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
CAT No. FLAU90
Release Date: CD&DIGITAL 2020-11-20 / LP 2020-12-09
Format: LP/CD/DIGITAL
京都出身のアーティストCuusheが音楽活動への復活を高らかに宣言するニューアルバムは、これまでのドリームポップ作品の霧を脱ぎ捨て、現実の輪郭を明確に示します。冷たい朝の光が差し込む「Hold Half」から始まり、空間に歪むギター、幾重にも重なるコーラス、宇宙と交信しているかのようなアナログ・シンセサイザーというCuusheの特徴的なサウンドに成熟したオルタナティブなスピンを加え、これまで以上に生命力に満ちた音楽が生み出されました。
UKガラージを解釈したかのようなリズムと共に雨の夜の雰囲気を醸し出す「Emergence」や、ドラムンベースが炸裂する「Not to Blame」、シャッフルのような「Drip」では荒々しく叩かれるスネアとビートが、90年代のレイヴ・サウンドを彷彿とさせるかのような、エネルギッシュな新境地を開拓しています。この強力でパーカッシブな基盤を持った「WAKEN」は、自己拡張と繰り返す連帯／離散の鼓動の中で、自由へのエクササイズとなっています。かつてぼんやりとしていたCuusheの声は、今ではより強く、より大きく、よりクリアになり、光に向かって前を向いているのです。
It’s early morning. You wake up from a dream. It’s still dark. You’re full of uncertainty, but also hope. That’s the spirit that Cuushe is capturing on her new album WAKEN.
Cuushe has lived what could be described as a dreamy life, changing residences between different global cities around the world: Kyoto, Osaka,Tokyo, London and Berlin. But after the traumatic experience of harassment the dream seemed to have ended. She became keenly aware of feeling powerless.
But, rediscovering herself during this period, and following a hospitalization, Cuushe has shed the fog of her previously dream-pop creations and put the clear outlines of reality on her music. Opening up with the cold morning light of ‘Hold Half’, WAKEN moves through flamboyant analog synthesizers that seem to communicate with the universe, distorted guitars and mille-feuille-layered choruses, such as on the touching ‘Beautiful’. Wildly struck snares and beats recall the rave sounds of the ’90s, energetic, carefree.
It results in a dense dance floor of sound, from the UK garage-tinged rainy night feel of ‘Emergence’ and the shuffling tick of ‘Drip’, all the way to the tumble of vital drum and bass-flavoured beats in ‘Not to Blame’. With this strong percussive foundation, WAKEN thumps with a heartbeat of self-expansion and solidarity, an exercise in freedom. Cuushe’s voice — once hazy, indistinct — is now stronger, louder and clearer than ever, looking forward into the light.
WAKEN was grounded in dancefloor-primed rhythms, vivid melodies, and a palpable confidence and sense of conviction. Racing breaks and pulsating house beats firm up the edges around billowing clouds of shimmering pastel synths, bringing the amorphous dream pop haze into sharp focus. Each track on the album feels incredibly expansive and lush in detail – PAPER Magazine
capturing the feeling of early morning uncertainty and hope – The Vinyl Factory
we couldn’t have been more pleased with the genuinely gorgeous album – Playground
music and her voice shooting up a level that her hushed music hasn’t before. The real world has a way of puncturing dreams, but there’s always a way to lift above and find clarity – Make Believe Melodies (#2 Best Album 2020)
the vibrant club-influenced new LP from Tokyo dream-pop luminary – Gorilla vs. Bear
It’s all brought to life with a sudden alarm clock saw wave buzz, the moment of awakening – Yes/No Music
even with that evolution, WAKEN is full of superbly-detailed, luxurious soundscapes you could spend hours immersed in…wonderfully drawn and layered, an album that lends itself to getting lost in – Nothings But Hope and Passion
a new sense of born-ready vibe, flutters and emerges into the world – Comeherefloyd
the gauzy dream-pop of her previous releases is now much more sharply defined – Norman Records
spellbinding and dreamy journey into her multi-layered and stunning soundscape – Turtlenek
explosion of sound and emotion – Abduction Radiation
