December 2010

STEVE HILLAGE

"This live is extracting the most magic, the more organic, a syrup of the soul that is a real break from the space-time. "

Steve Hillage: Live Herald »1979

Tonight I'm not afraid. It floats in the air like a wind saving urban, fresh beneficent. Tonight Steve Hillage played in the city. At the time of punk, Hillage is but a vulgar nerdy hippie. After all, is not it the top-bab guitarist Franco-British Gong?

This musical collective was known for some very good progressive cosmo-delusions, and above all their keys lit notorious. Ah! We remember the leader Daevid Allen's companion, Gilly Smith, whose role was for music lovers to massacre the theatrics of Hillage and Didier Malherbe its cosmic shrill ravings?

Is this what drove Hillage to embark on a solo career? The fact is that man released his first album in 1974, that is to say (for the time) one hundred years too late with respect to the heyday of progressive rock. For in 1974, is a glam-rock.

But man is malicious, and his talent will create a music at once progressive, but totally innovative. A bit like a Robert Fripp in King Crimson reactivated his early 80's. Steve Hillage indeed offers a strange mixture of jazz-rock, electronic music, and guitar mastery. Because he has talent, Steve. And his solo career finally seems to give him any latitude to his musical expression.
Thus, in full Punk era, it has stunned the world two wonderful discs: "Motivation Radio", and "Green". Confuse these two jewels. Yes, it's progressive, vaguely hippie, but very melodic and developed. In a word? Magical. Steve Hillage

created at that time a sort of bubble power beyond the time that seemed to reconcile all: rock, nostalgic for the school of Canterbury, and then these young punks who thought it was pretty good, and secretly loved Hawkwind.
Both discs are in any case the opportunity to secure two long European tour. Hillage recorded on this occasion several concerts, which will allow the release of a live than here.

More than any other, it is a staggering emotional adventure. Play this disc is plunging into a deep end of synthesizers as crystalline water percolation, supported and challenged by this guitar both luminous and dreamlike. The horizon was filled
then big old trees, flowers and colorful birds. Beautiful wild animals seem to us to reach out, and the air is breathable.
Who else but Steve Hillage can start a concert with a song called "Salmon Song" (Song of the salmon) in 1978? Atypical for light years (apparently) human contingencies, unfolds as a kind of theater where musical acts are interlaced with guitars and synths.

We often find that the albums filled with vintage synthesizers are often at the limit of listenable. What impresses here is the modern use. Air, liquid, fresh, both haunting and discreet, they weigh down the music in any way. It must be very good at Basil Brooks and Miquette Giraudy, wife of Steve, the musician and former Gong "Shamal" in 1975.

The pace is somewhat removed the light guitar, dreamy. Hillage plunges into several influences, a sort of mixture between Progressive Rock, Folk, World Music and Jazz. But here is something totally ahead of its time, as if some tones that had hatched very recently.

What I love about this man is the poetry, the depth of his music. Always thoughtful, as the listener wanting to eradicate a certain reality to plunge it into a more ambitious, less mundane, the incentive to marvel at the beauty of things rather than delve into the sordid reality.

Thus, even this beautiful resume "Hurdy Gurdy Man" Donovan has totally his mark despite the familiar tune. "Light In The Sky" is intended more Jazz-Rock and Heavy. A complete success for those who love high-flying guitar.
"Searching For The Spark" Arabists footprint trails through the desert and the medina, a beautiful and delicate path of melancholy.

But the big mountains are the consequences of this CD reissue (the original version included a studio deal now included on the reissue of "L"). "Radiom / Lunar Music Suite / Meditation Of The Dragon" is a dive magical world of Steve Hillage more than fifteen minutes laterna environments Jazz and world always illuminated the ghostly guitar. The grand finale is the definitive 'Solar Musick Suite "Twilight at will, as pale as the sun is visible in the distance on the moor Ardèche. The sun glowing off slowly on the horizon, the brain is lost in thought gently melancholy final point on what is probably more important in life. As this brunette beauty haunting and mysterious as you can see the bend in the road, and you smiled furtively filling your heart with joy and sweetness out of proportion.

Steve Hillage's music is all that and beyond. She finally did so final that will take no action. Immersing himself in the production of artists in the world and electronic music, he plunges into the shadow of others, leaving behind some very beautiful album, definitely timeless. This live is extracting the most magical, the more organic, a syrup of the soul that is a real break from the space-time.