Suction Records

Snow Robots Vol. 1 $14.00

“A double release on Suction Records that should have been a double CD instead, since it would not make sense to have one without the other. Snow Robots is a culmination of what used to previously be twelve-inch only material by Solvent and Lowfish along with contributions and collaborations with David Kristian and Perspects and Adult of the Ersatz Audio record label. Simply put, Suction Records puts out some of Canada’s best techno and electro, though some might argue that their material is more a continuation of ’80s new wave synth-pop in the tradition of Soft Cell, OMD and New Order. Either way this is just good music. The tracks here are upbeat and playful yet carefully constructed with a reverence and obvious skill for melody. That’s because Solvent and Lowfish, aka Jason Am and Gregory deRocher, put a high premium on craftsmanship. Their intent is to construct songs that last beyond the vogue of electronic music trends and in the process perhaps compose something of lasting merit. Longevity is a definite attribute, even though much of this material is a re-issue it sounds just as pristine now as it was then. Snow Robots also features original unreleased tunes and remixes as well. A must have for all electronic music enthusiasts.” -Exclaim Magazine

Snow Robots Vol. 2 $14.00

“A double release on Suction Records that should have been a double CD instead, since it would not make sense to have one without the other. Snow Robots is a culmination of what used to previously be twelve-inch only material by Solvent and Lowfish along with contributions and collaborations with David Kristian and Perspects and Adult of the Ersatz Audio record label. Simply put, Suction Records puts out some of Canada’s best techno and electro, though some might argue that their material is more a continuation of ’80s new wave synth-pop in the tradition of Soft Cell, OMD and New Order. Either way this is just good music. The tracks here are upbeat and playful yet carefully constructed with a reverence and obvious skill for melody. That’s because Solvent and Lowfish, aka Jason Am and Gregory deRocher, put a high premium on craftsmanship. Their intent is to construct songs that last beyond the vogue of electronic music trends and in the process perhaps compose something of lasting merit. Longevity is a definite attribute, even though much of this material is a re-issue it sounds just as pristine now as it was then. Snow Robots also features original unreleased tunes and remixes as well. A must have for all electronic music enthusiasts.” -Exclaim Magazine

Snow Robots Vol. 3 $15.00



“The ghosts of Rational Youth, OMD, the Normal and other ’80s synth-pop veterans haunt Lowfish’s latest. This may not be news to anyone who’s followed the Toronto producer, but in an era where such retro affinities are automatically electro, Lowfish deserves distinction. He’s never trashy or indulgent about his analog fixations. There’s a real sense of reverence for the tunefulness and precision of old school electronic music, and Lowfish absorbs the techniques well with his busy bass lines, sweeping song structures and a fine sense of melody. Some of his aesthetic priorities come off as geeky, forcing the tunes to sound like potential soundtracks for videogames or science documentaries. Similarly, tracks like “Glass House” and “Fric Frac” have a hyper, but never hypnotic, feel. The same goes for most of the Snow Robots comp, on which Lowfish appears alongside other self-identified droids from the Suction roster. The nerd factor is maximised with the predominance of nasal voices/vocoders and faux European accents, but at least there’s a sense of personality here. The robotic monologue of Tinfoil Teakettle’s “Think Like Us” and the grind-tronic funk of David Kristian’s “Lectrocured” otherwise deliver a sinisterly alternative for less synth-pop tolerant ears.” -Exclaim Magazine

Lowfish - 1000 Corrections Per Second $14.00

“What distinguishes the music of Lowfish from dated influences like Depeche Mode, the Human League and Gary Neuman is that the latter included organic elements like human vocals or guitars, while the de Rocher makes pure electronic compositions from keyboards and computers. Another major distinction is de Rocher’s more complex melodic arrangements – where techno artists would be satisfied with sonic textural explorations or loops, melody is the grail for de Rocher, with his alien electronics only used to accentuate the hook. Like his counterpart Solvent, Lowfish has such a well-developed sense of melody that if these songs were replaced with something more organic, the tunes would likely hold up fine. Thus, 1, 000 Corrections… is one of the brighter spots in the grey region between synth-pop and techno. The one long-standing criticism of Suction Records is the lack of vocals. It’s too bad the label can not find their equivalent of David Gahan or Andy Bell, who could theoretically make these fine songs even finer.” -Dusted

Lowfish - Maintain the Tension $10.00 (vinyl $11.00)

