Lowfish

Last updated
Gregory de Rocher
Also known as
  • Lowfish
  • Pest(e)
Born1972
Origin Toronto, Canada
Genres
Occupation(s) Electronic musician
Producer
Years activeEarly 1990s–present
Labels
  • Suction
  • Satamile
  • Noise Factory
Website www.lowfishmusic.com

Lowfish is the stage name of Canadian electronic musician and producer Gregory de Rocher. [1] [2]

Contents

Originating from Toronto, [3] de Rocher was a fan of Donna Summer's Eurodisco single "I Feel Love", and became fascinated with electronic music after attending a demonstration of modular synthesizers at a science museum. [4] He began experimenting with synthesizers and drum machines in the early 1990s. [5] De Rocher recorded his early work under the name Pest(e), [1] before establishing Suction Records with business partner Jason Amm (who records his own music under the alias Solvent), in 1997. [6] [7] De Rocher then adopted his best-known moniker, a modified contraction of "lo-fi-ish". [4] He and Amm have performed together under the banner of "Solvent vs Lowfish". [8]

Aside from his own compositions, de Rocher has provided remixes for artists including David Kristian and Kid606. [1] He has created cover art for various Suction Records releases. [8]

Style

Lowfish's work has been described by Muzik as "melodic electronica", [9] and by AllMusic as "energetic lo-fi experimental electro". [1] Billboard saw the project as a "notable act" within the electroclash genre. [10] De Rocher said of his musical style, "I'm an industrial/[new] wave guy at heart obsessed with drum machine-accurate beats and OMD-like lead lines. But I do listen to a lot of the IDM heroes and that obviously has soaked in." [8] He has further cited Giorgio Moroder and Gary Numan as influences. [11] De Rocher uses vintage monophonic synths such as the Roland System 100, and early polyphonic models including the ARP Odyssey and the Roland Jupiter-6. [4]

De Rocher noted that his visual artworks are influenced by those of England's Factory Records. [8]

Discography

Studio albums

Related Research Articles

Electronic music broadly is a group of music genres that employ electronic musical instruments, circuitry-based music technology and software, or general-purpose electronics in its creation. It includes both music made using electronic and electromechanical means. Pure electronic instruments depended entirely on circuitry-based sound generation, for instance using devices such as an electronic oscillator, theremin, or synthesizer. Electromechanical instruments can have mechanical parts such as strings, hammers, and electric elements including magnetic pickups, power amplifiers and loudspeakers. Such electromechanical devices include the telharmonium, Hammond organ, electric piano and electric guitar.

Roland Corporation is a Japanese multinational manufacturer of electronic musical instruments, electronic equipment, and software. It was founded by Ikutaro Kakehashi in Osaka on 18 April 1972. In 2005, its headquarters relocated to Hamamatsu in Shizuoka Prefecture. It has factories in Malaysia, Taiwan, Japan, and the United States. As of December 2022, it employed 2,783 people. In 2014, it was subject to a management buyout by its CEO, Junichi Miki, supported by Taiyo Pacific Partners.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yellow Magic Orchestra</span> Japanese electronic music band

Yellow Magic Orchestra was a Japanese electronic music band formed in Tokyo in 1978 by Haruomi Hosono, Yukihiro Takahashi and Ryuichi Sakamoto. The group is considered influential and innovative in the field of popular electronic music. They were pioneers in their use of synthesizers, samplers, sequencers, drum machines, computers, and digital recording technology, and effectively anticipated the "electropop boom" of the 1980s. They are credited with playing a key role in the development of several electronic genres, including synthpop, J-pop, electro, and techno, while exploring subversive sociopolitical themes throughout their career.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">VNV Nation</span> Irish electronic music group

VNV Nation, also known as Victory Not Vengeance, are a British-Irish electronic music group formed in London and led by Ronan Harris in the roles of singer, songwriter and producer, with live members being keyboardists Mike Wimer and David Gerlach and percussionist Chris Roberts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ceephax Acid Crew</span> British electronic musician

