Steve Hillage

Steve Hillage ( born August 2, 1951 in Chingford, London, as Stephen Simpson Hillage ) is a British musician and producer. Among other bands, he was successful in the early 1970s, in particular as a guitarist with the band Gong. In 1975 he left Gong and then released several albums under his own name. In the 1980s and was mainly active as a producer. In 1991 he founded with Miquette Giraudy Project System 7, which has since produced several albums with electronic music.

Biography

Steve Hillage joined already during his school days in the 60s as a guitarist for the progressive rock band Uriel, which next to him from keyboardist Dave Stewart ( b. 1950 ), bassist Mont Campbell ( b. 1950 ) and drummer Clive Brooks ( born 1949 ) was. Hillage left the band in 1968 to pursue his studies. The other members then formed the band Egg, but took Hillage under the group name Arzachel 1969 another album on. In 1971, Hillage again with Dave Stewart, the band Khan, in 1972 their album "Space Shanty " grossed.

Hillage rose in 1972 as a guitarist in the band of Kevin Ayers, and then moved to the then led by Daevid Allen Gong band with which he grossed three albums, the so-called "Radio Gnome Trilogy ". In 1974, also Hillages girlfriend Miquette Giraudy ( born February 9, 1953 in Nice) to Gong. Hillages guitar playing was marked no later than at Gong passages in which his instrument is doubled by means of echo effects while he plays solo melodies echo through the loops. Giraudy contributed to the sound of gong at first with singing and later as a replacement for Tim Blake with futuristic sounds on the synthesizer at. During certain concerts was involved in Gong again Dave Stewart ( who had meanwhile founded Hatfield & The North ). Besides working with Gong had Hillage 1974 also the second album of the band with Egg.

In 1975, Hillage with Miquette Giraudy and Dave Stewart and the Gong colleague Pierre Moerlen, Didier Malherbe, Mike Howlett, Tim Blake and Gilli Smyth on his first solo album " Fish Rising". When the record label Virgin Records in the same year Moerlen appointed head of Gong and began to pursue this other musical goals, Hillage of Gong and Giraudy parted at the end of the year. Since his solo album began to emerge as a sales success, the separation of Gong was easy and Hillage formed for future projects changing new musicians around him and Giraudy.

On the album "L" of 1976, the couple with the trumpeter Don Cherry and the keyboardist Roger Powell, drummer Willie Wilcox and bassist Kasim Sulton Todd Rundgren of Utopia band worked. The subsequent album "Motivation Radio" from 1977 is particularly the collaboration with Malcolm Cecil and his giant synthesizer TONTO coined. The album " Green " (1978) was produced by Nick Mason (Pink Floyd ), the man already known as a producer of an album by Gong in appearance. Hillage, who was then a full beard, long hair and appeared in flowing white robes, could also convince live: On 20 March 1977, the WDR filmed in his series " Rockpalast " a concert at the Otto - Hahn-Schule in Bensberg near Cologne. Appeared in 1979 on the album " Live Herald " a compilation of live recordings that were / 78 originated in different occupations in 1977, including with Clive Bunker, drummer of Jethro Tull.

In 1977, Hillage at the Nik Turner ( Hawkwind ) and Harry Williamson initiated anti-nuclear project Radio Actors and their single " Nuclear Waste" involved, where besides him also the former Gong colleagues Mike Howlett and Gilli Smyth and Steve Broughton and Sting were heard. With Gong, he also starred in a one-off reunion in 1977 in Paris on the stage. In the late 1970s, the emerging Styles Punk and New Wave were reflected on his album "Open", although these styles also led to the downfall of many bands of the 70s and ultimately also to a decrease of Hillages popularity. This turned meanwhile amplified electronic instruments to. The 1979 released album "Rainbow Dome Music" contains only two full-page quiet pieces that had been recorded by Hillage and Giraudy mostly with keyboards and synthesizers. Also just as a duo was 1982, the album "For To Next - And Not Or".

In the 1980s, he published only a little under his own name, but rather came on as a producer of other artists, including at the Simple Minds, Cock Robin, Tony Banks and Robyn Hitchcock, and later with The Charlatans.

Around 1990 advanced Hillages quieter, older recordings such as " Rainbow Dome Music" to classics like played at ambient and chill-out area. For incidental contact with the DJ Alex Paterson, who also played the plate at an event, a collaboration with his project, The Orb and then the establishment of the project System 7 (based on the then prevailing on Apple computers operating system) developed, again with Miquette Giraudy to electronic instruments. System 7 has released numerous albums since the eponymous debut album from 1991. The sound of the project now covers a wide range between rather shallow ambient pop to acid house and Detroit techno hard. The 1994 album "Point 3" came in two versions on the market; the "Fire album" titled mix was beat -heavy and technoid mixed, while the " Water album" called Ambient version beats largely abandoned. From system 7 and a variety of maxi-singles, where DJs such as Richie Hawtin, Carl Craig and Derrick May worried the remix appeared. System 7 had live both as a band and as a duo ( Hillage / Giraudy ) in appearance.

Since the mid- 90s Hillage also works as a guitarist with the Algerian raï artist Rachid Taha, whose show 1, 2, 3 Soleils he also produced.

1994 Hillage played the soundtrack to the game Cyberwar SCi one. A limited complete edition of the game was the soundtrack for an audio CD. The first 4 pieces of it are unique to him. Style is similar to his work with System 7

In 2004 Hillage and Giraudy worked with on the album " Spirals In Hyperspace " the Ozric Tentacles, in 2006, they were also the Steve Hillage band and for a one-time guest appearance can still be seen with Gong. His eight solo albums were released as digitally remastered CDs from 1975 to 1983 In the spring of 2007.

Discography

With Arzachel

• " Arzachel " (1969)

With Khan

• "Space Shanty " (1972)

With Gong

• "Flying Teapot " (1973)
• "Angel 's Egg " (1973)
• " You" (1974 )
• " 2032 " (2009)

As Steve Hillage

• "Fish Rising" (1975 )
• "L" ( 1976)
• "Motivation Radio" ( 1977)
• "Green " (1978)
• "Live Herald " (1979)
• "Rainbow Dome Musick " (1979)
• "Open " (1979)
• "For to Next / And Not Or" (1983 )
• "BBC Radio 1 Live" 1994
• "Light in the Sky" 2003
• " Evan Marc & Steve Hillage - Dreamtime Submersible " ( Somnia Records ) (2008 )

With System 7

• " System 7" (1991)
• "777 " (1993)
• "Point 3 Fire / Water" (1994 )
• "Power of Seven" (1996 )
• " Golden Section" (1997)
• " Seventh Wave " (2001)
• " Encantado " (2004)

Soundtrack

• " L' Enfant Lion " (engl.: " Sirga - The Lioness ", 1993), Salif Keïta with