Steve Hillage

Steve Hillage is a UK-based guitarist born on August 2, 1951, in London, England. He first gained recognition as a member of the prog-rock act Gong and later became half of the ambient/techno duo System 7. Throughout his career, Hillage has collaborated with various artists including The Orb.

Hillage's musical journey began with the band Uriel before he left for college. The remaining members continued as Egg while Hillage reunited with them under the pseudonym Arzachel. He then joined forces with Kevin Ayers before finding his place in Gong, where he honed his skills in glissando guitar techniques inspired by Daevid Allen's innovative style.

Becoming a virtuoso guitarist, Hillage's sound evolved to incorporate echoes and reverb blending with synthesizers. After leaving Gong, he formed his own solo band and also engaged in session work. Notably, he played a pivotal role in pioneering new age ambient music and took a break from recording to become a prominent producer during the early 1980s. His notable contributions include working on albums by Simple Minds.

In later years, Hillage discovered that The Orb had sampled his music at a club and subsequently teamed up with them. This led to the formation of System 7 (also known as *777* due to concerns over Apple's operating system). Alongside his longtime partner, Hillage resurfaced and continued creating