Gregory de Rocher | |
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| Also known as |
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| Born | 1972 |
| Origin | Toronto, Canada |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) | Electronic musician Producer |
| Years active | Early 1990s–present |
| Labels |
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| Website | www |
Lowfish is the stage name of Canadian electronic musician and producer Gregory de Rocher. [1] [2]
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]
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]