los sintetizadores, crepitar del fuego en la chimenea, silbando, órgano de tubos, el hielo de comer, guitarra acústica, un ordenador portátil, una conversación de la tarde, un timbre de la medicina por goteo, ruido de los coches, mi tono de llamada, micrófono de contacto y muchos otros que no recuerdo . En ese momento, nunca se me ocurrió hacer un seguimiento de estas cosas. Al final, todos ellos están”.  Elementos disímiles que se unen de forma mágica y misteriosa, indistinguibles por separado, pero unidos genera una sensación de espacios arcaicos. Dimensiones volubles entrelazadas con un orden preciso y perfecto. Ese tejido viene que estas son veinticuatro pistas separadas, armas capa sobre capa, “al final, todos ellos están recogidos, los recuerdos no deseados”. La cuerda floja pende de una suma de objetos recopilados en los recuerdos de una vida a la deriva. El recuerdo de Daniele permanece vivo, la música permanece en familia. El disco está dedicado a su padre, pero la memoria también sigue en ella. La música, intensa, honda, bella, abrigada por mantos de ambient estelar, un continuo que varía a cada momento pero permanece invariable, no es más que la excusa para recordarla. Sus restos flotan en el aire, y la tristeza, al igual que la belleza, se mantiene y se resiste a abandonar. He miss you, we miss you.

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Bliksem was created specifically as a special tour CDR for the March tour of the Netherlands and Belgium with Machinefabriek, in a limited edition of 10 copies. The title ‘Bliksem’ is the Dutch word for ‘lightning’. It was chosen because the piece was made by loop and electronics improvisation the night before flying to the Netherlands. The paint wasn’t even completely dry on the CDRs when I arrived.

Recorded March 13, around midnight.

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Материал «Levitation And Breaking Points», посвященный всему неназванному и непознанному, впервые был издан в 2009 году в виде приватного релиза силами самих музыкантов «Celer», и представлял собой три мини CD-r`a (по одному треку на каждом), упакованных в специальный конверт с ручным оформлением. Лейбл «and/OAR» спустя несколько лет упростил эту идею и сделал ее более доступной, издав все треки на одном диске приличным по нынешним временам тиражом. Слушая эту музыку, понимаешь, что так даже логичнее и правильнее – не нужно выплывать из этого странного дурманящего тепла, из кокона монотонных, тихих звуков, приятно резонирующих где-то внутри тела, не нужно пробуждаться каждый раз, когда нужно поменять диски в проигрывателе.

Закономерно, что в этих трех продолжительных вещах заключено все то, что было характерно для творчества американского дуэта конца нулевых. Нет, не заключено, наоборот, выпущено на волю. Свободно парящие вокруг звуки, долгие, вытянутые, доведенные до того выхолощенного состояния, которое уже не позволяет опознать, чем же они были первоначально – несколькими нотами, сыгранными на скрипке или отзвуком пары нажатых клавиш органа, образуют бесконечные, то затухающие в полной тишине, то вновь вспыхивающие тусклыми огнями звуковые потоки. Их звучание, а, точнее, тот эффект, который замечаешь через пару минут, когда эта музыка проникает в мозг, разгоняя все мысли и начинает аккуратно перестраивать заряды миллиардов нейронов, заставляет вспомнить о том, что участники «Celer» когда-то активно интересовались звуковой терапией, возможностью исцеления с помощью подобных, заточенных под данный результат, композиций. Для достижения наилучшего результата вам нужно обеспечить полную тишину и покой, дождаться сумерек и следить за тем, как по стенам медленно сползают в тень последние солнечные лучи, следуя за неспешным и аккуратным движением образующих «Levitation And Breaking Points» звуков. Время и физические процессы замедляются, границы реальности немного сдвигаются в сторону сна и кажется, что в этом состоянии возможно все: левитация, преодоление преград, познание непознанного и многое другое.

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Breathtaking is the thought that enters the mind when this beautiful EP fades out after nine heavenly minutes, leaving a prominent silence. Beautifully open and warm ambience surrounds Maastunnel/Mt. Mitake. Nine minutes might seem but a photographic flash, but there’s more substance and ambient activity in its span that many struggle to attain over a longer period. Celer (Will Long), and Machinefabriek (Rutger Zuydervelt) celebrate their Spring European tour with the birth of this debut release, and it acts as a perfect taste for what they are capable of creating; the music is effortlessly warm and fluid, awash in ambience. For this record, audio was taken from multiple sources and sent across Tokyo and Rotterdam over Ethernet airspace. Rotterdam’s industrial setting of the opener, and the peaceful Japanese mountains of the closer, beautifully contrast one another; they revel in the appreciable differences of East and West while mirroring both artists’ worlds. On opener “Maastunnel,” fluid ripples of water act as traffic, trickling into the ears on serene, yet active, waves. Coupled with a feathery drone, it puts the ghostly, transitory nature of human construction into focus, the only audible presence being a high pitched squeak recorded from the tunnel’s wooden escalators. Acting as the rush hour, the aquatic feel is reminiscent of William Basinski’s Vivian & Ondine, and the transparent, oceanic tranquility of Dolphins Into The Future. “Mt. Mitake” closes by diving into the inspiring vistas of the Japanese peaks, through a rainstorm of slowly released static, representing the mountainous cycle of life. Eventually, lower drones enter and cast an ominous mood, showing they are just as capable of turning the atmosphere a shade darker if they so wish. Deeply inviting, the music feels reassuring and exploratory, similar to the meditative mantra of Ambient Temple of Imagination. We’re left with something to cherish, and a realization that beauty is often found in fleeting moments; impressive lengths aren’t required to leave emotional imprints. In our world, music such as this is a refreshing pause for breath when one is all too frequently needed.