Andrew David Jenkinson, known professionally as Ceephax Acid Crew, is a British electronic musician and record producer who works primarily in the acid house and drum and bass subgenres. Jenkinson is also known simply by the pseudonym Ceephax, which is a reference to the BBC teletext service Ceefax. He is the younger brother of Squarepusher.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roland MC-8 Microcomposer</span> Music sequencer

The Roland MC-8 MicroComposer by the Roland Corporation was introduced in early 1977 at a list price of US$4,795. It was one of the earliest stand-alone microprocessor-driven CV/Gate music sequencers, following EMS Sequencer 256 in 1971 and New England Digital's ABLE computer (microprocessor) in 1975. Roland called the MC-8 a "computer music composer" and it was considered revolutionary at the time, introducing features such as a keypad to enter note information and 16 kilobytes of random access memory which allowed a maximum sequence length of 5200 notes, a huge step forward from the 8-16 step sequencers at the time. It also allowed the user to allocate multiple pitch CVs to a single Gate channel, creating polyphonic parts within the overall sequence. Due to the high price, only 200 units were sold worldwide, but it represented a huge leap forward in music technology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roland SH-1000</span> 1973 analogue synthesizer

The Roland SH-1000, introduced in 1973, was the first compact synthesizer produced in Japan, and the first synthesizer produced by Roland. It resembles a home organ more than a commercial synth, with coloured tabs labelled with descriptions of its presets and of the "footage" of the divide-down oscillator system used in its manually editable synthesizer section. It produced electronic sounds that many professional musicians sought after whilst being easier to obtain and transport than its Western equivalents.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Behringer</span> Audio equipment manufacturer

Behringer is an audio equipment company founded by the Swiss engineer Uli Behringer on 25 January 1989 in Willich, Germany. Behringer produces equipment including synthesizers, mixers, audio interfaces and amplifiers. Behringer is owned by Music Tribe, a holding company chaired by Uli Behringer.

M is an English new wave and synth-pop music project that formed in 1978 in London, England by Robin Scott. M is most known for the 1979 hit "Pop Muzik", which reached number two in the UK Singles Chart in May 1979, and number one in the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart on 3 November 1979. Musicians who contributed to M at one time or another included Wally Badarou, Mark King, Phil Gould and Gary Barnacle of Level 42.

<i>New York–London–Paris–Munich</i> 1979 studio album by M

New York · London · Paris · Munich is M's first album, released in 1979, the title being taken from a line in the verse of the March 1979 hit single "Pop Muzik", an extended version of which is featured on the album. The album features future Level 42 members Phil Gould on drums, Wally Badarou on keyboards and Gary Barnacle on saxophone and flute.

Solvent is the stage name used by electronic producer and remixer Jason Amm. Although his music has been included in the electroclash movement, many of Solvent's tracks fall under the intelligent dance music or electropop genres. Jason Amm's music is often associated with its strong influence from early 1980s artists such as Soft Cell and Depeche Mode, but the influence is much wider, spanning the last three decades.

<i>Consumed</i> (Plastikman album) 1998 studio album by Plastikman

Consumed is the fourth studio album by Canadian electronic music producer Richie Hawtin, and his third studio album under the alias Plastikman. It was released in 1998 by Minus and Novamute Records, with the 11:40 minute title track widely considered both the album's peak and one of Hawtin's best works.

Vitaminsforyou is a Canadian electronic music project led by Bryce Kushnier, an early performer the “lo-fi bedroom electronics” genre of music. Originally based in Winnipeg, the band currently operates from Toronto, Ontario.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Synthesizer</span> Electronic musical instrument

A synthesizer is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis and frequency modulation synthesis. These sounds may be altered by components such as filters, which cut or boost frequencies; envelopes, which control articulation, or how notes begin and end; and low-frequency oscillators, which modulate parameters such as pitch, volume, or filter characteristics affecting timbre. Synthesizers are typically played with keyboards or controlled by sequencers, software or other instruments, and may be synchronized to other equipment via MIDI.

