Lowfish "Memories Are Uncertain Friends" (CD)

"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-fiish 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 towards doing this release. These tracks are so deeply in a niche not widely known, it's difficult to 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 mini-disks and then mastered by Taylor Deupree at 12K.

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