Mainframe (band)
Encyclopedia
Mainframe was an Electropop band from Hemel Hempstead
, 26 miles north of London, England. Formed in 1982
, it comprised two main members, unknown musicians Murray Munro (born 1963) and John Molloy (born 1960). The former was already working with a new, small, independent record company named mc2 Music (taken from the famous Albert Einstein
equation), also based in Hemel Hempstead. Murray Munro fronted an earlier band actually called mc2. The band released an album entitled "Relatively Speaking...." in early 1980 which was the first record released on the mc2 Music label (catalogue # MC001).
The deal with mc2 saw the production of a number of single vinyl records, one of which comprised some simple graphically-oriented programmes for popular home computers of the era (The consumer was required to cable a turntable and amplifier to the cassette audio input of his/her computer.)
In September 1983 Mainframe issued a concept album entitled Tenants of the Lattice-Work
which met with some success.
The popularity of avant-garde band The Art of Noise
prompted Mainframe to retort with a 12-inch single entitled "Into Trouble with the Noise of Art", released by mc2 offshoot Ying Yang Yumm, undoubtedly a cheeky reference to the Art of Noise's own label Zang Tuum Tuum
(aka ZTT) and their debut EP Into Battle with the Art of Noise
.
The following year the Art of Noise released "Close (To the Edit)
", and Mainframe responded with a second 12-inch single, "Close (To the Ground) - the C5 edit", a reference to the Sinclair C5
personal electric vehicle.
mc2 Music folded in 1984 and the band was picked up by Polydor
's dance label offshoot Boiling Point who released 7-inch and 12-inch single versions of "5 Minutes". Achieving minor and brief success, Murray and John branched out into music technology, having already played key roles in developing the Greengate DS3 sound card system which turned an Apple II
home computer into a complex polyphonic sound sampler / percussion unit.
Mainframe took part in an edition of the BBC
science programme The Show Me Show (broadcast 14 September 1983) wherein they played a specially-composed new track entitled "The Bubble Diver". This piece never acquired an official release.
The group also participated in the BBC's Breakfast Time
programme (8 July 1985) and pop-music show Juice (broadcast 15 January 1986).
Despite their profile in the media, Murray and John were unable to maintain further commercial success and Mainframe was officially disbanded in 1986 after Polygram refused to issue any further Mainframe releases. The contract, however, meant that Murray and John could not continue careers as recording artists on another label.
Throughout the 1980s John Molloy occasionally contributed articles for magazines such as Computer and Video Games
, and created the interactive fiction
game "Fish" for Magnetic Scrolls
. The game was accompanied by a cassette with music by John. He also performed live at a number of small electronic music events, and worked as a music producer for a number of bands, none of whom became famous.
Munro produced the album "Shadows on the Wall" for the Norwegian band Tomboy in 1988, together with the band's main songwriter and keayboardist Per Hansmark. Other than that, little is known of Murray Munro's post-Mainframe activities other than his extensive composition work for library music label Atmospheres.
Hemel Hempstead
Hemel Hempstead is a town in Hertfordshire in the East of England, to the north west of London and part of the Greater London Urban Area. The population at the 2001 Census was 81,143 ....
, 26 miles north of London, England. Formed in 1982
1982 in music
This is a list of notable events in music from 1982. 1982 was a big year in music with Madonna making her debut as well as the year that Michael Jackson released Thriller which became the world's best selling album and it still holds that title today....
, it comprised two main members, unknown musicians Murray Munro (born 1963) and John Molloy (born 1960). The former was already working with a new, small, independent record company named mc2 Music (taken from the famous Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein was a German-born theoretical physicist who developed the theory of general relativity, effecting a revolution in physics. For this achievement, Einstein is often regarded as the father of modern physics and one of the most prolific intellects in human history...
equation), also based in Hemel Hempstead. Murray Munro fronted an earlier band actually called mc2. The band released an album entitled "Relatively Speaking...." in early 1980 which was the first record released on the mc2 Music label (catalogue # MC001).
The deal with mc2 saw the production of a number of single vinyl records, one of which comprised some simple graphically-oriented programmes for popular home computers of the era (The consumer was required to cable a turntable and amplifier to the cassette audio input of his/her computer.)
In September 1983 Mainframe issued a concept album entitled Tenants of the Lattice-Work
Tenants of the Lattice-Work
Tenants of the Lattice-Work was an album by synthpop band Mainframe, released in September 1983.Consisting of fourteen untitled tracks, the album was created using a Roland Juno-60, Moog Liberation, Moog Prodigy, Yamaha SK20, Fender Stratocaster and an Apple II Microcomputer using a Greengate DS3...
which met with some success.
The popularity of avant-garde band The Art of Noise
The Art of Noise
Art of Noise was an avant-garde synthpop group formed in 1983 by engineer/producer Gary Langan, programmer J. J. Jeczalik, along with arranger Anne Dudley, producer Trevor Horn and music journalist Paul Morley. The group's mostly instrumental compositions were novel melodic sound collages based on...
prompted Mainframe to retort with a 12-inch single entitled "Into Trouble with the Noise of Art", released by mc2 offshoot Ying Yang Yumm, undoubtedly a cheeky reference to the Art of Noise's own label Zang Tuum Tuum
ZTT Records
ZTT Records is a record label founded in 1983 by NME journalist Paul Morley, record producer Trevor Horn, and businesswoman Jill Sinclair. The label's name was also printed as "Zang Tumb Tuum" and "Zang Tuum Tumb" on various releases....
