2006年末に設立された東京のレコード・レーベル。
the nation’s premier label for hushed music – Pitchfork
Flau releases are sonically quite diverse, from acoustic folk to dream pop and complex drum experiments. And though eclectic, never before has a label’s oeuvre come together to so closely sound the way a cherry blossom looks – The FADER
one of the biggest names in the world of really small sounds…the perfect soundtrack to a Sunday evening – Timeout Tokyo
consistently impressive – XLR8R
Flau has associated itself with a signature sound…association with Flau suggests a superior level of pop craftsmanship…What’s remarkable about Fukuzono’s project, which launched at the end of 2006, is that he’s achieved quality control without uniformity – exclaim!
Flau has shown that sometimes silence beats flashiness – METROPOLIS Magazine
flau seem to have a magic touch; everything they put out..has a celestial, positively glowing aura about it that has us longing for more..sonically the label is incredibly diverse, but what its releases share in common are a playful curiosity, an unmatchable quality and a genre-bending commitment to evoking time and space within their sounds – DUMMY
Flau label casts its net across a worldwide community of artists with a particular affection for fragile arrangements and microscopic songwriting…A reliable resource for all the finest, quirkiest exploratory electronic pop music – Boomkat
it combines genuine emotion with a sense of playfulness – Fluid Radio
everyone’s favourite Japanese label and, of course, we make no exception – Going Solo
constantly surprising, consistently stunning – Dummy
un monde de l’infiniment fragile et doux – Ondefixe
one of our favourite labels – Textura
Flau are one of those unassuming labels, which since 2007 have been quietly making their way in the world releasing a diverse range of high quality albums…their roster of international artists blend field recordings, acoustic instruments, microsounds, and voice, in a sound that has become truly synonymous with the label – Furthernoise
worth finding – Foxy Digitalis
grow, pushing boundaries and releasing gems – Drifting, Almost Falling
An inner experience and pure fascination to little things concept and microscopic sounds. FLAU is the latest Label Of The Moment – Otsechka
the Tokyo label’s dreamy and cinematic aesthetic seems tailor-made for two favourite hobbies: idleness and letting the imagination run wild – Solar Flares
This label collects very particular artists from all over the world all under one roof that eclectically holds them together. Each artist is so unique, that you would like to read a whole book about them – PonyDanceClyde
2008-09 London, Cafe OTO
2009-09 Melbourne, Toff In Town
2010-08 Berlin, Altes Finanzamt
2012-05 Malaysia, Black Box Map
2012-05 Macau, LMA
2012-05 China Tour Beijing-Shanghai-Hangzhou
2012-06 Tokyo, Fujimigaoka Church & VACANT
2012-06 Kyoto, Metro
2013-04 London, Cafe OTO
2013-04 Berlin, Antje Øklesund
2013-12 Tokyo, VACANT
2016-03 Tokyo, VACANT
SEE FULL LIST
©FLAU
Noahの新作「Noire」は、ファーストアルバム「Sivutie」から最新EP「Étoile」以前の５年にわたって制作されていた楽曲をまとめたコンピレーション。彼女の最もパーソナルな楽曲のアーカイブと、アーティスト自身を形成する手助けとなった創作過程を掘り下げた作品集です。
この未発表の９曲は、童話の中のロマンチックな夜の情景をイメージしながら、少しずつ練り上げられていきました。セルフ・サンプリングされたピアノ・ループ、効果的に散りばめられたフルートやサックス、慎重に検討されたビート。深夜のジャズとポーティスヘッドのカクテルとも言えるミニマルなトラックには、「The things I’ve left behind」（Shadow）という情熱的なフレーズから、オープニングの Twirling における催眠的な遠景まで、柔らかで囁くようなNoahの歌声と、神秘的なサウンドスケープが夜の間の自由な感覚とともに織り込まれています。
Nights can be ordinary, quiet. Most nights are. But, for some, nights also provide much needed alone time, space to relax and escape from the world. They can become the backdrop to grand stories made in one’s mind, imagined romances and introspective wanderings that make the time after dark the most magical.
It’s this sense of nocturnal freedom that weaves its way through Noah’s latest release, Noire. Noah’s work is characterised by her soft vocals and intricate, fantastic-exotic soundscapes. With Noire we’re invited to dig through the archives of some of her most personal tracks yet, and a process of creation that helped shape the artist herself.
