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Stephen Simpson Hillage (born 2 August 1951) is an English musician, best known as a guitarist. He is associated with the
Canterbury scene The Canterbury scene (or Canterbury sound) was a musical scene centred on the town of Canterbury, Kent, England during the late 1960s and early 1970s. Associated with progressive rock, the term describes a loosely-defined, improvisational styl ...
and has worked in experimental domains since the late 1960s. Besides his solo
recordings A record, recording or records may refer to: An item or collection of data Computing * Record (computer science), a data structure ** Record, or row (database), a set of fields in a database related to one entity ** Boot sector or boot record, r ...
he has been a member of Khan,
Gong A gongFrom Indonesian and ms, gong; jv, ꦒꦺꦴꦁ ; zh, c=鑼, p=luó; ja, , dora; km, គង ; th, ฆ้อง ; vi, cồng chiêng; as, কাঁহ is a percussion instrument originating in East Asia and Southeast Asia. Gongs ...
and
System 7 System 7, codenamed "Big Bang", and also known as Mac OS 7, is a graphical user interface-based operating system for Macintosh computers and is part of the classic Mac OS series of operating systems. It was introduced on May 13, 1991, by Apple Co ...
.


History


Bands 1968–75

Hillage was born in
Chingford Chingford is a town in east London, England, within the London Borough of Waltham Forest. The town is approximately north-east of Charing Cross, with Waltham Abbey to the north, Woodford Green and Buckhurst Hill to the east, Walthamstow to the ...
, which was then in
Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...
but is now part of
Greater London Greater may refer to: *Greatness, the state of being great *Greater than, in inequality (mathematics), inequality *Greater (film), ''Greater'' (film), a 2016 American film *Greater (flamingo), the oldest flamingo on record *Greater (song), "Greate ...
. Whilst still at school, he joined his first band, a blues rock band called
Uriel Uriel or Auriel ( he, אוּרִיאֵל ''ʾŪrīʾēl'', " El/God is my flame"; el, Οὐριήλ ''Oúriēl''; cop, ⲟⲩⲣⲓⲏⲗ ''Ouriēl''; it, Uriele; Geʽez and Amharic: or ) is the name of one of the archangels who is mentio ...
, with Dave Stewart,
Mont Campbell Hugo Martin Montgomery "Dirk" Campbell (born 30 December 1950, previously known as Mont Campbell) is a British multi-instrumentalist, composer and energy company executive. Campbell was born in the British military hospital in Ismailia, Egypt, ...
and
Clive Brooks Clive Colin Brooks (28 December 1949 – 5 May 2017) was a drummer, best known for his work in the English progressive rock band Egg. Biography Uriel/Egg Clive Colin Brooks was born in Bow, East London. Answering a ''Melody Maker'' ad in early ...
. The band split up in 1968 with the other members going on to form
Egg An egg is an organic vessel grown by an animal to carry a possibly fertilized egg cell (a zygote) and to incubate from it an embryo within the egg until the embryo has become an animal fetus that can survive on its own, at which point the a ...
, but they briefly re-united under assumed names to record the album '' Arzachel'' in 1969. Hillage also guested on Egg's 1974 album ''
The Civil Surface ''The Civil Surface'' is the third and final studio album by the English progressive rock band Egg, originally released in 1974 on Caroline Records. The band had broken up in 1972, leaving some of their favourite stage pieces unrecorded. At org ...
''. In 1969, Hillage began studies at the
University of Kent , motto_lang = , mottoeng = Literal translation: 'Whom to serve is to reign'(Book of Common Prayer translation: 'whose service is perfect freedom')Graham Martin, ''From Vision to Reality: the Making of the University of Kent at Canterbury'' ...
in
Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. ...
, befriending local bands
Caravan Caravan or caravans may refer to: Transport and travel *Caravan (travellers), a group of travellers journeying together **Caravanserai, a place where a caravan could stop *Camel train, a convoy using camels as pack animals *Convoy, a group of veh ...
and
Spirogyra ''Spirogyra'' (common names include water silk, mermaid's tresses, and blanket weed) is a genus of filamentous charophyte green algae of the order Zygnematales, named for the helical or spiral arrangement of the chloroplasts that is characteris ...
and occasionally jamming with them. Meanwhile, he wrote songs and, by late 1970, had accumulated enough material for an album. Caravan put him in touch with their manager Terry King, who got Hillage signed with Deram on the basis of a demo of his material recorded with the help of Dave Stewart of Egg. In early 1971, Hillage formed Khan with bassist/vocalist Nick Greenwood, formerly of
Crazy World of Arthur Brown ''The Crazy World of Arthur Brown'' is the debut studio album by the English rock music, rock band the Crazy World of Arthur Brown. Released in the United Kingdom in June 1968 by Track Records and in the United States in September 1968 through A ...
