We are always looking for fresh sounds from all over the world.
If you're interested, please send your works on a CDR to the below address.
Please note that I don't check via myspace nor download links as there are so many inquiries and I prefer listening carefully to all demos at once in my studio.
Nao Sugimoto
001, 2-43-16 Chuo, Nakano-ku
Tokyo, 164-0011
Japan
PLOP label was established in December 2001 by Nao Sugimoto aka mondii. The label specializes in fresh electronic and organic experimental music from all over the world. We really don't have a specific concept because we think that the music will speak for itself. Maybe the image of the color "blue" best expresses our taste of music - clean, natural, pure and tender.. The aim of our label is to introduce great sounds from all over the world to Asia and also to give great Japanese artists an attention in the foreign countries. In April 2006, Nao has left the parent record company of PLOP and now stands alone as an independent label under Nao's newly established company called Nature Bliss Inc.
Fuqugi : "Gransofa + Nightingale"
release date : January 2009 (Asia) / April 2009 (Worldwide)
cat : PLOP8 / format : CD
Fuqugi is a solo project by Daiki Sakae residing in the wilderness of far south of Japan, Kagoshima. The surrounding nature brought significant inspirations to create these 15 imaginative tracks on his 1st official album "Gransofa + Nightingale". All tracks were basically recorded by only using his favorite Gibson electric guitar, drawing dim lines and patterns over and over like watercolor paintings which develops into tear-jerking melodies.
The tender guitar tones have rich and warm textures that gently smears into you gradually from the feet to the top of your head with intoxication. The concept of the album is "praying music" and he recalls some key words to this album;
gratitude, mystic, white, nature, light, dark, serene, simple, stoic and isolation ... and indeed you will find sacred moments as if standing in front of Mark Rothko's paintings which is actually his favorite painter.
The album comprises his 2 older albums "Gransofa" and "Nightingale" which were both self-released in very limited edition, plus additional new materials and remastering and highly recommended for both rock and electronic music listeners.
The Performers : "A Homemade Stereo Recording "
release date : December 2008 (Asia) / March 2009 (Worldwide)
cat : PLOP 7 / format : CD
The Performers are Dave Gahisho (sounds / voice / palm trees) and James "Hawaii" Fantome (visions / bass / fireworks) from Marseille, south of France - which they say the main inspirations are from the nearby Sea.
They were formed in the early 2000's to compose soundtracks, and write screenplays. After an imaginary travel between Maui and Brooklyn, they started to record songs for a new project "A Homemade Stereo Recording" which turns out to be this outstanding debut album.
The album was produced between 2003 and 2007 with the concept of "slow motion journey around the world" using old 4 track tape recorder and few instruments (broken analog keyboards, guitars and theremin in a downtown room. With a little help from a computer & friends,
all the sound material were gradually put together to complete this beautiful and strange soundtrack. The 10 tracks in this album all have unique taste and individuality, diverse music elements such as rock, country, ethnic music, lounge, electronica just to name a few..
But then again, these elements flows just smoothly into another arousing beautiful landscapes as if watching a perfect film.
And here's some descriptions from the guys behind the project "The album can be seen as a soundtrack of a movie that has never been written yet. The trip between Maui and Brooklyn is imaginary but we really spent some times in New York City (winter 2004) looking for inspiration.
We had this screenplay, the story of disappearance... We came back with some sounds that turned into sound design for the album. "Year 5" is probably directly inspired by our N.Y.C stay and by some American novels. And actually something really disappeared..
The very first version of the album, our last months of work were lost during the mix.. It took months and months to re-collect the pieces and finish them but I guess debut albums can really be seen as a first balance sheet."
The artwork was designed by themselves capturing the main sounds used in this album - the palm tree and fireworks.
Old Splendifolia : "... Swaying Boldly Afar ..."
release date : June 2008 (Japan) / October 2008 (Worldwide)
cat : PLOP 6 / format : CD / music genres : female vocal, new folk music
Old Splendifolia is an adventurous folk project by two talented artists in the scene, Frank Schultge (F.S Blumm) in charge of sound production and Jana Plewa on vocals. They are both active musicians from Germany, Frank known to wide audiences all over the world with his previous remarkable albums under the alias F.S. Blumm (also one half of Sack & Blumm) from labels such as Tomlab, Staubgold, Audio Dregs, Plop and Jana known as composer, vocalist of the group The Kat Cosm having released from Quatermass, Krangkrieg and Staubgold. Together, they produce heavenly pleasant folk music, as natural and pure as they can get. All of the sounds including acoustic guitars, cello, bass-clarinet, french horn, drums and vocals are lay-ed out very thoughtfully and shows splendid ideas of how minimal production can stand out the essential quality of the song writing.These story-telling experts has brought us a charming story to follow up on the album which pretty much describes the concept and the start/process of this wonderful project. (references: JP = Jana Plewa, FS = Frank Schultge, Primeval Chief Leaf = metaphor for the first plant on universe which means "something no one has ever seen or heard before)
"While searching for the primeval Chief Leaf a faint notion had brought JP to the treasury of the Bruchhausen Castle. In this very place, she believed actually having seen the leaf while dreaming. She carved a model out of wood and captured the sound of the village. Meanwhile in Arone and Roseneck some other man meticulously scoured the land. Wasn..t an Old Splendifolia waving over there? FS approached it, no, it wasn..t the Chief Leaf, but the wind released a tune from the plant. It spoke of another primeval leaf researcher FS had never heard of before. Once home FS asked here and there. “JP is her name but, where she is we don..t know, however we know someone who knows.” And so it happened that one day disguised as a traditional letter a printed email arrived at the treasury of Bruchhausen Castle. “Another primeval Chief Leaf researcher?” JP was thrilled packed her bags, took the carved phantom of the leaf and the sound of Bruchhausen and went back home, for FS lived in the same place as she. They met, compared notes and examined the collected material. „Too much!” JP exclaimed. Obviously FS had captured and picked up some really essential elements, alas, had put one on top of the other and in the first flush of excitement had added things here and there, leaving everything intermingled. Well this meant meaningful elements had to be carefully distilled from this confused cluster. A finicky job indeed. And while JP listened hard and quietly, checking against her findings, eventually delivering the sheer from the soul-impoverishing tracks, FS prepared a sumptuous feast for both of them. After all the dragging, dropping and picking the final sound harvest seemed to be meager. However to their surprise from this work a strange and stirring appeal arose. Yes, in their mind..s eye afar they saw the Old Splendifolia, at first swaying softly, then more boldly to the sounds of its old-growth site. Her cup running over, JP finally hummed and sang out loud. Pouring to FS.. ears sounds and tones all immediately blended together, becoming inseparable. JP later on gave shape to words having an almost identical phonetic contour as the sketched sound-patterns. These now tell of the adventures and observations during the search for the primeval Chief Leaf. From here on out they go on expeditions and sound lecture tours together under the name Old Splendifolia. "
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