Canadian jazzcore agitators Nomeansno were already legendary when they embarked on their first European tour in 1996. When they got into the studio to record the inaugural instalment of the In the Fishtank series, they laid down some older songs, a new one called »You’re Not One,« and a cover of The Residents’ »Would We Be Alive?,« launching the tradition of using the series to pay tribute to influential bands. With its bare-bones production, this record elegantly captures the group’s frenetic live energy.

While the curation of »In the Fishtank« gravitated mostly towards guitar-centric music, already the third instalment in 1998 was an exception to that norm. Like other early entries to the series, The Tassilli Players’ contribution was co-released by the Belgian Atomic label on vinyl. Confusingly (sub-)titled »at the cowshed,« it was a different animal indeed: the German Zion Train side-project conjures up some bass-heavy dub tunes that get progressively more abstract, adding more stylistic variety to the series.

The real turning point in the history of In the Fishtank was the unexpected meeting of post-rock group Tortoise and art punkers The Ex. Recorded during the former’s 1998 »TNT« European tour supported by the latter, it laid the groundwork for the series’ legendary status. At the time, Tortoise were the kings of cool, and The Ex a fiery freak show. »When you play with a band like Tortoise, it’s almost too easy,« Terry Ex would later say. Considering the noticeable friction between the two bands’ aesthetic, that is a surprising statement.

The combination of sadcore legends Low and instrumental rockers Dirty Three—both groups were in Amsterdam for the Crossing Border festival in Amsterdam (now The Hague)—felt more intuitive. It is hard to believe that »In the Fishtank 7,« which includes a stunning 9 ½-minute-long rendition of Neil Young’s »Down by the River,« came together in a relatively short amount of time. Despite their apparent spontaneity, these are evocative pieces with subtle dynamics that flow as naturally as if they had been rehearsed over and over again.

The return of The Ex to »In the Fishtank« happened during Sonic Youth’s »Goodbye 20th Century« tour in 2001, which saw the US noise rockers performing pieces by avant-garde composers such as Christian Wolff and Pauline Oliveros. Teaming up with members of the Instant Composers Pool around Han Bennink, the ten-piece (Kim Gordon did not participate) let loose over the course of these eight pieces: This is a full-blown free jazz/improv freak-out unlike anything else in the series.

»The Jaga Jazzist musicians are much better than us: they are all skilled instrumentalists who went to music schools,« lamented psych rockers Motorpsycho before entering the studio with the IDM/jazz outfit’s hornists Jørgen Munkeby, Lars Horntveth, and Mathias Eick. Across these 46 minutes both parties indeed need some time to make it flow and find common ground. But once they do, the results are mesmerising—especially in the case of their take on the Art Ensemble of Chicago’s »Theme de Yoyo« and the 20-minute-long final track.

By 2005, solo recordings for »In the Fishtank« were a rare occurrence—the last one came courtesy of jazzy math rockers June of 44 in 1999. Karate were obviously trying to make theirs special, too, opening the record with a haunting rendition of Billie Holiday’s »Strange Fruit« before covering songs by Dischord band Beefeater, Bob Dylan, four cuts by Minutemen and »New Jerusalem« by Mark Hollis. The quality varies, but this dialogue with the band’s key influences is not without its highlights. 

In the Fishtank 13 is a stand-out instalment in many ways: It was recorded by Dutch artists, barely relies on guitar, and approaches more conventional pop songwriting. Indie pop singer/songwriter Solex had a slew of albums for Matador under her belt, while the successor of the original Maarten Altena Ensemble worked at the intersection of contemporary composed music and jazz. Needless to say, these four tracks are unconventional and make this often overlooked entry one of the strangest and strongest in the series. 

In the history of »In the Fishtank,« no other collaboration seemed as inevitable as that between occasional touring partners Isis and Aereogramme—both dealt in slow dynamics and dense atmospheres, both were at their respective peaks. While two of the three pieces, »Delial« and »Stolen,« sound closer to the former and the latter’s aesthetic, respectively, opener »Low Tide« is a highlight in either band’s discography—a perfect blend of Isis’ chugging slo-mo metal riffs and the dramatic-yet-tender post-rock of Aereogramme.

»It's very calm and soft,« guitarist and laptop musician Fennesz said in TinyMixTapes interview ahead of the publication of what would become the final »In the Fishtank« instalment and the last full-length record that came out before his collaborator, singer/songwriter Mark Linkous, ended his life. These seven pieces range from grainy ambient to tender drone pop with the occasional splash of abrasive noise. It is the most varied and perhaps most influential entry in the series—a bittersweet farewell note.