rare, dreamlike moment of music – Iggie Mag
dream-like synth, shimmering melodies and the unconstrained freedom of space remains, but Cuushe herself stands in a clearer space allowing her vocals to lead the sound rather than fade into it. – ADSR
delicate, enduring vocals…Cuushe focuses on ethereal pop – York Calling
The dreamy beauty of her sound remains, but Cuushe snaps it to reality to find a new way forward – Otaquest
while elements of Mayuko’s dream-pop style remain central, the musician’s vivid handling of melody and rhythm, combined with her newly freed voice, have only served to bring the reverie-filled music into finer resolution – Live Eye TV
bold and sweeping alt-pop gem – Mystic Sons
quintessential dream pop – Higher Plain Music
sensual soulful vocals and beautiful melodic lines – Nagamag
mixture of mist and warm light – Direct Actu
hypnotic, beguiling sense – Analoguetrash
whispering and sensual voice – Novorama
extremely detailed and layered – Ear Tapas
gorgeous dreamy tracks – Feast Of Beast
transports us on a small cloud – Djolo
It is magic! – Avo Magazine
she leaps with newfound energy – Death Of Desire
high-flying song – Musikorner
you can easily get lost in these soothing sounds, find yourself for a moment in a different world – Going.More
美しい矛盾を孕んだドリームポップの傑作 – Mixmag
いままでにないリズミックな躍動に満ちている。ジェシー・ランザやマリー・ダヴィッドソンらともリンク – ele-king
幻惑的でユーフォリックな歌唱&音像はそのままに、ジャングルからハウス、ダウンテンポ、90sレイヴに80sシンセ・ポップ、モダンなR&Bまでを吸収した躍動感に溢れるサウンド – Bounce
流麗なメロディを携えながら、驚くほど野性味溢れるそのサウンドは、彼女の堂々たる復活宣言といっていい (8/10) – Music Magazine
CAT No. FLAU90
Release Date: CD&DIGITAL 2020-11-20 / LP 2020-12-09
Format: LP/CD/DIGITAL
京都出身のアーティストCuusheが音楽活動への復活を高らかに宣言するニューアルバムは、これまでのドリームポップ作品の霧を脱ぎ捨て、現実の輪郭を明確に示します。冷たい朝の光が差し込む「Hold Half」から始まり、空間に歪むギター、幾重にも重なるコーラス、宇宙と交信しているかのようなアナログ・シンセサイザーというCuusheの特徴的なサウンドに成熟したオルタナティブなスピンを加え、これまで以上に生命力に満ちた音楽が生み出されました。
UKガラージを解釈したかのようなリズムと共に雨の夜の雰囲気を醸し出す「Emergence」や、ドラムンベースが炸裂する「Not to Blame」、シャッフルのような「Drip」では荒々しく叩かれるスネアとビートが、90年代のレイヴ・サウンドを彷彿とさせるかのような、エネルギッシュな新境地を開拓しています。この強力でパーカッシブな基盤を持った「WAKEN」は、自己拡張と繰り返す連帯／離散の鼓動の中で、自由へのエクササイズとなっています。かつてぼんやりとしていたCuusheの声は、今ではより強く、より大きく、よりクリアになり、光に向かって前を向いているのです。
It’s early morning. You wake up from a dream. It’s still dark. You’re full of uncertainty, but also hope. That’s the spirit that Cuushe is capturing on her new album WAKEN.
Cuushe has lived what could be described as a dreamy life, changing residences between different global cities around the world: Kyoto, Osaka,Tokyo, London and Berlin. But after the traumatic experience of harassment the dream seemed to have ended. She became keenly aware of feeling powerless.
But, rediscovering herself during this period, and following a hospitalization, Cuushe has shed the fog of her previously dream-pop creations and put the clear outlines of reality on her music. Opening up with the cold morning light of ‘Hold Half’, WAKEN moves through flamboyant analog synthesizers that seem to communicate with the universe, distorted guitars and mille-feuille-layered choruses, such as on the touching ‘Beautiful’. Wildly struck snares and beats recall the rave sounds of the ’90s, energetic, carefree.
It results in a dense dance floor of sound, from the UK garage-tinged rainy night feel of ‘Emergence’ and the shuffling tick of ‘Drip’, all the way to the tumble of vital drum and bass-flavoured beats in ‘Not to Blame’. With this strong percussive foundation, WAKEN thumps with a heartbeat of self-expansion and solidarity, an exercise in freedom. Cuushe’s voice — once hazy, indistinct — is now stronger, louder and clearer than ever, looking forward into the light.
