Main (band)
| Company type | Musical ensemble |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1991 |
| Founder | Robert Hampson, Scott Dowson |
| Defunct | 2006 (initially) |
| Fate | Reactivated in 2010 as a collaborative project |
| Headquarters | United Kingdom |
Key people | Robert Hampson, Scott Dowson, Stephan Mathieu (from 2011) |
| Products | Albums, EPs, singles |
Main emerged as a British musical ensemble in 1991, founded by guitarists Robert Hampson and Scott Dowson, both previously members of the English rock outfit Loop. Expanding upon Loop's exploration of drone elements and intricate guitar layers, the pair transitioned towards an ambient soundscape, ultimately removing conventional percussion and rhythmic patterns. Throughout the 1990s, they issued multiple albums and EPs that received critical acclaim. Dowson exited the group in 1996.
In 2006, Hampson declared that Main had ceased activity to dedicate his efforts to solo projects. Nonetheless, in October 2010, he reactivated Main as a collaborative endeavor involving various sound artists. By 2011, German composer Stephan Mathieu became part of this renewed formation.
Singles, EPs
- Hydra (12" single, 1991)
- Calm (12" EP, 1992)
- Dry Stone Feed (12" mini LP/CD, 1992)
- Firmament (CD, 1993)
- Core (7" single, 1994) – limited to 300 copies; subsequently featured on Ligature
- Ligature – Remixes (12" EP, 1994)
- Firmament II (CD, 1994)
- "Coderays" (7" single, 1995) – limited edition of 100 copies
- Hertz 1 – Corona (12"/mini CD, 1995)
- Hertz 2 – Terminus (12"/mini CD, 1995)
- Hertz 3 – Maser (12"/mini CD, 1995)
- Hertz 4 – Haloform (12"/mini CD, 1995)
- Hertz 5 – Kaon (12"/mini CD, 1995)
- Hertz 6 – Neper (12"/mini CD, 1995)
- Firmament III (EP/CD, 1996)
- Deliquescence (CD, 1997) – live recording
- Firmament IV (EP/CD, 1998)
- Transiency (mini CD, 2003)
- Ablation (Editions Mego, 2013)
Albums
- Motion Pool (3LP/CD, 1994)
- Hydra-Calm (LP/CD, 1995) – combines Hydra and Calm with an additional unreleased track
- Ligature – Remixes (CD, 1995) – reissued edition including three bonus tracks from the "Core" 7" single
- Hz (3LP/2CD, 1996) – comprehensive reissue of the entire Hertz Project
- Firmament III & IV (3 CD set, 1999) – re-release encompassing the Firmament III and Firmament IV EPs along with Deliquescence
- Tau (CD, 2002)
- Exosphere Exosphere (CD, 2003)
- Surcease (2006)
See also
External links
- Articles with short description
- Musical groups established in 1991
- English experimental musical groups
- English post-rock groups
- British dark ambient music groups
- Musical groups disestablished in 2006
- 1991 establishments in the United Kingdom
- Situation Two artists
- Beggars Banquet Records artists
- Drone music groups