. Although future
Gong A gongFrom Indonesian and ms, gong; jv, ꦒꦺꦴꦁ ; zh, c=鑼, p=luó; ja, , dora; km, គង ; th, ฆ้อง ; vi, cồng chiêng; as, কাঁহ is a percussion instrument originating in East Asia and Southeast Asia. Gongs ...
and
Hatfield and the North Hatfield and the North were an experimental Canterbury scene rock band that lasted from October 1972 to June 1975, with some reunions thereafter. Career In mid 1972 the band grew out of a line-up of ex-members of blues/jazz/rock band Del ...
drummer
Pip Pyle Phillip "Pip" Pyle (4 April 1950 – 28 August 2006) was an English-born drummer from Sawbridgeworth, Hertfordshire, who later resided in France. He is best known for his work in the progressive rock Canterbury scene bands Gong, Hatfield an ...
was involved in the early stages, the line-up finally settled with the inclusion of organist Dick Heninghem and drummer Eric Peachey, both of whom had recently collaborated on Greenwood's solo project ''
Cold Cuts Lunch meats—also known as cold cuts, luncheon meats, cooked meats, sliced meats, cold meats, sandwich meats, and deli meats—are precooked or cured meats that are sliced and served cold or hot. They are typically served in sandwiches or on ...
'', recorded in California in 1970 but belatedly released in 1972. Following a series of concerts throughout 1971, several of them supporting label mates Caravan, Khan began recording their debut album in November, by which time Heninghem had left, forcing Hillage to bring in his former bandmate Dave Stewart to play the keyboard parts. By the time ''
Space Shanty ''Space Shanty'' is the debut and only album by the short-lived Canterbury scene band Khan. Steve Hillage's first solo album, '' Fish Rising'', included material originally intended for the second album by Khan, but the band split up before that ...
'' came out in May 1972, Canadian Val Stevens (formerly of Toronto's popular soul-rock band Grant Smith & The Power) had filled the vacancy, making his debut on a short European tour (including a televised appearance at the Montreux Festival) and continuing with a UK tour supporting Caravan in June. By then, musical disagreements between Hillage and Greenwood culminated with the latter's departure. Hillage decided to form a new line-up with a slightly different direction, retaining the services of Peachey and asking Stewart back, and adding
Nigel Griggs Nigel Griggs (born 18 August 1949) is a musician who played bass guitar in Split Enz. He is the brother of Paul Griggs from the 1970s vocal group Guys 'n' Dolls. A professional musician since 1963, Nigel Griggs played in a number of bands, not ...
(later of
Split Enz Split Enz were a New Zealand rock band formed in Auckland in 1972 by Tim Finn and Phil Judd and had a variety of other members during its existence. Originally started as a folk-oriented group with quirky art rock stylings, the band built a ...
) on bass. New compositions by Hillage and Stewart were added to the repertoire, including "I Love Its Holy Mystery", which would form the basis of Hillage's later ''Solar Musick Suite''. Hillage broke up the band in October 1972. Hillage promptly joined
Kevin Ayers Kevin Ayers (16 August 1944 – 18 February 2013) was an English singer-songwriter who was active in the English psychedelic music movement. Ayers was a founding member of the psychedelic band Soft Machine in the mid-1960s, and was closely assoc ...
' new live band Decadence, participating in Ayers' 1973 album '' Bananamour'' (Harvest, May 1973) and touring the UK and France for two months. Having in the meantime become a fan of Gong after meeting
Daevid Allen Christopher David Allen (13 January 1938 – 13 March 2015), known professionally as Daevid Allen, sometimes credited as Divided Alien, was an Australian musician. He was co-founder of the psychedelic rock groups Soft Machine (in the UK, 1966 ...
, hearing ''
Camembert Electrique ''Camembert Electrique'' ( French: ''Electric Camembert'') is the second studio album by the progressive rock band Gong, recorded and originally released in 1971 on the French BYG Actuel label. The album was recorded at Château d'Hérouville ne ...
'' and Allen's solo album '' Banana Moon'', as well as meeting his longtime partner
Miquette Giraudy Miquette Giraudy is a French keyboard player and vocalist, best known for her work in Gong, and with her partner Steve Hillage. She and Hillage form the core of the ambient band System 7. She has also worked as an actress, film editor and writer ...
through Allen, Hillage stayed in France after the Ayers tour to join the band. In January 1973, he took part in the sessions for '' Flying Teapot'', the first installment of the "Radio Gnome" trilogy, and soon after graduated to full-time membership with the departure of bassist/lead guitarist Christian Tritsch. The 'classic' line-up of Gong was now in place, with
Daevid Allen Christopher David Allen (13 January 1938 – 13 March 2015), known professionally as Daevid Allen, sometimes credited as Divided Alien, was an Australian musician. He was co-founder of the psychedelic rock groups Soft Machine (in the UK, 1966 ...
