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. FLAU89
Release Date: 2021-12-01
Format: CD/DIGITAL
広島出身のギタリスト中島基裕のニューアルバム Gathering the Light の制作は、教育研究者の大田堯を追ったドキュメンタリー映画「かすかな光へ」を見たところから始まります。人生と学ぶことの意味を追求したこのドキュメンタリーに触発され、中島は光をテーマにしたアルバムを作り上げました。
現代の生活にある様々な矛盾と、そこに疑問を持ちながらも依存せざるをえない葛藤は、中島にとって長い間感じている生きづらさや苦悩の根底にある、と言います。その中で、生きることの、時として暗さを相殺する光は、友人や家族、恋人、音楽や趣味などにあり、人々は皆これらの多彩で大切な光の源を集めていると中島は考えています。このアルバムでは光にまつわる風景や思い出を、情感豊かな音楽の詩として表現します。
Gathering The Light の音楽は、中島のフィンガーピッキングスタイル・ギターによる牧歌的な雰囲気に包まれており、ARAKI Shinによるストリングス・アレンジとフルート、サックスの効果も相まって、フォークロア的でありながらプログレッシブな印象を与えるインストゥルメンタル・ミュージックとなりました。アルバムのタイトル曲「Gathering the Light」は、豊かな旋律が新中世音楽のような趣を醸し出し、「The End Isn’t the End」では、素朴で弾むようなギターとグロッケンシュピールに並列して、ミニマルなコードとエフェクトが素晴らしいカクテルを作ります。ユリー・シュルヴィッツの「よあけ」に影響を受けたという「Paddle」では、シンプルかつ複雑なギターと、それに呼応するピアノや高音のマンドリン、「Reflection」では、太陽の光を浴びたアルペジオ、重ねられたフルート、子供のようなグロッケンシュピール、「Reliable Ambiguity」では、エフェクトを多用した音の波が、沈んだ夕日のような雰囲気を醸し出しています。
子供の遊び場に虫の鳴き声、岸辺に打ち寄せる波など、さまざまな音やフィールド・レコーディングを集めて、暖かみのある色と柔らかな質感を表現した本作では、その一端一端にいつも光が集められています。それは、太陽の下で変化する風景を眺める時や、家族と一緒にくつろぐ時など、憂鬱の中から生まれる美しさを慈しむような光なのです。
Hiroshima native Motohiro Nakashima is back with his latest album for FLAU, Gathering The Light. The 12-track release from the ambient guitarist was inspired by Kasukana Hikari-e, a documentary that follows educational researcher, Takashi Ota. It was this documentary, and its look into the meaning of life and learning, that inspired Nakashima to create an album on the theme of “light”.
But this isn’t physical light as we know it. This light is different: this is the light that balances out the (sometimes) darkness of living. Whether it’s a hobby, a friend or a loved one, or music, Nakashima believes we all gather these important sources of light to a certain extent. And it’s on this new album, scheduled for release on December 1st 2021, that he creates emotive sound poems dedicated to scenery and memories related to “light” — a collection, a gathering, or light.
Imbued throughout with the homespun feel of Nakashima’s fingerstyle guitar, the music of Gathering The Light is a series of instrumental musings that feel both folksy and progressive. The album’s title track feels virtually neo-medieval in its catchy, feel-good flavours, while ‘The End Isn’t the End’ is a wonderful cocktail of rustic, bouncy guitar and toy instruments on one hand, minimalist chords and effects on the other.
There’s the simple yet intricate guitar of ‘Paddle’, complete with piano counterpart and soaring mandolin; the sun-dappled arpeggios, layered flute (played by ARAKI Shin) and childlike glockenspiel in ‘Reflection’; the effects-heavy waves of sound in ‘Reliable Ambiguity’ that make for sombre sunset atmosphere.
Imagery plays a big part in Gathering The Light, notably in the artwork for the album, which was inspired by Uri Shulevitz’s 1974 picture book, Dawn. The gentle euphoria of both ‘Paddle’ and ‘The Dawn’ are directly influenced by Shulevitz’s work and its otherworldly watercolours.
Nakashima’s instrumentation varies across the album, gathering these different sounds and field recordings (insects chirping, a child playing, waves lapping the shore) for a warm palette of colours and soft textures. Always, however, light is gathered — whether that’s watching a landscape change under the light of the sun, or returning home to the comfort of one’s family — and beauty emerges from melancholy.