(aka ZTT) and their debut EP Into Battle with the Art of Noise
Into Battle with the Art of Noise
Into Battle with the Art of Noise is an EP by the Art of Noise—its first release, and also the first release by ZTT Records. The record represented the first instalment in the ZTT's Incidental Series ....
.
The following year the Art of Noise released "Close (To the Edit)
Close (to the Edit)
"Close " was a single by Art of Noise, released on various formats in May 1984. It was closely related to their earlier single "Beat Box", though the two tracks were developed as separate pieces from an early stage....
", and Mainframe responded with a second 12-inch single, "Close (To the Ground) - the C5 edit", a reference to the Sinclair C5
Sinclair C5
The Sinclair Research C5 is a battery electric vehicle invented by Sir Clive Sinclair and launched by Sinclair Research in the United Kingdom on 10 January 1985. The vehicle is a battery-assisted tricycle steered by a handlebar beneath the driver's knees. Powered operation is possible making it...
personal electric vehicle.
mc2 Music folded in 1984 and the band was picked up by Polydor
Polydor Records
Polydor is a record label owned by Universal Music Group, headquartered in the United Kingdom.-Beginnings:Polydor was originally an independent branch of the Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft. Its name was first used as an export label in 1924, the British and German branches of the Gramophone...
's dance label offshoot Boiling Point who released 7-inch and 12-inch single versions of "5 Minutes". Achieving minor and brief success, Murray and John branched out into music technology, having already played key roles in developing the Greengate DS3 sound card system which turned an Apple II
Apple II
The Apple II is an 8-bit home computer, one of the first highly successful mass-produced microcomputer products, designed primarily by Steve Wozniak, manufactured by Apple Computer and introduced in 1977...
home computer into a complex polyphonic sound sampler / percussion unit.
Mainframe took part in an edition of the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
science programme The Show Me Show (broadcast 14 September 1983) wherein they played a specially-composed new track entitled "The Bubble Diver". This piece never acquired an official release.
The group also participated in the BBC's Breakfast Time
Breakfast Time
Breakfast Time was British television's first national breakfast show, beating TV-am's flagship programme Good Morning Britain to the air by two weeks.The show was revolutionary for the time...
programme (8 July 1985) and pop-music show Juice (broadcast 15 January 1986).
Despite their profile in the media, Murray and John were unable to maintain further commercial success and Mainframe was officially disbanded in 1986 after Polygram refused to issue any further Mainframe releases. The contract, however, meant that Murray and John could not continue careers as recording artists on another label.
Throughout the 1980s John Molloy occasionally contributed articles for magazines such as Computer and Video Games
Computer and video games
A video game is an electronic game that involves human interaction with a user interface to generate visual feedback on a video device. The word video in video game traditionally referred to a raster display device, but following popularization of the term "video game", it now implies any type of...
, and created the interactive fiction
Interactive fiction
Interactive fiction, often abbreviated IF, describes software simulating environments in which players use text commands to control characters and influence the environment. Works in this form can be understood as literary narratives and as video games. In common usage, the term refers to text...
game "Fish" for Magnetic Scrolls
Magnetic Scrolls
Magnetic Scrolls was a British computer game developer during the mid 1980s and early 1990s. It was one of two largest interactive fiction game makers of the 1980s...
. The game was accompanied by a cassette with music by John. He also performed live at a number of small electronic music events, and worked as a music producer for a number of bands, none of whom became famous.
Munro produced the album "Shadows on the Wall" for the Norwegian band Tomboy in 1988, together with the band's main songwriter and keayboardist Per Hansmark. Other than that, little is known of Murray Munro's post-Mainframe activities other than his extensive composition work for library music label Atmospheres.
Singles
- Radio (Will Bring Me Home) / The Room (Part 2) (1983, mc2 Music, catalogue # MC004)
- Talk to Me / programs for Apple IIApple IIThe Apple II is an 8-bit home computer, one of the first highly successful mass-produced microcomputer products, designed primarily by Steve Wozniak, manufactured by Apple Computer and introduced in 1977...
, Sinclair ZX81Sinclair ZX81The ZX81 was a home computer produced by Sinclair Research and manufactured in Scotland by Timex Corporation. It was launched in the United Kingdom in March 1981 as the successor to Sinclair's ZX80 and was designed to be a low-cost introduction to home computing for the general public...
, Sinclair ZX Spectrum and BBC MicroBBC MicroThe BBC Microcomputer System, or BBC Micro, was a series of microcomputers and associated peripherals designed and built by Acorn Computers for the BBC Computer Literacy Project, operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation...
home computers (1983, mc2 Music, catalogue # MC005) - Into Trouble With the Noise of Art / Sex / War / Religion / Noise from China / Noise of Peter / Last Chords (1984, mc2 Music, catalogue # YYY001)
- "Close (To The Ground) -- The C5 Edit / The Print of Death" (1985, mc2 Music, catalogue # YYY002)
- 5 Minutes / Eric's Revenge (1985, Polydor, catalogue # MAIN1) - UK #92, NL #32
- 5 Minutes On (1985)
- 5 Minutes On (1986) - (re-issue))
Albums
- MC2 - Relatively Speaking.... (1980, mc2 Music. Private pressing, catalogue # MC001)
- Tenants of the Lattice-WorkTenants of the Lattice-WorkTenants of the Lattice-Work was an album by synthpop band Mainframe, released in September 1983.Consisting of fourteen untitled tracks, the album was created using a Roland Juno-60, Moog Liberation, Moog Prodigy, Yamaha SK20, Fender Stratocaster and an Apple II Microcomputer using a Greengate DS3...
(1983, mc2 Music, catalogue # MC007)