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. FLAU88
Release Date: DIGITAL 2021-02-24 / CD 2021-03-03
Format: CD/DIGITAL
アーティストのサポートや楽曲提供など、多方面で活動してきたヴァイオリニスト高原久実のファーストアルバム。See-throughは2016年、高原の暮らすアパートで最も静かな場所であるバスルームで録音がスタートしました。バスタオルを吸音材として使用し、シンクの上にマイクを設置して、洗濯機の上にノートパソコンを置いてバランスをとりながら録音されたというデモを元に、ヴァイオリンを中心とした弦楽器、拾い集めた音、キラキラと光るピアノをシームレスに重ねたこの作品は、小さな生活空間から生まれた真に個人的な音楽だといえます。
クラシックのヴァイオリン奏者でマルチプレイヤーでもある高原は、ヴィオラやチェロ、コントラバスといった弦楽器に、繊細なピアノや具体音を加え、生命力に満ちた質感のある音楽を生み出します。オープニングの「Artegio」から、ピアノが温かみのある背景を描き、柔らかなストリングスが雲のように現れます。軽快で遊び心に溢れた「Ditty」、時計の針や石油ストーブなどの音のコラージュが織り成す質感の中に様々な記憶が浮かび上がる「Nostalgia」、フーガと低音の柱が織り成す空間を、潮の満ち引きとともにストリングスが空へと舞い上がる感動的なシンフォニー「Tide」。気づかない日常の隙間を縫うように繊細に表現された楽曲には、高原のクラシックのルーツを感じさせつつも、現代的な嗜好が反映されており、ausやThe Boatsの二人の力を加えてユニークで生々しい音の融合を実現しています。
See-throughは、まるで繊細なオーガンジーの布を通した太陽の光に照らされた世界へとリスナーを誘うだけでなく、アーティスト自身の内面をも垣間見るような、白昼夢のように美しい音楽です。
Whether participating in classical concerts or lending her talents to contemporary artists and musicians, Kumi Takahara has long been contributing to the world of music. This year, however, sees Takahara finally showcase her own compositions to the world with the release of her debut album See-Through.
The album began life in 2016, when Kumi Takahara took to the bathroom to record music: the quietest place in her Tokyo apartment. Using bath towels as sound-absorbing equipment, setting up a microphone above the sink and balancing her laptop on the washing machine, what would become the demos for See-Through were created. Personal music made from a small living space.
A professionally trained violinist, Takahara also adds delicate piano and smattering of concrete sound, creating vital, textural pieces of music. On opening track ‘Artegio’, piano paints a warming backdrop as soft strings, almost vocal in tone, appear like passing clouds. The sound of the waves crashing features on ‘Tide’ — a fragile, almost ambient track produced by FLAU label head, aus; elsewhere samples of old oil stoves and ticking clocks conjure the passing of time.
Takahara’s debut not only invites listeners to see a sun-lit world, as if through delicate organza cloth, but it also offers up glimpses into the heart of the artist herself — her inner world. While ‘Ditty’ tumbles light and playful, memories rise to the surface in the textural collage of sounds at work in ‘Nostalgia’.
But beyond the delicacies of her sound, there is drama. ‘Kai-kou’ (meaning “Encounter”) reaches crescendos of thick sounds linked by tracts of chattering tremolo violin like gossamer threads, finishing up with a crooning cello lament.
‘Chant’, produced by Tape Loop Orchestra (Andrew Hargreaves), is a track of two halves; the first features Takahara’s own voice calling out, while the second is scattered with tense arpeggios and columns of bass. At once aesthetic and emotive, See-Through is much an extension of Takahara’s classical roots as it is a reflection of her contemporary tastes, arriving at a unique, raw fusion of sound.
The finale is ‘Log’, complete with layers of strings swirling, a voice lost in a storm of sound, an indistinct lo-fi beat and glimmering piano, featuring production by The Humble Bee (Craig Tattersall) — an orchestral yet decidedly contemporary postscript. It’s a fitting finisher to the odyssey of dappled scenery and personal sound poems that is See-Through.
