Mono (UK band)

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This article is about the UK pop band. For the Japanese post-rock group, see Mono (Japanese band).

Mono was a British pop duo which became a one-hit wonder in the late 1990s with their song "Life in Mono". The group's music is often described as trip hop, based on its similarities to contemporary electronic music acts including Sneaker Pimps and Portishead. Audible, and frequently cited, influences in Mono's songs include jazzy instrumentation reminiscient of 1960s spy film soundtracks and production styles rooted in 1960s pop music (see 1960s in music).

Contents

[edit] History

The band, formed in London in 1996 consisted of singer Siobhan de Maré and Martin Virgo on keyboards, synthesizer programming, and production. Virgo, trained in classical piano at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, is noted for a partnership during the early 1990s with producer Nellee Hooper, which included production on Massive Attack's "Unfinished Sympathy" (considered one of the landmark songs of trip hop's "Bristol sound") and collaborating with Björk on her album Debut.[1] De Maré, though not committed to a musical career at first, comes from a family with several generations of history in entertainment; her father was Tony Meehan, drummer for the Shadows,[2] and her grandfather was one of the Gongmen featured in the opening logo sequences in Rank Organisation films.[1]

The two were introduced to each other while in London in pursuit of their respective musical projects. Despite different musical influences (de Maré by R&B and soul,[3] Virgo by 1960s pop standards, and classical music from sources such as France and the Second Viennese School[1]), their collaborative songwriting efforts apparently meshed easily. Soon, the impetus of contract offers from record labels drove them to form a group, named after the title of the Phil Spector release Back to Mono.[4]

Upon signing with Echo Records[2], their first release, in 1996, was an EP of the song "Life in Mono" and various remixes, most notable of these being two by the Propellerheads, a highly popular big beat band and remix group at the time. This was followed by the Formica Blues album in 1997.

In 1998, the use of "Life in Mono" in the soundtrack, trailers, and end credits of the film adaptation of Great Expectations (after Robert De Niro, who was working on the film, heard the song)[2] brought greater exposure for the song than ever before, and it became the number one most requested song on US radio stations (such as KROQ-FM in Los Angeles) for weeks following the film's release.[1] (In terms of specific radio stations, for example, "Life in Mono" made #45 on the KROQ Top 106.7 Countdown of 1998, while Formica Blues was #73 on Toronto's 102.1 The Edge's 1998 year-end top 102 albums countdown.)[5]

Now at the height of their popularity, Mono embarked on their only concert tour, the Formica Blues Tour, covering major cities and countries in North America and Europe.[6]

After a brief quiet period, Mono broke up in 2000.[7] De Maré now sings for Violet Indiana featuring Robin Guthrie of the group Cocteau Twins; later, in 2004, she recalled feeling "creatively stifled" as part of Mono.[8] Violet Indiana has released a number of singles, two albums and a singles collection. Virgo continues to produce for others.

[edit] Music

Virgo has stated that his top musical influences are John Barry, Burt Bacharach and Phil Spector.[9] These influences are evident in the songs on Formica Blues; for example, "Life in Mono" samples harpsichords from Barry's soundtrack to The Ipcress File, and "High Life" pays homage to the sound of the girl groups Spector produced in the 1960s.

The music of early 20th-century classical music composers has also been identified as samples in the song "Hello Cleveland!"; in particular, the presence of pieces by Anton Webern, Arnold Schoenberg, and Alban Berg, the principal members of the Second Viennese School,[10] supports Virgo's citation of the group (as well as their Klangfarbenmelodie technique)[1] as among his influences.

[edit] Discography

Mono's entire discography consists of American and UK versions of Formica Blues, separate releases of the "Life in Mono" single, further UK singles "Silicone", "Slimcea Girl" and "High Life", and the song "Madhouse" on the soundtrack to the 1998 film version of Psycho (not available elsewhere).

A score of remixers were commissioned on their four single releases; aside from the Propellerheads, the more notable of these include Stuart Price (in an early appearance as Les Rythmes Digitales), Mr. Scruff, Matthew Herbert, Jóhann Jóhannsson (under the alias Lhooq), and 187 Lockdown.

[edit] Tours

[edit] Formica Blues Tour

Main article: Formica Blues Tour

[edit] Lilith Fair

Following the tour's conclusion in Europe, the band returned to the United States to join the lineup of the 1998 Lilith Fair.[11] They played the following six dates:[12]

[edit] Reception

It is generally held, both during and after the peak of Mono's success, that it was largely centered in the United States, countered by their relative obscurity in the United Kingdom.[1][13] Nevertheless, album and single chart figures maintained by Billboard magazine and The Official UK Charts Company are about equal in both countries.[14][15]

[edit] Notes and references

  1. ^ a b c d e f Molineaux, Sam (June 1998). Blue Notes: Martin Virgo Of Mono; Recording Formica Blues. Sound on Sound. Retrieved on 2006-10-08.
  2. ^ a b c Muzer, Al (February 24, 1998). Interview with Mono. Consumable Online. Accessed March 9, 2006.
  3. ^ Some pretty words.... (1998). Official Mono website (Retrieved from the Internet Archive). Accessed March 9, 2006.
  4. ^ In Stereo With Mono. (July 1998). grid magazine. Accessed March 9, 2006.
  5. ^ 1998: Top 102 Albums. Edge Year-End Charts. 102.1 The Edge. Retrieved on 2006-09-21.
  6. ^ Mono Live Tour Dates. (1998). Official Mono website (Retrieved from the Internet Archive). Accessed March 9, 2006.
  7. ^ Harder, Derrick (August 29, 2000). Mono Disbands, World Promptly Forgets They Ever Existed. Pitchfork Media. Accessed March 9, 2006.
  8. ^ Vanderwall, Peter (May 4, 2004). Violet Indiana, B2 Club. Culture Reviews. Expatru. Retrieved on 2006-09-21.
  9. ^ Micallef, Ken (February 24, 1998). Mono Tones. Yahoo! Music. Accessed March 9, 2006.
  10. ^ Nicholson, Sara (2002), "Keep Going!: The Use of Classical Music Samples in Mono’s “Hello Cleveland!”", Echo: a music-centered journal, vol. 4, no. 1, ISSN 1535-1807
  11. ^ Flohimont, Clarisse (1998). Interviews - Mono. Alternative. Impulsion (French). Retrieved on 2006-09-21.
  12. ^ Joanna (1998). Lilith Fair '98. Joanna's Sarah McLachlan Page. Retrieved on 2006-09-21.
  13. ^ Violet Indiana Interview (RealMedia). Thump Radio (August 9, 2000). Retrieved on 2006-10-08.
  14. ^ Zywietz, Tobias (March 22, 2005). Chart Log UK: Mew - Monty Python. Chart Log UK. The Official Zobbel Website. Retrieved on 2006-10-08.
  15. ^ Billboard.com - Artist Chart History - Mono. Billboard.com. Retrieved on 2006-10-08.

[edit] External links

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