Steve Hillier
Encyclopedia
Steve Hillier from Welling
, South London
is a British
songwriter
, DJ and record producer
who has worked with rock
bands
such as Keane, Landon Pigg
and Mark Owen
. Hillier is chiefly known for his work with the band Dubstar
which he formed with Chris Wilkie and Sarah Blackwood
in Newcastle Upon Tyne
in 1993. As well as writing nine of Dubstar's ten singles (including seven of their eight Top 40 singles http://www.discogs.com/Dubstar-Stars/release/217526 http://www.discogs.com/Dubstar-No-More-Talk/release/83725 http://www.discogs.com/Dubstar-Anywhere/release/190308), he has also remix
ed artists as varied as Bebel Gilberto
and Hooverphonic
and released numerous solo
recordings
.
, England
but grew up in South London where he attended Chislehurst and Sidcup Grammar School
. He had his first article as a journalist published at the age of twelve. He started DJing at the age of fifteen http://www.dubstar.org.uk, playing alternative music in pubs and clubs in the London Borough of Bexley
and surrounding areas including many events at Crayford
Town Hall.
representative for Pinnacle Records in Orpington
, Kent
moved to Newcastle upon Tyne
where he DJed and promoted nightclub events across North East England
for nine years http://www.stevehillier.net. It was during this period that he met Chris Wilkie and Sarah Blackwood
and formed Dubstar
(see main article). He also wrote feature articles and conducted interviews for (now defunct) 'Music Technology' magazine based in Cambridge
. Notable interviews included Renegade Soundwave
, Frazier Chorus and A Guy Called Gerald
, all of whom were relatively unknown artists at the time of interview.
When Dubstar began their break from recording in 2000, Hillier wrote various songs for other artists, including Mark Owen
, Ben Ofoedu
, Landon Pigg
, Shane Lynch
, and Karen Mok
Without You (album). In recent times Hillier has contributed features and reviews for Future Music and Computer Music magazines as well as being a featured contributor to BBC Radio 2
's Sold on Song website. Steve is also a regular tutor at Point Blank Online Music School
Welling
Welling is a district in the London Borough of Bexley, South East London. It is a suburban development situated between Shooter's Hill and Bexleyheath north of the A2 road and 10.5 miles east south-east of Charing Cross.-History:...
, South London
South London
South London is the southern part of London, England, United Kingdom.According to the 2011 official Boundary Commission for England definition, South London includes the London boroughs of Bexley, Bromley, Croydon, Greenwich, Kingston, Lambeth, Lewisham, Merton, Southwark, Sutton and...
is a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
, DJ and record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
who has worked with rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
bands
Band (music)
In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform music. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* All-female band* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band...
such as Keane, Landon Pigg
Landon Pigg
Landon Pigg is a singer-songwriter, musician, and actor from Nashville, Tennessee.- Early years :Pigg was born in Nashville, Tennessee. When Pigg was a child, his family moved to Oak Park, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, and he and two of his siblings, Cari-Ann and Gabriel, sang commercial jingles...
and Mark Owen
Mark Owen
Mark Anthony Patrick Owen , is an English singer-songwriter. He is a member of pop band Take That. The band were hugely successful during the 1990s and have enjoyed even more success since their reunion in 2005...
. Hillier is chiefly known for his work with the band Dubstar
Dubstar
Dubstar are an English band, performing mostly dream pop and indie dance music, as well as occasional pop ballads and, on later releases, guitar-heavy rock with an industrial influence. The group was formed in 1992 by Steve Hillier and Chris Wilkie in Newcastle-upon-Tyne...
which he formed with Chris Wilkie and Sarah Blackwood
Sarah Blackwood (British musician)
Sarah Blackwood is an English recording artist. She came to prominence as the lead singer of Dubstar, and then as a singer-songwriter in Client...
in Newcastle Upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
in 1993. As well as writing nine of Dubstar's ten singles (including seven of their eight Top 40 singles http://www.discogs.com/Dubstar-Stars/release/217526 http://www.discogs.com/Dubstar-No-More-Talk/release/83725 http://www.discogs.com/Dubstar-Anywhere/release/190308), he has also remix
Remix
A remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....
ed artists as varied as Bebel Gilberto
Bebel Gilberto
Bebel Gilberto is a Brazilian popular singer often associated with bossa nova. She is the daughter of João Gilberto and singer Miúcha. Her uncle is singer/composer Chico Buarque...
and Hooverphonic
Hooverphonic
Hooverphonic are a Belgian rock/pop group, formed in 1995. Though early on categorized as a trip hop group, they quickly expanded their sound to the point where they could no longer be described as a lone genre, but rather encompass alternative, electronica, electropop, rock, and mixture of others...
and released numerous solo
Solo (music)
In music, a solo is a piece or a section of a piece played or sung by a single performer...
recordings
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
.
Early life
Steve Hillier was born in SouthamptonSouthampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
but grew up in South London where he attended Chislehurst and Sidcup Grammar School
Chislehurst and Sidcup Grammar School
Chislehurst and Sidcup Grammar School is a mixed grammar school located in Hurst Road , Sidcup in the London Borough of Bexley, England...
