Steve Hillage

[JackCheese]

Steve Hillage!

 

I was wondering what you guys and girls think of this man?

I'm quite sure most of you might have heard of him, whether it be as former member of Gong, as one half of System 7 (together with Miqette Giraudy), or just as solo artist.

Naturally, most of his works as solo artist and as guitarist in Gong might not have anything to do with psytrance or ambient, but their music is highly psychedelic as far as I know.

 

I don't know that much about him, apart from some of his System 7 works and his "Rainbow Dome Musick" album from 1979, which I just happened to have received in the mail today. This is one brilliant ambient disc if you ask me! I know there's lots of "old" ambient(ish) music, from the likes of Brian Eno for instance, but still I was quite surprised when I first found out about Rainbow Dome Musick (being recorded in 1979), happily surprised I must say.

 

I'm just wondering if any of you are familiar with this particular album or any of his other works..recommendations perhaps?

 

Discuss!

 

____

useful links:

http://www.discogs.com/artist/Steve+Hillage

http://www.discogs.com/artist/System+7

http://www.discogs.com/artist/Gong

[seraph]

Of course I know Steve Hillage Of System 7. System 7 have been pioneers since the early days, founded in 1990, they were setting the new standards in electronic music. I like their trance and ambiental inputs. With the help of Miquette Giraudi, he released many albums, of which I've only heard 3 albums and few singles. They are one of the tripped out crowd up there in UK. Their albums System 7 and Power Of Seven are considred as one of the most influencing electronic albums in the electronic scene... pure perfection... There is also Mysterious Traveller which is nice but not in the same league as those first two I mentioned.

[JackCheese]

http://www.a-wave.com/label/pages/gldvid.htm

 

Nice video here of Steve Hillage and Miquette Giraudy as System 7 @ Glade Festival 2005

[NEMO.BOFH]

No comments except: GENIOUS!

[fosku]

Arzachel is also good!!

[JackCheese]

Arzachel is also good!!

Cheers, I don't know any Arzachel yet, I'll see if I can find some samples to check it out

[fosku]

Cheers, I don't know any Arzachel yet, I'll see if I can find some samples to check it out

Well I guess that album is quite rare, I just dl'd it from Soulseek

[Otto Matta]

Am I the only person who finds System 7's stuff kinda goopy and weird? I like a few tracks, but I generally find it hard to relate to. Then again, it seems connected with that whole Orb/FSOL genre that never impressed me.

[Snapinho]

Am I the only person who finds System 7's stuff kinda goopy and weird? I like a few tracks, but I generally find it hard to relate to. Then again, it seems connected with that whole Orb/FSOL genre that never impressed me.

I cannot relate. At all.

 

B L A S P H E M Y ! (murder the infidels!)

 

[KozmikTentacles]

Steve Hillage is awesome! his best work is with Gong in the 70's, but his debut album Fish Rising is great too. he has collaborated with Ozric Tentacles on Spirals In Hyperspace, but only on one song, Akasha. that one is worth hearing. Arzachel is pretty good too, there has been a re-issue of their LP on Akarma, but if you want the original I suppose you'd have to bang out alot of bucks.

[JackCheese]

Am I the only person who finds System 7's stuff kinda goopy and weird? I like a few tracks, but I generally find it hard to relate to. Then again, it seems connected with that whole Orb/FSOL genre that never impressed me.

Nope you're not the only one. I like some System 7 tracks but there's lots I find hard to relate too as well (what's goopy? - lol). Anyhow, I'm happy you mention the connection to the Orb/FSOL genre, which has never really meant that much to me. Well there's bound to be some brilliant FSOL and Orb pieces of music but generally I find their genre hard to relate to as well. Just like I never listen to Boards of Canada or Aphex Twin by the way, always wondered why they get so much attention when it comes to "downtempo" (pardon my French) music, same story..

[Otto Matta]

Nope you're not the only one. I like some System 7 tracks but there's lots I find hard to relate too as well (what's goopy? - lol). Anyhow, I'm happy you mention the connection to the Orb/FSOL genre, which has never really meant that much to me. Well there's bound to be some brilliant FSOL and Orb pieces of music but generally I find their genre hard to relate to as well. Just like I never listen to Boards of Canada or Aphex Twin by the way, always wondered why they get so much attention when it comes to "downtempo" (pardon my French) music, same story..

Phew! That was a close one. Goopy? I don't know...Gooey, gloppy,... Like a lifeform resembling The Creature from the Black Lagoon (in 3D), as opposed to, say, a Cylon.

 

I'll throw Ozric Tentacles in there, too, for their new age, happy-happy-joy-joy glam rock that would've been great to shake a Yanni mullet to in the 80s.

