Okay, today my heart officially bursts into flames (do people say that?) – this is as joyful I am about this post. Our friends over at my favourite Japanese record label flau over in Tokyo decided to do a massive raffle with us, with an eclectic selection of vinyl, CDs, artworks and other goodies. Something that you will not get in any record store around the corner just like that.
So who is flau? flau is a record and event label from Tokyo, Japan. Owner Yasuhiko Fukuzono has a very particular talent: He always digs out artists who are so special that you can’t believe they are actually real. Where you need to listen up really closely, because you hear birds chirping and ocean waves in the background and a delicate noise besides that coming of someone knitting a new sweater right next to you. Because this is how detailed flau’s artists are.
Here is what you need to do to win this very wet dream of every music lover on the planet:
1) Become a friend of PonyDanceClyde on facebook and give this post a like below.
2) Drop us an email to win (at) ponydanceclyde.com with your full name, subject “flau” until December 10 midday. For competition guidelines, click here.
But uhm, what is this record collection all about?
Let’s start with Sparrows: Oh where to begin. Instant happiness would describe the effect it has on me best. flau describes it as “it is just like listening to a lovely records made for a bird”. Which is true. Sparrows is the wonderful solo project by by Ryota Miyake, who also plays in the synth pop group Crystal. His debut with Sparrows involves light-hearted beats and bouncy toy melodies. With a dash of summery guitars, leaving you inspired and captivated. Songs have names such as “Landing On The Grasse”, “Clouded Computing” and “The Restaurant At The End Of The Universe”. Can you hear them sparrows chirping?
And what about Cuushe? Well, this Kyoto-born lady is an absolute hot shot in the Japanese Indie scene. She is the true essence of Japanese dreamy electronic pop, I imagine her beautiful face next to that term in the dictionary. Julia Holter, Teen Daze, and US producer Slow Magic remixed her carefully crafted tunes, which are called “Do You Know the Way To Sleep” or “Girl you know that I am here but the dream”. Let’s close our eyes and imagine ourselves up in the clouds.
And who is this Henning Schmiedt guy - Well this fellow composes contemporary piano pieces at their best. He grew up in the former East Germany where working with art and music represented social freedom. And you can hear this in his bittersweet melodies, that leave you longing for more, for piece, quiet and love. Henning writes theatre music for Kafka based pieces and did used to play a lot of Jazz. Now he is bringing piano music back to the school of cool and leaves us addicted, hangin in there and wishing his masterpieces would never end.
Twigs and Yarn are Austin based sound collage crafters. Stephen Orsak and Lauren McMurray from Texas arrange intimate soundscapes, ambient and fuzzy, soothing and full of warmth. Lo-fi recorders, homemade microphones, looping pedals and layered vocals – all these things lead up to an amazing album called ”The Language Of Flowers” – which are are raffling as a fu*ing VINYL <3 Lean back, take a deep breath, enjoy.