,
Gilli Smyth Gillian Mary Smyth (1 June 1933 – 22 August 2016) was an English musician who performed with the bands Gong, Mother Gong, and Planet Gong and released several solo albums and albums in collaboration with other members of Gong. In Gong, she ...
,
Didier Malherbe Didier Malherbe (born January 22, 1943 in Paris), is a French jazz, rock and world music musician, known as a member of the bands Gong and Hadouk, as well as a poet. His first instrument was a saxophone, but he also plays flutes, alto clarinet ...
,
Tim Blake Timothy Blake (born 6 February 1952, in Shepherd's Bush, London) is a keyboardist, synthesist, vocalist, and composer working with Gong, Hawkwind and his Synthesizer and Light performances as Crystal Machine, with the French Light Artist Pat ...
,
Mike Howlett Michael John Gilmour Howlett (born 27 April 1950) is a record producer and teacher based in the United Kingdom and Australia. Career In the late 1960s, Howlett was the bassist in Sydney pop band the Affair, which included vocalist Kerrie Bidde ...
and
Pierre Moerlen Pierre Moerlen (23 October 1952, Colmar, Haut-Rhin – 3 May 2005, Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines, near Strasbourg) was a French drummer and percussionist, best known for his work with Gong and Mike Oldfield and as Pierre Moerlen's Gong. Biography Pi ...
, and recorded two further albums, '' Angels Egg'' and ''
You In Modern English, ''you'' is the second-person pronoun. It is grammatically plural, and was historically used only for the dative case, but in most modern dialects is used for all cases and numbers. History ''You'' comes from the Proto- ...
'' (the latter also featuring Giraudy). In June 1973, Hillage (along with Pierre Moerlen) participated in the debut live performance of
Mike Oldfield Mike may refer to: Animals * Mike (cat), cat and guardian of the British Museum * Mike the Headless Chicken, chicken that lived for 18 months after his head had been cut off * Mike (chimpanzee), a chimpanzee featured in several books and documen ...
's ''
Tubular Bells Tubular bells (also known as chimes) are musical instruments in the percussion family. Their sound resembles that of church bells, carillon, or a bell tower; the original tubular bells were made to duplicate the sound of church bells within a ...
'' at
Queen Elizabeth Hall The Queen Elizabeth Hall (QEH) is a music venue on the South Bank in London, England, that hosts classical, jazz, and avant-garde music, talks and dance performances. It was opened in 1967, with a concert conducted by Benjamin Britten. The ...
. Both Hillage & Moerlen also took part in a live-in-studio performance filmed for the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
's ''Second House'' series, filmed in November 1973. The BBC performance is available on Oldfield's '' Elements'' DVD. From August 1974 to February 1975 Hillage worked on his debut solo album ''
Fish Rising ''Fish Rising'' is the debut solo album by English guitarist Steve Hillage, recorded and released in 1975. The album was recorded just prior to Hillage's departure from the band Gong, and many of the players on this album are from that band: Ba ...
'' at Manor Studios with the group, less Allen and Smyth, and contributions from others such former as Khan bandmate Dave Stewart. Blake left Gong at the beginning of 1975 due to tensions with Allen, then Allen abruptly left in April. Hillage continued with the group, but he increasingly became uncomfortable feeling that Virgin wanted him to assume a leadership role which he saw at odds to the group's communal essence. After a Marquee gig on 21 December, he left to set-up his own band, although he did contribute to the sessions of their next album '' Shamal''.


Solo 1976–79

For his first post-Gong solo work, Hillage and Giraudy relocated to
Woodstock, New York Woodstock is a town in Ulster County, New York, United States, in the northern part of the county, northwest of Kingston, NY. It lies within the borders of the Catskill Park. The population was 5,884 at the 2010 census, down from 6,241 in 2000 ...
in May and June 1976 to record with
Todd Rundgren Todd Harry Rundgren (born June 22, 1948) is an American multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, multimedia artist, sound engineer and record producer who has performed a diverse range of styles as a solo artist and as a member of the band Ut ...
and his band Utopia on '' L'', which included covers of "
Hurdy Gurdy Man "Hurdy Gurdy Man" is a song by the Scottish singer-songwriter Donovan. It was recorded in April 1968 and released the following month as a single. The song gave its name to the album ''The Hurdy Gurdy Man'', which was released in October of that ...