. He had his first article as a journalist published at the age of twelve. He started DJing at the age of fifteen http://www.dubstar.org.uk, playing alternative music in pubs and clubs in the London Borough of Bexley
Bexley
Bexley is an South East London]] in the London Borough of Bexley, London, England. It is located on the banks of the River Cray south of the Roman Road, Watling Street...
and surrounding areas including many events at Crayford
Crayford
Crayford is a town and electoral ward in the London Borough of Bexley that was an important bridging point in Roman times across the River Cray, a tributary of the River Darent, which is itself a tributary of the River Thames.-History:...
Town Hall.
Career
Hillier left school in 1987 and following a short period working as a salesSales
A sale is the act of selling a product or service in return for money or other compensation. It is an act of completion of a commercial activity....
representative for Pinnacle Records in Orpington
Orpington
Orpington is a suburban town and electoral ward in the London Borough of Bromley. It forms the southeastern edge of London's urban sprawl and is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.-History:...
, Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
moved to Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
where he DJed and promoted nightclub events across North East England
North East England
North East England is one of the nine official regions of England. It covers Northumberland, County Durham, Tyne and Wear, and Teesside . The only cities in the region are Durham, Newcastle upon Tyne and Sunderland...
for nine years http://www.stevehillier.net. It was during this period that he met Chris Wilkie and Sarah Blackwood
Sarah Blackwood (British musician)
Sarah Blackwood is an English recording artist. She came to prominence as the lead singer of Dubstar, and then as a singer-songwriter in Client...
and formed Dubstar
Dubstar
Dubstar are an English band, performing mostly dream pop and indie dance music, as well as occasional pop ballads and, on later releases, guitar-heavy rock with an industrial influence. The group was formed in 1992 by Steve Hillier and Chris Wilkie in Newcastle-upon-Tyne...
(see main article). He also wrote feature articles and conducted interviews for (now defunct) 'Music Technology' magazine based in Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
. Notable interviews included Renegade Soundwave
Renegade Soundwave
Renegade Soundwave was an electronic music group. Formed in London in 1986, the group originally consisted of Gary Asquith, Carl Bonnie and Danny Briottet.-History:...
, Frazier Chorus and A Guy Called Gerald
A Guy Called Gerald
A Guy Called Gerald is the stage name for the musician, record producer and DJ Gerald Simpson ....
, all of whom were relatively unknown artists at the time of interview.
When Dubstar began their break from recording in 2000, Hillier wrote various songs for other artists, including Mark Owen
Mark Owen
Mark Anthony Patrick Owen , is an English singer-songwriter. He is a member of pop band Take That. The band were hugely successful during the 1990s and have enjoyed even more success since their reunion in 2005...
, Ben Ofoedu
Ben Ofoedu
Ben Ofoedu , is a Nigerian/British singer-songwriter, most famous for being the former lead singer of the band Phats and Small.-Music career:...
, Landon Pigg
Landon Pigg
Landon Pigg is a singer-songwriter, musician, and actor from Nashville, Tennessee.- Early years :Pigg was born in Nashville, Tennessee. When Pigg was a child, his family moved to Oak Park, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, and he and two of his siblings, Cari-Ann and Gabriel, sang commercial jingles...
, Shane Lynch
Shane Lynch
Shane Lynch is an Irish singer-songwriter, actor and professional drift driver, best known for his distinctive body art, outlandish sense of style, and as a member of Boyzone...
, and Karen Mok
Karen Mok
Karen Joy Morris, known more commonly in the Sinosphere as Karen Mok or Mok Man-Wai, is a three-time Golden Melody Award-winning Hong Kong-based actress and singer-songwriter.- Biography :...
Without You (album). In recent times Hillier has contributed features and reviews for Future Music and Computer Music magazines as well as being a featured contributor to BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBC's national radio stations and the most popular station in the United Kingdom. Much of its daytime playlist-based programming is best described as Adult Contemporary or AOR, although the station is also noted for its specialist broadcasting of other musical genres...
's Sold on Song website. Steve is also a regular tutor at Point Blank Online Music School
Albums
| 2008 | United States of Being (forthcoming) |
| 2004 | Stars – The Best of Dubstar |
| 2000 | Make It Better Make It Better Make It Better is the third studio album by British dance-pop band Dubstar. It was released August 2000 on Food, and spawned two singles: "I " and "The Self Same Thing". The single "I was released in the UK on 1 May... |
| 1997 | Goodbye |
| 1995 | Disgraceful Disgraceful Disgraceful was Dubstar's debut album. It was released in October 1995 on the Food Records label, a division of EMI that was also home to Blur.-Track listing:#"Stars"#"Anywhere"#"Just A Girl She Said"#"Elevator Song"#"The Day I See You Again"... |
Singles
| Year | Title |
| 2006 | "Outrageous" recorded by Karen Mok Karen Mok Karen Joy Morris, known more commonly in the Sinosphere as Karen Mok or Mok Man-Wai, is a three-time Golden Melody Award-winning Hong Kong-based actress and singer-songwriter.- Biography :... |
| 2004 | "You Only Live If You Try" (CD and 7") recorded by Mark Owen Mark Owen Mark Anthony Patrick Owen , is an English singer-songwriter. He is a member of pop band Take That. The band were hugely successful during the 1990s and have enjoyed even more success since their reunion in 2005... |
| 2000 | "I (Friday Night)" |
| 1998 | "I Will Be Your Girlfriend" |
| 1997 | "Cathedral Park" |
| 1997 | "No More Talk" |
| 1996 | "Stars" |
| 1996 | "Not So Manic Now" |
| 1995 | "Anywhere" |
| 1995 | "Stars" |