01 Strains of Delight
02 Colors of Sunlight
03 Reflection
04 Seaglass
05 Night Rain Falls
06 The Dawn
07 Paddle
08 From the Moment
09 Reliable Ambiguity
10 The Dawn Again
11 The End Isn't the End12 Gathering the Light
This is exactly the sort of album we need right now: positive, encouraging and multi-faceted…All of the colors of the spectrum have been gathered, creating a beam so powerful it dispenses the darkness – A Closer Listen
moving quest for beauty and serenity in simple things…He paints an ethereal landscape, providing a perfect escape for anyone wanting to runway from the overbearing outside noise of the big cities or rambling thoughts. – Still Listening Magazine
sparkling glockenspiel, a seductive acoustic guitar, and heavenly flutes lift Motohiro Nakashima’s ‘Reflection’ to the nth degree – Last Day Deaf
A beautiful naturalistic album that feels down to earth and relaxing with sun shining on your face and ears – Photog Music
peaceful, meditative – Deepest Currents
vor allem eine immense, pure Freude an der Schönheit und am Leben vermittelt. So dringend notwendig in dunklen Zeiten – Groove
イマジネイティヴな音像を生んでいる。とても映像的な作品 – Music Magazine
CAT No. FLAU89
Release Date: 2021-12-01
Format: CD/DIGITAL
01 Strains of Delight
02 Colors of Sunlight
03 Reflection
04 Seaglass
05 Night Rain Falls
06 The Dawn
07 Paddle
08 From the Moment
09 Reliable Ambiguity
10 The Dawn Again
11 The End Isn't the End12 Gathering the Light
広島出身のギタリスト中島基裕のニューアルバム Gathering the Light の制作は、教育研究者の大田堯を追ったドキュメンタリー映画「かすかな光へ」を見たところから始まります。人生と学ぶことの意味を追求したこのドキュメンタリーに触発され、中島は光をテーマにしたアルバムを作り上げました。
現代の生活にある様々な矛盾と、そこに疑問を持ちながらも依存せざるをえない葛藤は、中島にとって長い間感じている生きづらさや苦悩の根底にある、と言います。その中で、生きることの、時として暗さを相殺する光は、友人や家族、恋人、音楽や趣味などにあり、人々は皆これらの多彩で大切な光の源を集めていると中島は考えています。このアルバムでは光にまつわる風景や思い出を、情感豊かな音楽の詩として表現します。
Gathering The Light の音楽は、中島のフィンガーピッキングスタイル・ギターによる牧歌的な雰囲気に包まれており、ARAKI Shinによるストリングス・アレンジとフルート、サックスの効果も相まって、フォークロア的でありながらプログレッシブな印象を与えるインストゥルメンタル・ミュージックとなりました。アルバムのタイトル曲「Gathering the Light」は、豊かな旋律が新中世音楽のような趣を醸し出し、「The End Isn’t the End」では、素朴で弾むようなギターとグロッケンシュピールに並列して、ミニマルなコードとエフェクトが素晴らしいカクテルを作ります。ユリー・シュルヴィッツの「よあけ」に影響を受けたという「Paddle」では、シンプルかつ複雑なギターと、それに呼応するピアノや高音のマンドリン、「Reflection」では、太陽の光を浴びたアルペジオ、重ねられたフルート、子供のようなグロッケンシュピール、「Reliable Ambiguity」では、エフェクトを多用した音の波が、沈んだ夕日のような雰囲気を醸し出しています。
子供の遊び場に虫の鳴き声、岸辺に打ち寄せる波など、さまざまな音やフィールド・レコーディングを集めて、暖かみのある色と柔らかな質感を表現した本作では、その一端一端にいつも光が集められています。それは、太陽の下で変化する風景を眺める時や、家族と一緒にくつろぐ時など、憂鬱の中から生まれる美しさを慈しむような光なのです。
Hiroshima native Motohiro Nakashima is back with his latest album for FLAU, Gathering The Light. The 12-track release from the ambient guitarist was inspired by Kasukana Hikari-e, a documentary that follows educational researcher, Takashi Ota. It was this documentary, and its look into the meaning of life and learning, that inspired Nakashima to create an album on the theme of “light”.
But this isn’t physical light as we know it. This light is different: this is the light that balances out the (sometimes) darkness of living. Whether it’s a hobby, a friend or a loved one, or music, Nakashima believes we all gather these important sources of light to a certain extent. And it’s on this new album, scheduled for release on December 1st 2021, that he creates emotive sound poems dedicated to scenery and memories related to “light” — a collection, a gathering, or light.
Imbued throughout with the homespun feel of Nakashima’s fingerstyle guitar, the music of Gathering The Light is a series of instrumental musings that feel both folksy and progressive. The album’s title track feels virtually neo-medieval in its catchy, feel-good flavours, while ‘The End Isn’t the End’ is a wonderful cocktail of rustic, bouncy guitar and toy instruments on one hand, minimalist chords and effects on the other.
There’s the simple yet intricate guitar of ‘Paddle’, complete with piano counterpart and soaring mandolin; the sun-dappled arpeggios, layered flute (played by ARAKI Shin) and childlike glockenspiel in ‘Reflection’; the effects-heavy waves of sound in ‘Reliable Ambiguity’ that make for sombre sunset atmosphere.
Imagery plays a big part in Gathering The Light, notably in the artwork for the album, which was inspired by Uri Shulevitz’s 1974 picture book, Dawn. The gentle euphoria of both ‘Paddle’ and ‘The Dawn’ are directly influenced by Shulevitz’s work and its otherworldly watercolours.
Nakashima’s instrumentation varies across the album, gathering these different sounds and field recordings (insects chirping, a child playing, waves lapping the shore) for a warm palette of colours and soft textures. Always, however, light is gathered — whether that’s watching a landscape change under the light of the sun, or returning home to the comfort of one’s family — and beauty emerges from melancholy.