" and "
It's All Too Much "It's All Too Much" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1969 album ''Yellow Submarine (album), Yellow Submarine''. Written by George Harrison in 1967, it conveys the ideological themes of that year's Summer of Love. The B ...
" that became integral to his live set. The album was released on 24 September and spent 12 weeks on the
UK album chart The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts ...
peaking at #10. Needing to tour to promote the album, he put together a band with Christian Boulé (guitar),
Clive Bunker Clive William Bunker (born 30 December 1946) is a British drummer. Bunker is best known as the original drummer of the rock band Jethro Tull, playing in the band from 1967 until 1971. Never a self-professed technical drummer, Bunker engaged ...
(drums),
Colin Bass Colin Bass (born 4 May 1951) is an English musician, singer, songwriter and record producer. Since 1979, he has been a member of the British progressive rock band Camel (band), Camel, who, after a ten-year hiatus due to the ill health of bandle ...
(bass), Paul Hodges (keyboards) and Basil Brooks (synthesiser, flute). They debuted supporting
Queen Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...
at a free
Hyde Park, London Hyde Park is a Grade I-listed major park in Westminster, Greater London, the largest of the four Royal Parks that form a chain from the entrance to Kensington Palace through Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park, via Hyde Park Corner and Green Pa ...
concert on 18 September, then toured heavily in Britain and France to promote the album including a
BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, ...
'' In Concert'' broadcast. In January and February 1977 they supported
Electric Light Orchestra The Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) are an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1970 by songwriters and multi-instrumentalists Jeff Lynne and Roy Wood with drummer Bev Bevan. Their music is characterised by a fusion of pop, classical a ...
on their US tour and appeared on the German television music programme
Rockpalast ''Rockpalast'' (''Rock Palace'') is a German music television show that broadcasts live on German television station Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR). ''Rockpalast'' started in 1974 and continues to this day. Hundreds of rock, heavy metal and jazz ...
in March. In May 1977, Hillage was part of a live performance of
Mike Oldfield Mike may refer to: Animals * Mike (cat), cat and guardian of the British Museum * Mike the Headless Chicken, chicken that lived for 18 months after his head had been cut off * Mike (chimpanzee), a chimpanzee featured in several books and documen ...
's ''
Tubular Bells Tubular bells (also known as chimes) are musical instruments in the percussion family. Their sound resembles that of church bells, carillon, or a bell tower; the original tubular bells were made to duplicate the sound of church bells within a ...
'' in
Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
with the
Scottish National Orchestra The Royal Scottish National Orchestra (RSNO) ( gd, Orcastra Nàiseanta Rìoghail na h-Alba) is a British orchestra, based in Glasgow, Scotland. It is one of the five national performing arts companies of Scotland. Throughout its history, the Or ...
. He participated in the Gong re-union concert in Paris as part of the trilogy band, a solo set and also accompanied Blake. In late summer, Hillage produced
Nik Turner Nicholas Robert Turner (26 August 1940 – 10 November 2022) was an English musician, best known as a member of space rock pioneers Hawkwind. Turner played saxophone and flute, as well as being a vocalist and composer. While with Hawkwind, T ...
's ''
Xitintoday ''Xitintoday'' (pronounced as Exit into day) is a studio album released by Nik Turner's Sphynx in 1978. It was produced by Steve Hillage (listed as Stiv Hillage). In the Winter of 1976-7, after Turner had been dismissed from Hawkwind, he travele ...
'' album which featured contributions from other Gong members, Harry Williamson and drummer Andy Anderson. Hillage also contributed to Williamson's protest single "Nuclear Waste" issued as The Radio Actors with lead vocals by
Sting Sting may refer to: * Stinger or sting, a structure of an animal to inject venom, or the injury produced by a stinger * Irritating hairs or prickles of a stinging plant, or the plant itself Fictional characters and entities * Sting (Middle-eart ...
. During the US tour Hillage had taken an interest in funk music and became disheartened that he was being perceived as "progressive rock" and so deliberately chose to move in that direction. He had met
Malcolm Cecil Malcolm Cecil (9 January 193728 March 2021) was a British jazz bassist, record producer, engineer and electronic musician. He was a founding member of a leading UK jazz quintet of the late 1950s, the Jazz Couriers,
of
Tonto's Expanding Head Band Tonto's Expanding Head Band was a British-American electronic music duo consisting of Malcolm Cecil and Robert Margouleff. Despite releasing only two albums in the early 1970s, the duo were influential in the development of electronic music an ...
who he felt may help in his pursuit of a new style and in July they entered the
Record Plant The Record Plant is a recording studio established in New York City in 1968 and currently operating in Los Angeles, California. Known for innovations in the recording artists' workspace, it has produced highly influential albums, including Blon ...
studio in
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
to record ''
Motivation Radio ''Motivation Radio'' is the third studio album by British art rock musician Steve Hillage. Whilst touring in the United States in promotion of his previous album '' L'' (1976), Hillage grew disillusioned with the progressive rock tag attached to ...