This never-before-heard work from Noah is the sound of an artist finding themselves, a maturation. The minimalist tracks—a cocktail of late-night jazz meets Portishead—feature gorgeous space for Noah’s crooning vocals to breathe among sprinklings of sampled piano, flute and saxophone. From the emotive line, “The things I’ve left behind…” on ‘Shadow’, to the sleepy, far-off sounds of opener ‘Twirling’, the album showcases a lightness and a sensitivity to self: the joy of night twinned with the inevitable introspection that comes with staying up while the world sleeps.
Noah began work on Noire following the successful release of her debut album, Sivutie, toiling away on these nine tracks between 2015 and 2020—work from the past that has gone on to inform her current style, notably her 2021 Étoile EP. Though resonating more with her past self than her present, it’s only now that, fittingly, Noah has been able to put this night-born piece of art to bed.
1. twirling
2. odette
3. lamp 4. back5. shadow
6. gemini ― mysterious lot 7. cheshire 8. voice9. summer ends
…oozes languorous modern soul and R&B, like Solange drifting over the Boards of Canada…Remaining something of an enigma Noah appears and then floats away, leaving a lingering presence with music created in a dream. Noire is another great, captivating showcase for that talent. – Monolith Cocktail
Minimal beatscapes via FLAU, that swirl with chopped & looped instrumentation providing a sonic current on which Noah’s dreamy, ASMR-like, whispered & softly sung voice drifts unhurriedly downstream to lend an empathetic ear during your quieter, more introspective moments – The Slow Music Movement
She’s mostly a master of space, whether crafting alternate worlds to float through or gliding into fading memories….The change now, is her voice is stronger than before, both in how she deploys, layers and shines with it. It adds a needed human heart to Noire, and makes it a nocturnal companion for the sleepless – Make Believe Melodies
Everything about Noire is gentle; so gentle, in fact, that one might be required to study beyond its surface-level pleasantry in order to properly take heed of all its subtleties. – The Glow
It’s the perfect quiet storm of experimental that is eeriely calm and comforting – Abduction Radiation
celestial sound and spiritual, introspective, and solitary – ADSR Collective
magnetic, understated drama…riveting, zero-gravity – Autumn Roses
Noah’s adding grace to an otherwise nervy dive – Otaquest
intricate, avant-garde soundscapes – Avo Magazine
1. twirling
2. odette
3. lamp 4. back5. shadow
6. gemini ― mysterious lot 7. cheshire 8. voice9. summer ends
Noahの新作「Noire」は、ファーストアルバム「Sivutie」から最新EP「Étoile」以前の５年にわたって制作されていた楽曲をまとめたコンピレーション。彼女の最もパーソナルな楽曲のアーカイブと、アーティスト自身を形成する手助けとなった創作過程を掘り下げた作品集です。
この未発表の９曲は、童話の中のロマンチックな夜の情景をイメージしながら、少しずつ練り上げられていきました。セルフ・サンプリングされたピアノ・ループ、効果的に散りばめられたフルートやサックス、慎重に検討されたビート。深夜のジャズとポーティスヘッドのカクテルとも言えるミニマルなトラックには、「The things I’ve left behind」（Shadow）という情熱的なフレーズから、オープニングの Twirling における催眠的な遠景まで、柔らかで囁くようなNoahの歌声と、神秘的なサウンドスケープが夜の間の自由な感覚とともに織り込まれています。
Nights can be ordinary, quiet. Most nights are. But, for some, nights also provide much needed alone time, space to relax and escape from the world. They can become the backdrop to grand stories made in one’s mind, imagined romances and introspective wanderings that make the time after dark the most magical.
It’s this sense of nocturnal freedom that weaves its way through Noah’s latest release, Noire. Noah’s work is characterised by her soft vocals and intricate, fantastic-exotic soundscapes. With Noire we’re invited to dig through the archives of some of her most personal tracks yet, and a process of creation that helped shape the artist herself.
This never-before-heard work from Noah is the sound of an artist finding themselves, a maturation. The minimalist tracks—a cocktail of late-night jazz meets Portishead—feature gorgeous space for Noah’s crooning vocals to breathe among sprinklings of sampled piano, flute and saxophone. From the emotive line, “The things I’ve left behind…” on ‘Shadow’, to the sleepy, far-off sounds of opener ‘Twirling’, the album showcases a lightness and a sensitivity to self: the joy of night twinned with the inevitable introspection that comes with staying up while the world sleeps.
Noah began work on Noire following the successful release of her debut album, Sivutie, toiling away on these nine tracks between 2015 and 2020—work from the past that has gone on to inform her current style, notably her 2021 Étoile EP. Though resonating more with her past self than her present, it’s only now that, fittingly, Noah has been able to put this night-born piece of art to bed.