Following their excellent EP for Adult’s Ersatz Audio imprint, Ontario’s Gregory De Rocher returns with this ace 6-tracker on his very own Suction imprint. The trademarked quirkoid electroisms are maintained, albeit with a crispier delivery that sits gorgeously comfortably between the crunchier end of dancefloor electro and it’s retroglazed synthpop cousin. The opening title track bublles forth with a warm oscillating bassline and perfectly executed key transitions that flow with enough squashed bounce to satisfy all who cross its path. ‘Starting The Stereotypes’ removes the beats alltogether, revealing a spacious analogue underwater world that brings to mind the oriental-tinged lullabies that Isan have perfected over the years. ‘Flakmot’ displays beat brilliance with some casio-treated percussive bursts and edible body-poppin’ interjections…..all complete with the usual intuitive melodic flair that Rocher appears to have mastered so effortlessly. Fans of Ersatz, electropop and pure old dancefloor jacking will find much enjoyment within.

G.D. LUXXE - Vendetta $10.00 (available on vinyl $12.00)

Vendetta is vocal electro-pop music that would not sound at home on the International DJ Gigolos label. This is not techno music dressed in black leather and florescent pink gloves, no. Vendetta’s five songs are electronic pop music of the timeless variety. Two of the songs, “Garden”, and “Reasons” (the latter being Suction’s pick for “potential Top-10 single”!) were initially written and recorded by Gerhard in the late-1980s, now reanimated and brought back to life in 2002 for Suction. From the flower-adorned cover artwork, to the sequencer-fueled melancholy of the music, it should come as no surprise that Gerhard counts New Order’s “Power, Corruption and Lies” LP as an all-time favorite. With Vendetta, GD Luxxe takes the sound of classic-era New Order as a starting point, and makes his own statement for 2002. Honest, memorable, and sincere, Vendetta is a perfect slice of electronic pop music for the home and for the dancefloor.

Black Turtleneck - Musical Chairs $14.00

“Despite their Darkness-like band name and dedication to “the introspective black turtleneck set, working the day job in silent contempt.” Comprised of Solvent producer Jason Amm and vocalist Thomas Sinclair, they’ve been intermittently active since 2002 though this is their proper debut. Amms’ music combines complex beat structures and low-level club bleeps with nostalgic synthesisers, while Sinclair’s deadpan vocals sound like they’re coming from the other side of the pond and the other side of the millennium — a match succeeding most perfectly on the single “Discontinued Parts.” Aside from their titular piss-take, these ’80s babies are dead serious about their electro pop homage, ditching the usual ironic posturing in favour of a more reverent ride down Depeche Mode lane. “ -Exclaim! Magazine

Mitgang Audio - The View From Your New Home $14.00

“Toronto’s Suction Records hit the bull’s-eye with one of the finest releases the electronic genre has produced in ages. Brooklyn’s Ray Sweeten is the man behind Mitgang Audio and he expertly blends his love of early ’80s synth pop, contemporary electro and IDM on this very impressive debut. Aside from the world of electro-pop, he creates a Detroit techno sound on “Binary Life” that Kevin Saunderson would be proud of and even makes a nod to classical music structures on “The Escape.” The album’s thrilling opener, “Minor Causes,” is a perfect example of his pop sensibilities and is possibly the best electro-pop song of the past year. Sweeten clearly has a gift for melody as well as programming. The vocals are all given the vocoder treatment, but the effects used in this case give it a soft touch, avoiding the abrasive tones so commonly associated with electro tracks. More than half of the vocal tracks are in Italian, an appropriate gesture to his influences past (Giorgio Moroder) and present (he held a two-year residency in Italy). The Mitgang Audio’s landscape is at times cold, but always inviting. The ideal blend of organic analog sounds with crisp programmed beat structures is hard to master, especially when trying to wrap them around a melody. The fact that Sweeten has figured this out on his debut demands attention and points toward a bright future indeed.” -Exclaim! Magazine

Mitgang Audio EP (vinyl) $10.99

Selections from the CD release on vinyl, for DJ’s and those obsessed with the medium. Here is another rousing hit off this stellar album:

Solvent/Lowfish - Now We Are Dead 12" $16.00

“Suction, always a byword for quality, ransack the past and create a future that sets standards as far as electro’s New Wave is concerned. In an Eighties overkill atmosphere these people are part of the elite commando division against which other units should be judged.” -Andrew Weatherall