''. A new band was put together with
Reggie McBride Reggie McBride (born September 17, 1954) is an American bass player. Biography McBride was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, United States; listening to Motown records, he began to play bass at the age of 8. At the age of 14, he played in ...
on bass and Joe Blocker on drums, although
Curtis Robertson Jr. Curtis Robertson Jr. (born 1953) is an American bassist, guitarist and songwriter. He was once married to former Motown singer Syreeta, the former wife of Stevie Wonder. Curtis was influential in the development of Syreeta's music and recorded an ...
took over bass duties for the live dates. The album was issued in September and the band toured through to November visiting Germany, France and Britain. Retaining his touring band, from December into February 1978 he recorded the album ''
Green Green is the color between cyan and yellow on the visible spectrum. It is evoked by light which has a dominant wavelength of roughly 495570 Nanometre, nm. In subtractive color systems, used in painting and color printing, it is created by ...
'' co-produced with
Nick Mason Nicholas Berkeley Mason, (born 27 January 1944) is an English drummer and a founder member of the progressive rock band Pink Floyd. He is the only member to feature on every Pink Floyd album, and the only constant member since its formation in ...
at
Ridge Farm Studio Ridge Farm Studio was one of the earliest residential recording studios in the United Kingdom. The studio operated for over twenty-five years and had artists, musicians, and producers from all over the world record and produce music there. The ...
and
Britannia Row Studios Britannia Row Studios was a recording studio located in Islington, London N1 (1975–1995), and then in Fulham, London SW6, England (1995–2015). The original studio was built by the British rock band Pink Floyd in a three-story block at 35 Brita ...
. For the supporting tour, he refreshed his band with Anderson (who had made an appearance on the album) being joined by John McKenzie on bass and Boulé rejoining from the ''L'' touring band. On 25 August, Hillage guested with
Sham 69 Sham 69 are an English punk rock band that formed in Hersham in Surrey in 1975. They were one of the most successful punk bands in the United Kingdom, achieving five top 20 singles, including "If the Kids Are United" and "Hurry Up Harry". The ...
during their performance at the
Reading Festival The Reading and Leeds Festivals are a pair of annual music festivals that take place in Reading and Leeds in England. The events take place simultaneously on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the August bank holiday weekend. The Reading Festiv ...
, Hillage felt he was nearing exhaustion by mid-1978 so chose to reflect on the live shows that had been recorded and compile the album ''
Live Herald ''Live Herald '' is a part live, part studio album by British progressive rock musician Steve Hillage. The live tracks were recorded at several concerts in England between 1977 and 1978, and the studio tracks were recorded in 1979. Track list ...
''. With Anderson and McKenzie from the ''Green'' tour, he recorded some studio sessions at the end of the year to be included on one side of the album, then promoted its February 1979 release with live dates including an appearance on ''
Rock Goes to College ''Rock Goes to College'' (RGTC) was a BBC series that ran between 1978 and 1981 on British television. A variety of up-coming rock oriented bands were showcased live from small venues and broadcast simultaneously on television and radio during ...
'' and a BBC Radio 1 '' In Concert'' broadcast. In January 1979, Hillage and Giraudy recorded the commissioned album ''
Rainbow Dome Musick ''Rainbow Dome Musick'' is the fifth studio album by Steve Hillage, originally released in 1979. It is a departure from his previous albums, consisting of two long ambient songs recorded in collaboration with his long-time partner Miquette Girau ...
'' at Om Studios, consisting of two side-long beatless instumentals described as "a relaxing and pleasantly divergent journey through a sorted spectrum of instruments". The album was issued on 13 April and performed for the ''Festival for Mind Body and Spirit'' at
Olympia London Olympia London, sometimes referred to as the Olympia Exhibition Centre, is an exhibition centre, event space and conference centre in West Kensington, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, London, England. A range of internation ...
that month, Rainbow Dome was a concept created by Rupert Atwill. Stewart and Paul Francis joined replacing Boulé and McKenzie respectively, and this line-up played the 1979
Glastonbury Festival Glastonbury Festival (formally Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts and known colloquially as Glasto) is a five-day festival of contemporary performing arts that takes place in Pilton, Somerset, England. In addition to contemp ...
. The group recorded ''Open'' at Ridge Farm Studio in August with a guest contribution from
Jean-Philippe Rykiel Jean-Philippe Rykiel (born 1961) is a French composer, arranger, and musician, primarily a keyboard player. He has been blind since his birth, a result of negligence in the hospital incubator, and is the son of fashion designer Sonia Rykiel. Disc ...
