Miquette Giraudy
| Miquette Giraudy | |
|---|---|
 Giraudy playing keyboards in London at the nightclub "Heaven" in February, 2008 | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | Bambaloni Yoni, Marsiale Giraudy, Monique Giraudy |
| Born | 9 February 1953 |
| Genres | Psychedelic rock, space rock, ambient, techno |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, writer, actress |
| Instruments | Vocals, Keyboards, percussion |
| Associated acts | Gong, System 7, Steve Hillage |
| Notable instruments | |
| EMS Synthi A | |
Miquette Giraudy (born 9 February 1953, Nice, France)[1] is a keyboard player and vocalist, best known for her work in Gong and with her partner Steve Hillage. She and Hillage currently form the core of the ambient band System 7. In addition to her performances in music, she has also worked as an actress, film editor and writer. In each role, she has used different stage names.
Film
In the late 60s Giraudy, under the name Monique Giraudy, became assistant to French film maker Jackie Raynal.[2] She has script and assistant editing credits on the 1969 Barbet Schroeder film More.[3] Getting in front of the camera she then appeared, under the name Marsiale Giraudy, in Jean-Pierre Prévost's 1971 film Jupiter,[4] and, as Monique Giraudy, played the role of Monique in Schroeder's 1972 film La Vallée. Raynal herself appeared in Martial Raysse's 1972 film, Le grand départ and Monique Giraudy gets a full editing credit.[5]
Gong
Already Hillage's girlfriend, Giraudy joined him in Gong as a vocalist in March 1974, replacing Diane Stewart-Bond, who had replaced Gilli Smyth the previous year. Smyth returned to Gong for part of 1974, with Giraudy coming back to the band in July. Hillage and Giraudy left the band together at the end of 1975.
Giraudy appears on the 1974 album You as "Bambaloni Yoni" (Wee voices and Chourousings (sic)), on one track of the studio album Shamal (1975) and four tracks of Gong Live Etc. (1977). She is also on the archival release, Live at Sherwood Forest 75 (2005).
Giraudy, together with Steve Hillage, reunited with Gong for various shows from 2006 onwards and the same line-up released a new album, 2032, in 2009.[6]
Hillage solo albums
Giraudy appears on all of Hillage's solo albums. She played percussion as well as singing on his first two, Fish Rising (1975) and L (1976), but it was with 1977's Motivation Radio that she started taking on a more significant role, playing keyboards and co-writing material, as she did on several subsequent albums.
Although released under Hillage's name, Rainbow Dome Musick (1979), a seminal early ambient album, consisted of two sides, side A written and largely performed by Giraudy and side B written and largely performed by Hillage.
System 7
More recently, Hillage and Giraudy formed System 7, working with a number of collaborators.[7]
References
- ↑ Oxford Encyclopedia of Popular Music
- ↑ http://jackieraynal.com/monique-giraudy
- ↑ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0064694/fullcredits#writers
- ↑ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0228476/
- ↑ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068656/fullcredits#cast
- ↑ "Gong 2032album". noblepr.co.uk. Retrieved October 6, 2009.
- ↑ "System 7". NME. Retrieved October 6, 2009.