Will Long

(This article’s English version was produced with AI-assisted translation)

Will Long's name might sound unfamiliar to deep-house enthusiasts, but in the ambient scene, he’s a cult figure, best known for his monumental project Celer, through which he has released over two hundred albums and countless EPs, ranging from nostalgic tape recordings to loops of memories dissolved in time. His soundscaping experience isn’t just about sheer productivity, but also about truly hidden gems, such as Discourses Of The Withered and especially Engaged Touches, a work that, without exaggeration, can be counted among the most precious ambient/drone revelations of the 2000s. That ethereal and reductive approach translates effortlessly into his recent club-facing persona, characterized by bare-bones structures, fragile harmonies, and expanded sound architectures, to the point of seeming immobile. His music doesn’t seem designed for the dancefloor but more for a muffled, smoky solitude, an existential reflection rather than ecstatic communion with fellow dancers.

Long Trax 4 doesn’t stray from the formula of the previous chapters, always walking the fine line between sounding monotonous and transforming into a hypnotic spell, a sensation heightened by the constant alchemy with DJ Sprinkles, who looms both as a stylistic influence and as a remixer on past works (see Long Trax from 2016). The result, floating and introspective, echoes past happiness, perhaps irretrievable; a music you inhabit, to which you become attached after just the second listen ("The Right Choice").

Entirely crafted using hardware machines, the album immediately reveals its shy, static nature—a background sound that doesn’t demand primary attention, almost a translation of ambient principles into 4/4 rhythms. At times, the effect is hypnotic and enveloping; at other times, it might feel overly extended.

Between these two poles, the full-length seems to lean (only slightly) towards the latter, though it scatters deep chords and atmospheric melancholies. Perfect for velvet-toned DJ sets where the mixing dissolves into time, it’s less impactful in a home listening environment. That said, it doesn’t undermine the emotional delicacy that pervades the four long tracks, particularly Fingers Of Fire, where a cool jazz-inspired drum machine intertwines with soft pads, dreamlike textures, and fragments of faded memories. It’s here that the album finds its essence: warm and enveloping, light and impalpable, so dense with emotion that its contradictions become almost irrelevant.

12/02/2025