, released on 12 October followed by a tour of Britain, Germany, France and Holland through to December.


Producer 1980–89

During the 1980s, Hillage worked as a record producer, working for artists such as
Simple Minds Simple Minds are a Scottish rock band formed in Glasgow in 1977. They have released a string of hit singles, becoming best known internationally for "Don't You (Forget About Me)" (1985), which topped the '' Billboard'' Hot 100 in the United St ...
,
It Bites It Bites are an English progressive rock and pop fusion band, formed in Egremont, Cumbria, Egremont, Cumbria, in 1982 and best known for their 1986 single "Calling All the Heroes", which gained them a Top 40, Top 10 UK Singles Chart hit. Initial ...
,
Murray Head Murray Seafield St George Head (born 5 March 1946) is an English actor and singer. Head has appeared in a number of films, including a starring role as the character Bob Elkin in the Oscar-nominated 1971 film ''Sunday Bloody Sunday''. As a mus ...
,
Nash the Slash James Jeffrey "Jeff" Plewman (March 26, 1948 – May 10, 2014), better known by his stage name Nash the Slash, was a Canadian musician. A multi-instrumentalist, he was known primarily for playing the electric violin and mandolin, as well as the h ...
,
Real Life Real life is a phrase used originally in literature to distinguish between the real world and fictional, virtual or idealized worlds, and in acting to distinguish between actors and the characters they portray. It has become a popular term on the ...
,
Cock Robin "Who Killed Cock Robin" is an English nursery rhyme. It has a Roud Folk Song Index number of 494. Lyrics The earliest record of the rhyme is in ''Tommy Thumb's Pretty Song Book'', published in 1744, which noted only the first four verses. The ...
, Tony Banks and
Robyn Hitchcock Robyn Rowan Hitchcock (born 3 March 1953) is an English singer-songwriter and guitarist. While primarily a vocalist and guitarist, he also plays harmonica, piano, and bass guitar. After leading the Soft Boys in the late 1970s and releasing the ...
. In 1982, Hillage and Giraudy issued the albums ''For To Next'' and ''And Not Or'', the last studio albums issued under Hillage's own name. The titles were derived from
BASIC BASIC (Beginners' All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code) is a family of general-purpose, high-level programming languages designed for ease of use. The original version was created by John G. Kemeny and Thomas E. Kurtz at Dartmouth College ...
programming language and reflect the pair's movement into computer-based music production, this being mainly synthetic except for Hillage's guitar. He returned to producing in the 1990s, working on The Charlatans 1994 album '' Up to Our Hips''.


Electronica 1989–present

After hearing the likes of
The Orb The Orb are an English electronic music group founded in 1988 by Alex Paterson and Jimmy Cauty. Known for their psychedelic sound, the Orb developed a cult following among clubbers "coming down" from drug-induced highs. Their influential 19 ...
playing his 1979 ambient record ''
Rainbow Dome Musick ''Rainbow Dome Musick'' is the fifth studio album by Steve Hillage, originally released in 1979. It is a departure from his previous albums, consisting of two long ambient songs recorded in collaboration with his long-time partner Miquette Girau ...
'', Hillage and Giraudy began performing in the early 1990s as ambient dance act
System 7 System 7, codenamed "Big Bang", and also known as Mac OS 7, is a graphical user interface-based operating system for Macintosh computers and is part of the classic Mac OS series of operating systems. It was introduced on May 13, 1991, by Apple Co ...
. They soon became part of the underground dance scene in London and Hillage was also a key figure in getting the
Glastonbury Festival Glastonbury Festival (formally Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts and known colloquially as Glasto) is a five-day festival of contemporary performing arts that takes place in Pilton, Somerset, England. In addition to contemp ...
to recognise the dance scene and set up the Dance Tent, which he programmed in its first year. Hillage also produced in the 1990s a
raï Raï (, ; ar, راي, Latn, ar, rāʾy, ), sometimes written rai, is a form of Algerian traditional music, folk music that dates back to the 1920s. Singers of Raï are called ''cheb'' (Arabic: شاب) (or ''shabab,'' i.e. young) as opposed ...
musical show called '
1, 2, 3 Soleils 1, 2, 3 Soleils (1, 2, 3 Suns) is a live album performed by Algerian artists Rachid Taha, Khaled and Faudel, widely hailed as the three masters of raï music. The concert, a unique event, took place in 1998 in Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy in ...