gorgeous, airy composition – Stereogum
from humble beginnings they awaken the senses, opening our eyes to grand sonic vistas waiting to be explored, eliciting emotional responses through the strength of musicality, rather than the more common reliance on overwhelming with scale – Juno
heady blend of sweetly melodic compositions with collagic interior soundscapes crafted from abstract textures and concrete sound – Stationary Travels
playful, dreamy, tender – but momentous, too, each moment feels expressive or contemplative, inspired by a particular mood or story – Tokyo Weekender
Kumi Takaha, come una pittrice, riesce a dosare ogni elemento per trovare l’equilibro cromatico perfetto in un disegno dai toni pastello quale See-Through un piccolo capolavoro da proteggere e ammirare – Radioaktiv
instantly compelling – Pod Cart
a broad span of emotions is encompassed, with these fragile, diary-like pieces ranging from melancholy and nostalgia to joy and wonder – Textura
one of the most beautiful things I have heard all year – Tome to the Weather Machine
gorgeous amalgamation of violins and orchestral swells – Therarefied
evolving and deep piece that does indeed remind of moving waters – ADSR Collective
gosta de Sigur Rós e Julianna Barwick – Miojo Indie
Without need for emotional statements of grandeur or bombast, she etches out moods and narratives, using modern orchestral music to make songs that are contemplative, evocative and intensely personal – The Glow (Best Japanese Album 2021)
Takahara understands the potential in offering only torn-out diary pages, scrawled postcards and faint flashbacks, allowing the listener to frame these partial images with their own memories and desires. – ATTN Magazine
See-Through is the piano, which, clearly schooled in Harold Budd, continually varies delicate minimalist phrases – Groove
grazie alla leggerezza del tocco di Kumi e alle fragili componenti emozionali della sua tavolozza, che definisce un equilibrio tra sogno e realtà – Music Won’ts Save You / Rockerilla
Kumi Takahara maintains a childlike curiosity through it all – Abduction Radiation
great album for winding down or meditation – New York Music Daily
Les dix morceaux spacieux et bouleversants de See-Through arrivent à nous faire voyager sans aucun souci – Les Oreilles Curieuses
high octave piano cuteness moving into serene beauty – Higher Plains Music
the correct record could alter your perspective on life. Today, ‘Ditty’ by Japanese producer Kumi Takahara is the one for me – Grungecake
Takahara has created an album that covers a large part of the emotional spectrum – Closewatch
où s’entremêlent des lignes de cordes, on touche à une émotion moins immédiate et moins évidente que celle pouvant naître avec le clavier – EtherREAL
五線譜には表現できない楽器の 表情をも敏感に弾き分け、さまざまな環境音をも記録し、 それらを組み合わせ曲を構成していく。楽器の演奏とパー ソナルな記憶を持つ音たちは複層的に絡み合い、作品に 独特の深みを与えている – Intoxicate
音の配置や空間の作り方がとても繊細…終盤で深いところまで潜っていき、そこから希望を感じさせるラストへと至る構成も見事 – Music Magazine
CAT No. FLAU88
Release Date: DIGITAL 2021-02-24 / CD 2021-03-03
Format: CD/DIGITAL
アーティストのサポートや楽曲提供など、多方面で活動してきたヴァイオリニスト高原久実のファーストアルバム。See-throughは2016年、高原の暮らすアパートで最も静かな場所であるバスルームで録音がスタートしました。バスタオルを吸音材として使用し、シンクの上にマイクを設置して、洗濯機の上にノートパソコンを置いてバランスをとりながら録音されたというデモを元に、ヴァイオリンを中心とした弦楽器、拾い集めた音、キラキラと光るピアノをシームレスに重ねたこの作品は、小さな生活空間から生まれた真に個人的な音楽だといえます。
クラシックのヴァイオリン奏者でマルチプレイヤーでもある高原は、ヴィオラやチェロ、コントラバスといった弦楽器に、繊細なピアノや具体音を加え、生命力に満ちた質感のある音楽を生み出します。オープニングの「Artegio」から、ピアノが温かみのある背景を描き、柔らかなストリングスが雲のように現れます。軽快で遊び心に溢れた「Ditty」、時計の針や石油ストーブなどの音のコラージュが織り成す質感の中に様々な記憶が浮かび上がる「Nostalgia」、フーガと低音の柱が織り成す空間を、潮の満ち引きとともにストリングスが空へと舞い上がる感動的なシンフォニー「Tide」。気づかない日常の隙間を縫うように繊細に表現された楽曲には、高原のクラシックのルーツを感じさせつつも、現代的な嗜好が反映されており、ausやThe Boatsの二人の力を加えてユニークで生々しい音の融合を実現しています。
See-throughは、まるで繊細なオーガンジーの布を通した太陽の光に照らされた世界へとリスナーを誘うだけでなく、アーティスト自身の内面をも垣間見るような、白昼夢のように美しい音楽です。
Whether participating in classical concerts or lending her talents to contemporary artists and musicians, Kumi Takahara has long been contributing to the world of music. This year, however, sees Takahara finally showcase her own compositions to the world with the release of her debut album See-Through.
The album began life in 2016, when Kumi Takahara took to the bathroom to record music: the quietest place in her Tokyo apartment. Using bath towels as sound-absorbing equipment, setting up a microphone above the sink and balancing her laptop on the washing machine, what would become the demos for See-Through were created. Personal music made from a small living space.
A professionally trained violinist, Takahara also adds delicate piano and smattering of concrete sound, creating vital, textural pieces of music. On opening track ‘Artegio’, piano paints a warming backdrop as soft strings, almost vocal in tone, appear like passing clouds. The sound of the waves crashing features on ‘Tide’ — a fragile, almost ambient track produced by FLAU label head, aus; elsewhere samples of old oil stoves and ticking clocks conjure the passing of time.
Takahara’s debut not only invites listeners to see a sun-lit world, as if through delicate organza cloth, but it also offers up glimpses into the heart of the artist herself — her inner world. While ‘Ditty’ tumbles light and playful, memories rise to the surface in the textural collage of sounds at work in ‘Nostalgia’.
But beyond the delicacies of her sound, there is drama. ‘Kai-kou’ (meaning “Encounter”) reaches crescendos of thick sounds linked by tracts of chattering tremolo violin like gossamer threads, finishing up with a crooning cello lament.
‘Chant’, produced by Tape Loop Orchestra (Andrew Hargreaves), is a track of two halves; the first features Takahara’s own voice calling out, while the second is scattered with tense arpeggios and columns of bass. At once aesthetic and emotive, See-Through is much an extension of Takahara’s classical roots as it is a reflection of her contemporary tastes, arriving at a unique, raw fusion of sound.
The finale is ‘Log’, complete with layers of strings swirling, a voice lost in a storm of sound, an indistinct lo-fi beat and glimmering piano, featuring production by The Humble Bee (Craig Tattersall) — an orchestral yet decidedly contemporary postscript. It’s a fitting finisher to the odyssey of dappled scenery and personal sound poems that is See-Through.
