''777'' is the second studio album by English

electronic music Electronic music broadly is a group of music genres that employ electronic musical instruments, circuitry-based music technology and software, or general-purpose electronics (such as personal computers) in its creation. It includes both music ...

group

System 7 System 7 (later named Mac OS 7) is the seventh major release of the classic Mac OS operating system for Macintosh computers, made by Apple Computer. It was launched on May 13, 1991, to succeed System 6 with virtual memory, personal file shari ...

, originally released by

Big Life Big Life was a record label established in 1987 by Jazz Summers and Tim Parry. It featured hundreds of releases from artists such as The Orb, Stare, Yazz, Junior Reid, Coldcut, De La Soul, and Damage. In 1999, the label was put into receiver ...

in the United Kingdom in 1993. The album was released in the United States by

Hypnotic Records Hypnotic Records is an American independent record label specializing in electronic music. History Hypnotic Records is the sub-label to Cleopatra Records Steve Hillage Stephen Simpson Hillage (born 2 August 1951) is an English musician, best known as a guitarist. He is associated with the Canterbury scene and has worked in experimental domains since the late 1960s. Besides his solo sound recording and reprodu ...

's A-Wave label in 2003. After establishing themselves as

ambient house Ambient house is a downtempo subgenre of house music that first emerged in the late 1980s, combining elements of acid house and ambient music. The genre developed in chill-out rooms and specialist clubs as part of the UK's dance music scene. It ...

producers in the early 1990s, System 7 recorded ''777'' at Butterfly Studios in September 1992, sharing the album's name with the 1992 American version of their first studio album, ''

''. Compared to the group's ambient-styled debut album, ''777'' has a stronger emphasis on

dance music Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole piece or part of a larger musical arrangement. In terms of performance, the major categories are live dance music and recorded dance musi ...

, incorporating styles of

techno Techno is a genre of electronic dance music (EDM) which is generally produced for use in a continuous DJ set, with tempos being in the range from 120 to 150 beats per minute (bpm). The central rhythm is typically in common time ( ) and often ...

and

trance Trance is a state of semi-consciousness in which a person is not self-aware and is either altogether unresponsive to external stimuli (but nevertheless capable of pursuing and realizing an aim) or is selectively responsive in following the dir ...

. The record also features collaborations with

The Orb The Orb are an English electronic music group founded in 1988 by Alex Paterson and Jimmy Cauty. Known for their psychedelic sound, the Orb developed a cult following among clubbers "coming down" from drug-induced highs. Their influential ...

and producer

Youth Youth is the time of life when one is young. The word, youth, can also mean the time between childhood and adulthood (Maturity (psychological), maturity), but it can also refer to one's peak, in terms of health or the period of life known as bei ...

. Released at the height of the popularity of

ambient music Ambient music is a genre of music that emphasizes Musical tone, tone and atmosphere over traditional Musical form, musical structure or rhythm. Often "peaceful" sounding and lacking Musical composition, composition, beat, and/or structured melod ...

in the UK, ''777'' peaked at number 30 on the

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is the United Kingdom's industry-recognised national record chart for album, albums. Entries are ranked by sales and audio streaming. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the O ...

, and received critical acclaim.

Production and composition

In the 1990s, musician

Steve Hillage Stephen Simpson Hillage (born 2 August 1951) is an English musician, best known as a guitarist. He is associated with the Canterbury scene and has worked in experimental domains since the late 1960s. Besides his solo sound recording and reprodu ...

and his former

Gong A gongFrom Indonesian language, Indonesian and ; ; zh, c=鑼, p=luó; ; ; ; ; is a percussion instrument originating from Southeast Asia, and used widely in Southeast Asian and East Asian musical traditions. Gongs are made of metal and ...

bandmate

Miquette Giraudy Miquette Giraudy is a French keyboard player and vocalist, best known for her work in Gong (band), Gong, and with her partner Steve Hillage. She and Hillage form the core of the Ambient music, ambient band System 7 (band), System 7. She has also ...

formed System 7, an

group who operated more as a recording collective than a band. The formation of the group was inspired by Hillage befriending

Alex Paterson Alex Paterson (also known as Dr Alex Paterson, born Duncan Alexander Robert Paterson; 15 October 1959) is an English musician and co-founder of ambient house group the Orb, in which he has worked since its inception. Life and work Paterson at ...

the Orb The Orb are an English electronic music group founded in 1988 by Alex Paterson and Jimmy Cauty. Known for their psychedelic sound, the Orb developed a cult following among clubbers "coming down" from drug-induced highs. Their influential ...

