#150 Steve Hillage: Founding the Glastonbury Dance Tent and the link between progressive rock and techno "Dance music at Glastonbury just had to happen"

Steve Hillage is a founding member of System 7, one of the key proto-trance acts of the early 90s, and Mirror System whose latest album 'Route 77' is out now.

Prior to his involvement in dance music he had an extensive career as a guitarist in bands such as Gong, Decadence (with Kevin Ayers), Khan, and Uriel, formed with the members still at school. His solo career includes records produced by Nick Mason and Todd Rundgren, and his own production career includes records with Simple Minds and The Charlatans.

Additionally, that pretty stellar CV also includes a key contribution to the representation of dance music at Glastonbury with the establishment of the dance tent in 1995.

So clearly this is a good person to have on the show. We discuss the psychedelic rock scene in the 70s, the development of music tech in the 80s, and his eventual realisation that dance music was his musical home by the time of the first System 7 record in 1990.

And of course a lot of other stuff too... including some advice from Jimi Hendrix and the connection between Underground Resistance and George Clinton.

This is a great way to start 2025, get involved!

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Listen to the music discussed on the show via the Not A Diving Podcast Spotify playlist

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