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computerchemist
New Member
Joined: 28 Jan 2010
Posts: 8
Location: Székesfehérvár, Hungary
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 Posted:
Fri Jan 29, 2010 12:59 pm Mainframe |
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They released a fantastic concept EM album called Tenants of the Lattice-Work in the early '80s. Yes - an ELECTRONIC concept album! They were also quite leading lights at one point with new technology, the greenGate DS sampler for the Apple II if I remember correctly? The band was composed of two musicians, John Molloy and Murray Munro.
I think they have been dismissed largely because of their subsequent work which veered more towards "electro-pop" (They were trying to parody The Art of Noise with "5 Minutes" at one point). Other that that I know very little about any work before or after. I do rate the "tenants" album as a masterpiece, with strong sequencing, excellent minimal electronic drum programming, short but powerful parts of guitar work and surprisingly for an album like this vocals, which is how I suspect they would have got wrongly sidled into "pop". But it's not the sort of thing you would have ever found on a juke box. More like TD's cyclone with more vocal lucidity! Two album sides, no individually named tracks.
I did track down John on Myspace recently, while he is still playing with a new band I have found no trace of Murray whatsoever.
Can anybody else shed any light on this most refreshing band of the early 80s?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mainframe_(band)
http://www.discogs.com/Mainframe-Tenants-Of-The-Lattice-Work/release/391601
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Dave Pearson
computerchemist
http://www.computerchemist.com
Last edited by computerchemist on Fri Jan 29, 2010 12:25 pm; edited 4 times in total
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Vignoble @ Co.
Site Admin
Age: 64
Joined: 02 Feb 2007
Posts: 9160
Location: The Netherlands
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Posted:
Fri Jan 29, 2010 3:20 pm (No subject) |
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computerchemist
New Member
Joined: 28 Jan 2010
Posts: 8
Location: Székesfehérvár, Hungary
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Fri Jan 29, 2010 3:30 pm (No subject) |
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oh my! It's been some time since I last googled them... I've just unearthed this site http://mainframe-music.info/mainframe_music_mp3s.html which appears to have free downloads of (almost) everything they have done - with the artist's permissions too! 
I thoroughly recommend you listen to "tenants". Especially track10. There is a sci-fi back-story which was part of the album but that doesn't appear to be here.
But the rest of it was actually pretty ground-breaking stuff too, for the time! Thinking on it now, similar to the musical direction Baumann was going at around the same time with "Strangers in the Night".
Sadly, it was only ever available on vinyl, and only one low-quality pressing was ever made. I actually owned the LP having bought it back at the time from a bargain bin, and one of the best bargains I think I ever found
_________________
Regards,
Dave Pearson
computerchemist
http://www.computerchemist.com
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dlmorley
One of the Coolest Member
Joined: 01 Jul 2007
Posts: 817
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Posted:
Mon Feb 01, 2010 10:28 am (No subject) |
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I'm good friends with John Molloy since the days when he worked at Music Control in the UK.
He lives in Florida now but we talk every other week or so. We always said we would do some music together but it never happened.
I know he still writes stuff but hasn't released anything for ages. He worked on the Greengate samplers which is how I met him. Out of the blue I called Music Control (who dealt with vintage synths) and asked if they by chance had a manual for a Greengate. John answered and asked why I was calling him? I explained just out of the blue as dealing in old synths they may have come across it... he then said, well I WROTE the manual, so yes! After that I went to the UK as I bought a Fairlight IIx from Music Control and met john. Since then we have been friends. Great musician and bloke.
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http://www.davidmorley.com
http://www.myspace.com/morleysmusic
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