, who played Hillage's '' Rainbow Dome Musick'' (1979) at the

Heaven Heaven, or the Heavens, is a common Religious cosmology, religious cosmological or supernatural place where beings such as deity, deities, angels, souls, saints, or Veneration of the dead, venerated ancestors are said to originate, be throne, ...

nightclub in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

while Hillage was there. Paterson persuaded Hillage to record ambient house music with his guitar as prominent in the mix as it had been in his solo work. System 7's debut single "Sunburst" was released in late 1990, followed by debut album ''

'' (1991) which featured collaborations with acts like Derrick May. The group then signed to

Astralwerks Astralwerks (or Astralwerks Records) is an American record label primarily focused on electronic music that is now owned by Universal Music Group. Its material is distributed via Capitol Music Group in the United States. The label was founded in ...

in the United States who released ''System 7'' there in 1992 with the new name ''777''. Killing joke paris 06

After releasing the standalone singles "Freedom Fighters" and "Attitude," System 7 began preparing for their second album. They named it ''777'', sharing its name with the 1992 American release of their debut album. The group had been briefly known as 777 when a

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

band named System Seven complained, but System 7 reverted to their original name after System Seven dissolved. System 7 recorded ''777'' at Butterfly Studios in September 1992, with recording assistance from Jody Sherry, Neal Snyman and Scruff. "7:7 Expansion" features additional co-producing and mixing from

, and is the only track on the album not to feature Giraudy. The Orb feature on "A Cool Dry Place", with

providing "ambience & navigation" and

Kris Weston Kristian "Kris" Weston (a.k.a. Thrash) (born 1972) is a British electronic musician, producer and remixer best known for his work as a member of the Orb. Around the beginning of his career, he worked with Andrew Weatherall on remixes of Meat ...

featuring on keyboards alongside Giraudy. The Orb also co-produced and mixed the track. Unlike the

ambient pop Ambient music is a genre of music that emphasizes Musical tone, tone and atmosphere over traditional Musical form, musical structure or rhythm. Often "peaceful" sounding and lacking Musical composition, composition, beat, and/or structured melod ...

of System 7's early work, ''777'' moves the group towards straightforward

, contributing to what biographer John Bush felt was "a completely different work than the earlier LP." The album places an stronger emphasis on

than its predecessor, with "its feet firmly on the dancefloor" according to writer Ben Hogwood. Candy Absorption of ''

Rough Guides Rough Guides is a travel company that offers tailor-made trips planned and arranged by local travel experts based in destinations around the world. Originally established as a guidebook publisher in 1982, Rough Guides expanded into customized t ...

'' wrote that, compared to System 7's debut album, ''777'' saw the group's "blissed-out

textures and rhythms take over." Ben Hogwood of ''

Resident Advisor ''Resident Advisor'' (also known as ''RA'') is an online music magazine and community platform established in 2001 and dedicated to showcasing electronic music, artists and events across the globe. Its editorial team provides news, music and ev ...

'' cites "Sinbad" as proof that "Steve Hillage and Miquette Giraudy know how to make a crowd dance." "Quest" and "7:7 Expansion" also feature "solidly rocking grooves." "A Cool Dry Place" features a

soundscape A soundscape is the acoustic environment as perceived by humans, in context. The term, originally coined by Michael Southworth, was popularized by R. Murray Schafer. There is a varied history of the use of soundscape depending on discipline, ...

style.