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Instead of posting this review, I’ve decided to instead post my favorite quotes from it, which I find far more interesting. Please enjoy!

“Perhaps I am misinformed or (dazed &) confused”

“I think its funny”

“a bit too digital”

“I am not sure”

“Throughout a fine piece, one that won’t disappoint”

Un disque, un poème. Il n’en faut parfois pas davantage pour semer le trouble et captiver bien au-delà de la simple musique. Ainsi Evaporate & Wonder, nouvel album du couple immortel formé par Danielle Marie Baquet et William Thomas Long, interpelle-t-il mille fois plus que la cohorte de nouveautés labellisées ambient. Déjà le titre du disque, belle manière d’envisager le corps, l’esprit et sa petite musique. Ensuite le son, d’une beauté folle, aux confins de l’immobilisme et de la disparition. En témoignent ces deux magnifiques pièces drapées de calme, de souffle et d’éternel. De fait, on y reviendra souvent, comme s’il s’agissait d’une source de vie. Certes, il y a toujours eu chez Celer quelque chose que les autres n’avaient pas – une sensibilité, une force et une poésie qui tranchent avec l’ordinaire glacé de ce type d’entreprise. Depuis la tragique disparition de Danielle Marie Baquet, Celer est cependant plus encore qu’un projet singulier et passionnant. A l’image du travail de Richard Skelton, il s’agit désormais de vivre avec et sans, d’entretenir le souvenir de l’être cher et de prolonger la vie comme on peut – avec des mots, de la musique et beaucoup d’émotion retenue qui rappellent ici plus qu’ailleurs toute la grandeur de l’existence.

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Four seconds of static start ‘Evaporate and Wonder’, another release from the secretive ambient project Celer, comprised of the late Danielle Marie-Baquet and William Thomas Long, before the slow-motion descent begins. Recorded in California in 2009, and released on March 13th, ‘Evaporate and Wonder’ is comprised of two sidelong compositions, and whilst these can be immediately distinguished from their more obviously sparse and glacial predecessors, the overall effect still gels with the pair’s labyrinthian back catalogue, which is identified as being amongst the most well loved and respected within the genre.

Although upon hearing that the source material was limited to improvised synthesisors and field recordings one may initially begin to imagine Celer’s soundscapes to be decidedly ‘split’ down some half-way mark, both elements are in fact merged seamlessly, making listening to any individual record decidedly similar to slowly being pulled around by tides deep under the surface of the ocean. Whilst the heartbreaking backdrop to Celer’s releases post-July of 2009 does of course add a certain melancholy to their output, this isn’t to say it is in any way reliant upon this to impact upon the listener – this rather makes the recordings stronger in their emotive foundation. Long’s title to this particular section of their work, redemptive as it reads, seems to encapsulate both the artistic and emotional bond of two people more clearly than many other releases of a similar ilk.

Opening track ‘Bedded in Shallow Blades’ immediately brings to mind the Celer of yesteryear, such as static-laden ‘Emotion’, yet still shows a definite development in sound that was so tragically cut off before reaching its apex, and is only being heard now, several years on. Deep sub-bass throbs glide to and from the listener through foggy notes, played at such a volume that they solidify, yet far away enough to remain as faint echoes of what they were, and walls of malleable tones. Indeed the sounds on ‘Evaporate and Wonder’ are, somewhat counter to what the former half of the title suggests, denser than ever before, yet still not claustrophobic in any way. Celer’s compositions still manage to retain a certain distance, as if coming from everywhere at once, and so don’t overwhelm the listener as other groups’ works so often can.

Continuing on in respect to the quite obviously dual nature of the record, B-side ‘Repertoire of Dinless Shifts’, again far from what the title suggests, lifts the listener from the bottom of the ocean that ‘Bedded in Shallow Blades’ finally planted us on, but with one only realising as such as you begin to drift away. With the titles of the material being the only input that Long has had since the initial recording sessions were done, Celer releases are beginning to look, if not brighter, more accepting of the decidedly ill-hand the group, and Long, was dealt, with this release especially being a far cry from 2008’s ‘I Love You So Much I Can’t Even Title This (The Light That Never Goes Out Went Out)’.

Saying much more about ‘Evaporate and Wonder’, although infinitely possible, become irrelevant. This is because simply labeling Celer’s releases as anything from ‘Drone’ to ‘Minimalist Electronica’ to simply ‘Electronic atmospheres’, as well as trying to aptly describe them, cannot do them justice. The simultaneously ethereal yet deeply emotive creations of the late Danielle Marie-Baquet and William Thomas Long are ones that simply must be listened to, time and time again.

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