', featuring Algerian singers
Faudel Faudel Belloua ( ar, فُضيل بيلوى; born June 6, 1978) is a French raï singer and actor of Algerian descent. He released studio albums, notably '' Baïda'', '' Samra'', ''Un Autre Soleil'' and ''Mundial Corrida'' and the live album '' ...
,
Rachid Taha Rachid Taha ( ar, رشيد طه, Latn, ar, Rashīd Ṭāhā, ; 18 September 1958 – 12 September 2018) was an Algerian singer and activist based in France described as "sonically adventurous". His music was influenced by many different styles i ...
and Khaled. He also arranged many songs of
Latifa Latifa or Lateefa is a feminine Arabic (لٓطِيفٓة) given name which means "gentle" or "pleasant". It corresponds to the masculine Latif. Notable persons Lateefa * Lateefa Al Gaood, Bahraini politician * Lateefah Simon, American activist ...
. In November 2006, he made a surprise return to the Gong fold when he and Giraudy performed with (most of) the "classic era" lineup of Gong performing a set consisting almost entirely of material from the Radio Gnome Trilogy and
Camembert Electrique ''Camembert Electrique'' ( French: ''Electric Camembert'') is the second studio album by the progressive rock band Gong, recorded and originally released in 1971 on the French BYG Actuel label. The album was recorded at Château d'Hérouville ne ...
at the Gong Unconvention at the
Melkweg Melkweg (Dutch for "Milky Way") is a popular music venue and cultural centre in Amsterdam, Netherlands. It is located on Lijnbaansgracht, near Leidseplein, a prime nightlife square of Amsterdam. It is housed in a former dairy and is divided into ...
in Amsterdam. In January 2007, four of his albums – ''Fish Rising'', ''L'', ''Motivation Radio'' and ''Rainbow Dome Musick'' – were released in the UK remastered on CD, each, except the latter, with previously unreleased bonus tracks. In February 2007, ''Green'', ''Live Herald'', ''Open'' and ''For To Next/And Not Or'' followed, similarly remastered with bonus content. Hillage and Giraudy's participation in the Gong Unconvention was reprised in a small number of concerts held by Gong in London in June 2008, where Hillage and Giraudy were among the line-up which also included Daevid Allen, Gilli Smyth, and Mike Howlett. At these concerts, Hillage would often open the show performing "Steve Hillage Band" material, as he had at the Uncon. Hillage and Giraudy worked most recently on their 2009 album 2032 (which Hillage also produced), and has continued to tour with the band throughout 2009 and 2010. After the 2010 tour, citing musical differences, Steve & Miquette again parted ways with Gong. His next association with Gong was a guest guitar solo on the title track of their 2016 album "Rejoice! I'm Dead", their first album recorded after the death of Daevid Allen. Though no longer featuring any original members, the current lineup of
Kavus Torabi Kavus Torabi ( fa, كاووس تورابى; born 5 December 1971) is a British-Iranian musician and composer, record label owner and broadcaster. A multi-instrumentalist, he is known for his work in the psychedelic, avant-garde rock field (prim ...
(guitar/vocals),
Fabio Golfetti Fabio Golfetti (born April 10, 1960) is a Brazilian musician and record producer, famous for his work with progressive/ psychedelic rock band Violeta de Outono. He is also the guitarist of Franco-British rock band Gong since 2012. Biography Fab ...
(guitar/vocals),
Dave Sturt Dave Sturt (born 1960, Middlesbrough, England) is an English bassist and record producer. Musical career Sturt began playing bass guitar and recording at the age of 17. In 1982 he moved to London and soon broke into the session scene working a ...
(bass), Ian East (saxophone/flute) and Cheb Nettles (drums/vocals) had the blessing of Allen (along with the blessing of other surviving members) to continue using the Gong name. Soon after, Hillage made a few guest appearances at Gong gigs (sometimes being billed as ''Gong featuring Steve Hillage''), culminating in late 2018 with the announcement that Hillage & Giraudy had tapped the current lineup of Gong to be their backing band/opening act for a series of Steve Hillage Band shows in 2019. Continued touring plans for 2020, however, were halted in the wake of the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
. Hillage also collaborated with
Ozric Tentacles Ozric Tentacles are an English instrumental rock band, whose music incorporates elements from a diverse range of genres, including psychedelic rock, progressive rock, space rock, jazz fusion, electronic music, dub music, world music, and ambi ...
on the 2004 album ''
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''. Hillage played live with
Hawkwind Hawkwind are an English rock band known as one of the earliest space rock groups. Since their formation in November 1969, Hawkwind have gone through many incarnations and have incorporated many different styles into their music, including hard ...
in December 2015 at The Coronet, London, and also played a one-hour set with
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and
Tim Blake Timothy Blake (born 6 February 1952, in Shepherd's Bush, London) is a keyboardist, synthesist, vocalist, and composer working with Gong, Hawkwind and his Synthesizer and Light performances as Crystal Machine, with the French Light Artist Pat ...
of the band at Hawkwind's Hawkeaster festival in
Morecambe Morecambe ( ) is a seaside town and civil parish in the City of Lancaster district in Lancashire, England. It is in Morecambe Bay on the Irish Sea. Name The first use of the name was by John Whitaker in his ''History of Manchester'' (1771), w ...
