Miquette Giraudy

Miquette Giraudy (born on 9 February 1953 in Nice at the Côte d'Azur) is a French keyboard player, vocalist and former actress, film editor and director's assistant. She is best known for her work in Gong and System 7 with her long-time partner Steve Hillage.

In the late 1960s Monique Giraudy became assistant to French film maker Jackie Raynal. She has script and assistant editing credits on the 1969 Barbet Schroeder film More, famously soundtracked by Pink Floyd. Getting in front of the camera she then appeared, under the name Marsiale Giraudy, in Jean-Pierre Prévost's 1971 film Jupiter ; as Monique Giraudy she played the role of Monique in Schroeder's 1972 film La Vallée, also soundtracked by Pink Floyd. Raynal herself appeared in Martial Raysse's 1972 film Le Grand Départ for which Giraudy got a full editing credit.

After falling in love with Hillage, 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 doing wee voices and chourousings (sic), on 1 track of the studio album Shamal (1975) and on 4 tracks of Live Etc. (recorded between 1973 and 1975, released in 1977). She is also on the archival release Live In Sherwood Forest '75 (2005).

Giraudy also appears on all of Hillage's solo albums. She played percussion, keyboards, sang and co-wrote material on Fish Rising (1975), L (1976), Motivation Radio (1977), Green (1978), Live Herald (1977-1979) and several subsequent albums. Although released in 1979 under Hillage's name, Rainbow Dome Musick's side A was written and largely performed by Giraudy, while side B was written and largely performed by Hillage.

Since 1990 Hillage and Giraudy have been active as System 7, working with a number of collaborators to create an ambient / techno / psychedelic fusion sound. Together with Steve Hillage, she has alos participated in a number of Gong reunions, most notably for various shows from 2006 onwards. This line-up released 2032 in 2009.

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