Alternative Press (USA)
Along with Jason Amm (aka Solvent), Gregory De Rocher (aka Lowfish) runs
Suction Records, perhaps Canada's finest source of intelligent dance music.
On his debut LP, Lowfish not only lists his influences (Autechre, Skinny
Puppy, OMD and Giorgio Moroder), but reveals his recording equipment. Such
openness is refreshing in a genre that often prizes secrecy. As you would
expect from his inspirations, Lowfish's music blends the former two's
rhythmic intricacy and textural grit with the latter two's sweet melodies and
striking production values. All these qualities coalesce in the splended
throb, bleep and clickety-clack of "Pang" and "Filth Cat". One hopes that a
rash of clubs will sprout up to accomodate the adventurous yet accessible
electronic music that Lowfish (and Suction) creates, because dance culture's
become too predictable.
De:Bug (Germany)
Die neue Suction kommt im derzeit so hippen 7"-Format und ergattert allein
wegen des schönen Roboter-Covers gleich mal locker einen Platz in meinem
Herzen. Musikalisch bläst sie einen - erwartungsgemäß -
sowieso weg. Und zwar straight zurück in die 80er, die uns, auch wenn die
Leute steif und fest behaupten, daß da nichts wichtiges war, immerhin
den Technopop brachten. Punkt. In den 70ern war es dafür zu früh.
D'Arcangelo, bekannt aus Funk und Fernsehen und für ihre Werke auf
Rephlex und Nature, entlocken ihren Maschinen eine herrlich Stakkatomelodie,
die 808 rumpelt glücklich nebenher. "Diagram 9" lebt von dieser Art von
Melodie, die man zu hause so nebenbei hört, dann das Haus verläßt
und im Bus einen Nervenzusammenbruch bekommt, weil einem die Tönchen
nicht mehr aus dem Kopf gehen und man nicht anderes summen kann. Catchy as
hell eben. Solvent macht mit "Feeling No. 4" genau da weiter. Klingt wie ein
wirklich sonniger Tag in Basildon, an dem Vince Clarke Martin Gore abholt um
einen Moog auszuprobieren und dann freudestrahlend zu kaufen. Zu recht fragen
die Jungs von Suction auf dem Cover, warum digital als so fortschrittlich gilt,
wenn doch alle Resultate so langweilig klingen. Ganz so ist es natürlich
nicht, dennoch: Lebensfreude ist analog. 5/5
Thaddi Herrmann
De:Bug (Germany)
The new Suction has been pressed in the currently hip 7" format and makes it
straight into your heart. first of all because of the beautiful robot cover
artwork. Musically, this 7" will blow you away anyway, as we expected.
Straight back into the 80's decade which, even if people keep on telling you
that nothing important happened back then, brought us technopop. Full stop.
D'Arcangelo, well known from TV and radio and respected for his records on
Nature and Rephlex, manages to elicit a brilliant staccato melody and his 808
rumbles happily to it. "Diagram 9" derives its fascination from one of these
melodies you listen to at home while doing something else. Then you leave
your house, you get on the bus and get a nervous breakdown there because these
little tones wont leave you alone. You just have to hum along. Simply catchy
as hell. With "Feeling No.4", Solvent continues exactly at this point. Sounds
like a sunny day in basildon: Vince Clarke picks up Martin Gore to check out a
Moog. In the end they buy it... Their faces radiant with joy. The boys at
Suction ask the right question on the cover. "Why is digital audio considered
so progressive as long as the results sound so boring?" Well... it's not
really like that. However: the joy of life is analogue. 5/5
Thaddi Herrmann
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