Mono

Vocalist Siobhan De Maré and producer Martin Virgo poured their love of jazz, '60s pop and spy film soundtracks into trip-hop project Mono, forming in London in late 1996. Each member brought something different to the table. Martin Virgo had been trained in classical piano at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and cut his teeth as a session musician in the early '90s, notably as a one-time member of Nellee Hooper's production team who were known best for their work on Massive Attack's heavyweight classic, "Unfinished Sympathy," as well as Bjork's 1993 album Debut. Siobhan De Maré hailed from a long line of entertainers and musicians, and had been working as a session singer for R&B and hip-hop artists. The pair set about pooling their talents on their debut 1996 EP, Life in Mono, and were signed to Mercury by the end of the year. Their debut album Formica Blues arrived in 1997, which charted in the UK and the US, reaching number 71 and number 137, respectively. In 1998, "Life in Mono" was used in the film adaptation Great Expectations, which helped the duo to reach a wider audience. Mono embarked on their first and only concert tour to promote the album that year but decided to part ways in 2000.