<i>I Wish</i> (Skee-Lo album) 1995 studio album by Skee-Lo

I Wish is the debut studio album by American rapper Skee-Lo. It was released on June 27, 1995, via Sunshine/Scotti Bros. Records. The album was recorded and edited at Sunshine Studios in Hollywood, California. It was produced by Walter "Kandor" Kahn and Skee-Lo, and recorded and engineered by Todd Tracy. It features guest appearances from Funky & Trend. The album peaked at number 53 on the Billboard 200 and number 37 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, eventually achieving gold status by the Recording Industry Association of America on November 16, 1995, for sales of 500,000 copies in the United States. It was also nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rap Album at the 38th Annual Grammy Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tycho (musician)</span> American musician (born 1977)

Scott Hansen, known professionally as Tycho, is an American musician, record producer, composer, and songwriter based in San Francisco. He is also known as ISO50 for his photographic and design work. His music blends multiple stylistic components, including downtempo guitar, analogue synthesis, and ambient elements such as breathing and found sounds of weather broadcasts and dialogue.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mac DeMarco</span> Canadian musician (born 1990)

MacBriare Samuel Lanyon DeMarco is a Canadian singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer. He has released five full-length studio albums: his debut, 2 (2012), Salad Days (2014), This Old Dog (2017), Here Comes the Cowboy (2019), and Five Easy Hot Dogs (2023). He additionally released the mini-albums Rock and Roll Night Club in 2012 and Another One in 2015, as well as the compilation album One Wayne G in 2023. In addition to those albums are his singles, and all of his albums have had demo albums released after them. His style of music has been described as "blue wave" and "slacker rock", or, by DeMarco himself, "jizz jazz".

<i>Lo-Fantasy</i> 2014 studio album by Sam Roberts Band

Lo-Fantasy is the fifth studio album by Canadian rock musician Sam Roberts, and the second released as "Sam Roberts Band". The album debuted at number 3 on the Canadian Albums Chart, selling 5,800 copies during its first week. The album was nominated for "Rock Album of the Year" at the 2015 Juno Awards.

"Tonite" is a song by American rock band LCD Soundsystem. It was released as the second single from their fourth studio album, American Dream (2017), on August 16, 2017, through DFA Records and Columbia Records. A music video for the song was also premiered on the same day. The song peaked at number 191 in France and number 33 on the Billboard Dance/Electronic Songs chart. At the 60th Annual Grammy Awards, the song won the award for Best Dance Recording, making it the band's first Grammy win.

<i>In the Rainbow Rain</i> 2018 studio album by Okkervil River

In the Rainbow Rain is the ninth studio album by American indie band Okkervil River. The album was released on ATO Records on April 27, 2018.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Cooper, Sean. "Lowfish: Biography". AllMusic . Retrieved 16 January 2025.
  2. Nicholson, Peter (27 January 2004). "Lowfish: 1000 Corrections Per Second". XLR8R . Retrieved 16 January 2025.
  3. "Lowfish: The Exclaim! Questionnaire". Exclaim! . 17 November 2016. Retrieved 16 January 2025.
  4. 1 2 3 "The List: January 24, 2008". Chicago Reader . 24 January 2008. Retrieved 16 January 2025.
  5. "Lowfish". MUTEK . Retrieved 16 January 2025.
  6. "Electric Independence". Vice . 30 November 2003. Retrieved 16 January 2025.
  7. Turenne, Martin (23 September 2004). "Toronto's Solvent Strives for Timelessness". The Georgia Straight . Retrieved 16 January 2025.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Rautio, Erkki (16 September 2003). "Suction Records: The Dignity of Labour of Love". pHinnWeb . Retrieved 16 January 2025.
  9. Stone, Jonas (June 2002). "Techno Trainspotting". Muzik . No. 85. p. 107.
  10. Paoletta, Michael (15 June 2002). "Reviews & Previews". Billboard . p. 23.
  11. Gabriele, Timh (13 February 2004). "Lowfish CD Not a Flop". The Massachusetts Daily Collegian . p. 5.