 

Both Boards of Canada and Aphex Twin have made some great tracks over the years. I like Boards of Canada more than Aphex Twin, but yeah, the fuss was mostly over (or should have been) after Music Has the Right to Children.

[Bahamut]

Wow. Well tastes differ. =)

Ozric Tentacles are my favorites of the artists mentioned in this topic. For their vibrant, atmospheric and varied music and their great sounds, melodies, technical skill and ability to play..... they do have quite some mediocre tracks but I judge 'm by their best tracks.

And Bored of Canada bores the hell out of me, they sound so uninspired and without spirit to my ears.

[Bahamut]

On the subject matter... I think I've heard Rainbow Dome Musick sometime but I don't really remember it. I can recommend Ash Ra Temple/Ashra/Manuel Göttsching for a(nother?) great guitarist/electronic music pioneer.

[JackCheese]

I can recommend Ash Ra Temple/Ashra/Manuel Göttsching for a(nother?) great guitarist/electronic music pioneer.

Early Ash Ra Temple has some Klaus Schulze involvement isn't it?

Recently at groove.nl some re-release of Manuel Göttsching - E2-E4..something caught my eye. I'd been thinking of checking it out but I think I will do that.

Thanks for the recommendations!

[KozmikTentacles]

yes, Klaus has played drums with Ash Ra Tempel....

[Bahamut]

Recently at groove.nl some re-release of Manuel Göttsching - E2-E4..something caught my eye. I'd been thinking of checking it out but I think I will do that.

It's a true classic.

(don't get the live version performed by some orchestra it sounds really stupid IMO).

[Dragonflier]

System 7 are great, I own most of their albums and they're one of my favourite groups. Steve's guitar playing can get a bit too much for me sometimes though, but usually he keeps it at an acceptable level. The Rainbow Dome Musick album is also great, a true ambient gem.

 

I was surprised to find out recently that Hillage/Giraudy had released an album in 2005 under another alias, called Mirror System. After reading reviews I bought it right away, and it turned out to be another ambient/downtempo gem. Recommended for you who haven't heard of it.

[unikos]

the following is not a rant.. ment in good spirit

 

how can someone not like aphex? i mean taste should be beyond this, since so many people from diverse musical backgrounds consider his style to be "the best" or close

i think you guys most probably haven;t paid enough attention or only listened to his stuff in a weird, not fitting mood.

same goes for fsol, etc.

the only reason i'm typing this is that you are probably unaware of (or better: don't appreciate for different reasons) a whole new world of amazing music

 

i would give one more listen to apheks' selected ambient works !!

[unikos]

http://www.a-wave.com/label/pages/gldvid.htm

 

Nice video here of Steve Hillage and Miquette Giraudy as System 7 @ Glade Festival 2005

i was somewhere in that tent!

[JackCheese]

i think you guys most probably haven;t paid enough attention or only listened to his stuff in a weird, not fitting mood.

same goes for fsol, etc.

Well for me personally, apart from the fact that I am aware of many worlds of excellent music ( ), you might just be right there - it might just be possible that if I would spend more time listening to their various music I'd appreciate them more. That's not always easy though, since when there's so many (kinds of) music you like, there simply isn't time to check out everything by every artist.

 

i was somewhere in that tent!

Lucky b......!

[JackCheese]

Arzachel is pretty good too, there has been a re-issue of their LP on Akarma, but if you want the original I suppose you'd have to bang out alot of bucks.

*bump*

Thanks very much for this recommendation! I went to check some bits of the Arzachel album, and I'm quite excited about it! Probably going to buy the album, possibly the lp re-issue. I know practically nothing about old UK psychedelia if I may call it that, but this might be the start to discovering another subworld of music for me

 

I liked all bits I heard, especially the B-side track which sounds great. Although that first track has something extremely catchy, love it

[fosku]

*bump*

Thanks very much for this recommendation! I went to check some bits of the Arzachel album, and I'm quite excited about it! Probably going to buy the album, possibly the lp re-issue. I know practically nothing about old UK psychedelia if I may call it that, but this might be the start to discovering another subworld of music for me

 

I liked all bits I heard, especially the B-side track which sounds great. Although that first track has something extremely catchy, love it

You should also try bands like The Electric Prunes, Pearls Before Swine, Moby Grape, 13th Floor Elevators etc... They're not all UK but good nonetheless!

[JackCheese]

You should also try bands like The Electric Prunes, Pearls Before Swine, Moby Grape, 13th Floor Elevators etc... They're not all UK but good nonetheless!

merci