, Lancashire at Easter, 2018. "Light in the Sky", from his 1977 album ''Motivation Radio'', was used as the theme for ''
The Sunday Night Project ''The Sunday Night Project'' is a British comedy-variety show by Princess Productions that first aired on Channel 4 in February 2005 under the title ''The Friday Night Project''. Originally broadcast on Friday nights, the show moved to Sunday n ...
'' on
Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...
. Hillage played on a cover of
Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, pianist and composer. Commonly nicknamed the "Rocket Man" after his 1972 hit single of the same name, John has led a commercially successful career a ...
's "Rocket Man" on
William Shatner William Shatner (born March 22, 1931) is a Canadian actor. In a career spanning seven decades, he is best known for his portrayal of James T. Kirk in the ''Star Trek'' franchise, from his 1965 debut as the captain of the starship USS Enterpri ...
's 2011 release ''
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''. Hillage won the "Visionary" award at the 2013 Progressive Music Awards.


Discography

* (1975) ''
Fish Rising ''Fish Rising'' is the debut solo album by English guitarist Steve Hillage, recorded and released in 1975. The album was recorded just prior to Hillage's departure from the band Gong, and many of the players on this album are from that band: Ba ...
'' – UK No. 33 * (1976) '' L'' – UK No. 10 * (1977) ''
Motivation Radio ''Motivation Radio'' is the third studio album by British art rock musician Steve Hillage. Whilst touring in the United States in promotion of his previous album '' L'' (1976), Hillage grew disillusioned with the progressive rock tag attached to ...
'' – UK No. 28 * (1978) ''
Green Green is the color between cyan and yellow on the visible spectrum. It is evoked by light which has a dominant wavelength of roughly 495570 Nanometre, nm. In subtractive color systems, used in painting and color printing, it is created by ...
'' – UK No. 30 * (1979) ''
Live Herald ''Live Herald '' is a part live, part studio album by British progressive rock musician Steve Hillage. The live tracks were recorded at several concerts in England between 1977 and 1978, and the studio tracks were recorded in 1979. Track list ...
'' – UK No. 54 * (1979) ''
Rainbow Dome Musick ''Rainbow Dome Musick'' is the fifth studio album by Steve Hillage, originally released in 1979. It is a departure from his previous albums, consisting of two long ambient songs recorded in collaboration with his long-time partner Miquette Girau ...
'' – UK No. 48 * (1979) ''
Open Open or OPEN may refer to: Music * Open (band), Australian pop/rock band * The Open (band), English indie rock band * ''Open'' (Blues Image album), 1969 * ''Open'' (Gotthard album), 1999 * ''Open'' (Cowboy Junkies album), 2001 * ''Open'' (YF ...
'' – UK No. 71 * (1979) '' Aura'' - compilation * (1982) '' For To Next'' – UK No. 48 * (1982) '' And Not Or'' * (1991) ''Ggggong-Go Long (Double Album)'' - unofficial release * (1992) '' BBC Radio 1 Live: Steve Hillage Live in Concert'' * (2003) '' Light in the Sky'' - compilation * (2004) ''
Live at Deeply Vale Festival 1978 Live may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Live!'' (2007 film), 2007 American film * ''Live'' (2014 film), a 2014 Japanese film *'' ''Live'' (Apocalyptica DVD) Music *Live (band), American alternative rock band * List of albums ...
'' * (2008) ''Evan Marc & Steve Hillage – Dreamtime Submersible'' (Somnia Records) * (2015) ''Madison Square Garden 1977'' (Cleopatra Records) * (2017) ''Düsseldorf'' (Madfish Records) - recorded 1979-03-28 at Philips Halle, Düsseldorf (live) * (2019) ''The Golden Vibe'' (Madfish Records) - recorded 1973-05 at Pavillon du Hay, Sens, France (the Gong house)


References


External links


Awave, official system 7 website
*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hillage, Steve 1951 births Living people People from Chingford Canterbury scene English rock guitarists English male guitarists Virgin Records artists Caroline Records artists English record producers Progressive rock guitarists Space rock musicians Alumni of the University of Kent Musicians from Kent Gong (band) members Uriel (band) members Khan (band) members National Health members