"Hello Tinnitus / A Little Thing Gets By" is a new 7" single from Canadian electro mainstay Lowfish, a preview of his forthcoming "Hypersensitivity" full-length. Lowfish is Gregory De Rocher, and this is suction023. Barring last year's "Memories..." album, a compilation of vintage archive recordings, this double-A-side 7" is actually the first new Lowfish release since 2008. While his last 2 albums could best be described as serene and clinical, electro at it's most austere, Lowfish's return to Suction Records, the label he co-runs with Solvent, also marks a return to a more melancholic electropop sound. This is not new territory for De Rocher, but it's been a while since we've heard this kind of direct, fragile emotion from Lowfish. In fact, with their slow, head-knodding 808 beats and wistful synthesizer melodies, these songs could best be described as electro-ballads. "A Little Thing Gets By" is almost cute, until the strings fade in - pure heartbreak. "Hello Tinnitus" meanwhile, is the most pure slice of synthpop that Lowfish has delivered since 2002's "Theme to Parked Cars", a firm Lowfish fave for many. While Kraftwerk remains the pivotal electro music reference, only a few electro artists can rival the masters' keen sense of melody and emotional depth — Lowfish is one of those rare electro artists, and this 7" makes that case clear.

"Memories Are Uncertain Friends" is 13 tracks of timeless raw melodic electronica and experimental "IDM".
  All tracks were written, produced and recorded live by Gregory De Rocher between 1995-1999.

These tracks are from a time when the Lowfish "sound" was still evolving. In these tracks you hear a distillation of influences including new wave (OMD, Depeche Mode), early Warp Records (Autechre, Polygon Window), industrial (Skinny Puppy) and techno (Plasktikman) mixed with a discovery of electro. The mandate was to make pure, honest instrumental electronic music that would stand the test of time and steer clear of gimmicks and fashion.

  Working with a stack of analog synthesizers, drum machines, hardware sequencers and early music computers a set of practices was adopted that continues to this day. Everything was recorded live in one go (no multi-tracking) and effects were mostly delay with little reverb or "space" added. The purity and spontaneity of sounds from analog machines was the rule. "Patches" were never saved nor re-used again, arrangements and sequences were deleted when songs were finished and recording quality was secondary to "feeling". The results were somewhat low fidelity and this lo-fi ish sound inspired the name "Lowfish".
  A few notable labels offered to release Lowfish tracks at the time but the delay between finishing the music and hitting the streets was too long. Thus, Suction Records was born in late 1997 to serve as a vehicle for Lowfish and similar sounds.
  The title "Memories Are Uncertain Friends" is borrowed from the lyrics of a favourite OMD track — best describing the suspicion I had towards doing this release. These tracks are so deeply in a niche not widely known, I can't imagine anyone but the most "hardcore" caring about them. Then again, that's reason enough to release stuff like this.
  Most of these tracks were recovered from aging cassettes, DATs and minidisks then mastered by Taylor Deupree at 12K.
  Thanks to everyone that gets this sound, cares deeply about credible electronic music and has shown support from the start.

"Memories Are Uncertain Friends" is available now — digitally and as a limited edition hand numbered CD through:

Suction Records' Buy Direct
Amazon
Annalogue
Beatport
Bleep
Darla
eMusic
Enfant Terrible
Experimedia
Fathom
iTunes
Juno
Juno Download
Norman Records

Beatport
Lowfish and Suction Records back catalogue has been made available in DJ friendly wav/mp3 form through Beatport. Find out-of-print titles including Fear Not The Snow and Other Lo-Fiing Objects, Eliminator, Maintain The Tension, and 1000 Corrections Per Second.

• v/a "Vulnerabilities and Consequences"
  The unrecognized offer its initial release — a limited 12"/digital sampler featuring exclusive tracks by LOWFISH, SOLVENT, GOUDRON, BETA EVERS, GD LUXXE, and MINISYSTEM. Available November 9th, 2009.
  

• v/a "Miwak Twelve"
  Hymen Records celebrates its 12th year of existence with this 2xCD which includes 33 tracks by 33 projects... "'Wreckage' is pure intelligent electro, fast and impulsive — let go!"

• Circlesquare "Dancers (Lowfish's People In The Dark Mix)"
  Available for digital download NOW.