Release and reception

''777'' was released in the United Kingdom by

Big Life Records Big Life was a record label established in 1987 by Jazz Summers and Tim Parry. It featured hundreds of releases from artists such as The Orb, Stare, Yazz, Junior Reid, Coldcut, De La Soul, and Damage. In 1999, the label was put into receiver ...

in March 1993. It reached number 30 on the

, spending two weeks on the chart in total, and it remains their most successful album on the chart. Absorption felt the album's British Top 40 success was because it was released at the peak of "ambient fervour" in the region. The artwork for ''777'' features photography from

Trevor Key John Trevor Key (10 July 1947 – 6 December 1995) was a British photographer and designer, best known for his work for musical artists of the 1970s and 1980s. One of his best-known covers was for Mike Oldfield's 1973 debut album ''Tubular Bells ...

with design and art direction from David James Associates. Key's photograph for the cover depicts an early, primitive version of the typeface Metsys used for the band's name; the type and effects are part of the original photograph and were not added to the image in

post-production Post-production, also known simply as post, is part of the process of filmmaking, video production, audio production, and photography. Post-production includes all stages of production occurring after principal photography or recording indivi ...

. The liner notes and back cover use Gerstner Original, a typeface with a "fluid, techy and sci-fi quality" similar to Metsys. "7:7 Expansion" was released as the album's first single in February 1993, and it reached number 39 on the UK Singles Chart, becoming the band's first and highest charting single. A

double A-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of vinyl records and cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a single usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or ...

of "Sinbad" and "Quest" was issued as the album's second and final single in June, and it reached number 74 on the chart. Although System 7 wanted to release ''777'' in the United States, the record went unreleased the country until

Cleopatra Records Cleopatra Records is a Los Angeles-based independent record label that has the sub-labels Hypnotic Records, Goldenlane, Stardust, Purple Pyramid, Deadline and X-Ray Records. History Founded in January 1992 by Brian Perera, it specializes in go ...

and

Hypnotic Records Hypnotic Records is an American independent record label specializing in electronic music. History Hypnotic Records is the sub-label to Cleopatra Records After Hillage acquired the rights to ''777'' and other System 7 albums, he re-released ''777'' on his label A-Wave on 26 May 2003. In a contemporary review, Rupert Howe of '' Select'' described ''777'' as taking the "directionless jumble" of the group's debut and " ammeringsome kind of form out of Hillage's druidic fantasies." He wrote that the collaborations with The Orb and Youth were the album highlights, both offering what he described as a "rhythmic toughness that drops out of the later trips through the Hillage fretboard repertory." Andrew Boyd of the ''

Reading Evening Post The ''Reading Post'' (formerly the ''Reading Evening Post'') was an English local newspaper covering Reading, Berkshire and surrounding areas. The title page of the paper featured the Maiwand Lion, a local landmark at Forbury Gardens. The paper ...

'' expressed disappointment that the group "abandoned the vocals which enlivened many of the best tracks on their debut album," instead making an album of "Orb-like meanderings" that are "very pleasant, but no more than that." While Dave Simpson of ''

Melody Maker ''Melody Maker'' was a British weekly music magazine, one of the world's earliest music weeklies; according to its publisher, IPC Media, the earliest. In January 2001, it was merged into "long-standing rival" (and IPC Media sister publicatio ...

'' described ''777'' as sounding like the Orb, whom he said Hillage "virtually invented" with his album '' Rainbow Dome Musick'' (1979), he conceded it was a "fine LP" which he hoped would achieve commercial success. John Bush of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

highlighted "7:7 Expansion" and "Sinbad" as among the best tracks on ''777'' in a retrospective review. In a review of the 2003 reissue, Ben Hogwood of ''

'' wrote that ''777'' had "stood up well" as a result of its emphasis on dance music, and felt that "Sinbad" alone was proof that the System 7 reissues held "value." He also wrote that the reissues of ''777'' and other albums by the group would remind listeners "of the surprising weight and influence that System 7 hold within dance music."

Track listing

"Quest (Moon Mix)" was not included on the early versions of the album.

Personnel

Credits adapted from liner notes. *

– production, guitar, keyboards, programming *

– production, keyboards, programming *

– production, keyboards *

Tony Thorpe Anthony Thorpe (born 10 April 1974) is an English former professional footballer and former manager of Melton Town As a player he was a striker. He notably played for Luton Town, Bristol City and Queens Park Rangers. He also played in the Fo ...

– production, keyboards *

– production * Lewis Keogh – production, keyboards * Matt Austin – programming *

– keyboards *

– ambience, navigation

Charts

References

External links

*
''777''
at A-Wave {{Authority control 1993 albums Albums produced by Steve Hillage System 7 (band) albums