Steve Hillage

The Profile

English guitarist, composer and producer from the Canterbury orbit. After early work with Uriel/Khan/Arzachel, he joined Gong, then cut acclaimed 1970s solo albums and a major live set. Known for space/ambient leanings, innovative guitar-synth textures, and later electronic work with System 7 alongside Miquette Giraudy.

Key figure of the Canterbury/space-rock scene; ex-Gong and leader in Khan/Arzachel. Solo highlights include Fish Rising, L, Motivation Radio, Green, and the live set Live Herald. Green was produced by Nick Mason; frequent collaborator Miquette Giraudy; pioneering use of the ARP-Avatar guitar synth.

Three reviews chart Steve Hillage’s journey from Canterbury roots to spacey, ambient horizons. Fish Rising (1975) blends prog, jazz hints, psychedelia, and Hendrix shades. Green (1978), produced by Nick Mason, fuses sequencers, synths, and guitar-as-synth with Miquette Giraudy’s atmospherics. Live Herald captures his touring fire, ARP-Avatar textures, and a studio side of electronic experiments.