Steve Hillage

𝙎𝙩𝙚𝙫𝙚 𝙃𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙖𝙜𝙚’𝙨 “𝙊𝙥𝙚𝙣” 𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙠𝙨 𝙖 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙨𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙢𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙞𝙣 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙚𝙧 — 𝙖 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙧𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙗𝙧𝙞𝙙𝙜𝙚𝙨 𝙥𝙨𝙮𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙙𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙘 𝙨𝙥𝙖𝙘𝙚-𝙧𝙤𝙘𝙠, 𝙛𝙪𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙧𝙜𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙜𝙧𝙤𝙤𝙫𝙚-𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙙𝙞𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙛𝙪𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙚𝙢𝙗𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙮𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙨.

Released in 1979, the album shifts away from extended cosmic journeys toward tighter structures and rhythmic clarity, without losing Hillage’s unmistakable guitar voice. Liquid leads, phased textures and looping motifs glide over supple basslines and light funk inflections, hinting at the techno-conscious, system-minded outlook that would later define his work with System 7.

“Open” feels exploratory but grounded — a record about movement, connection and sonic flow rather than spectacle. It stands as a quietly important chapter in Hillage’s evolution, where psychedelic philosophy, danceable momentum and melodic finesse begin to align into a more future-facing form.