H is for...

I'll keep to 10 again, but surprised at the range of others. H is indeed a rich letter.

- Heldon

- Harmonia

- Jon Hassell

- Human League

- Steve Hillage

- Haruomi Hosono

- He Said / Halo

- Heaven 17

- Hard Corps

- Michael Hoenig

Quite a few from the 70s again... Heldon (pictured right): the great overlooked French electronic band from 74-79. Harmonia: the perfect trio, and great to see them re-assessed, re-released, even re-formed. Hassell: one idea (processed trumpet) but consistently excellent and still going strong. Steve Hillage: amazingly varied career - hippy guitarist, early user of sequencers, pioneer of ambient (eg. Rainbow Dome Musik, 1979), in-demand producer (inc Simple Minds' classic New Gold Dream), and - as System 7 - a big influence on the electronica scene.

The 80s would have been a poorer place without Human League and Heaven 17 (pictured above, pre-split, in turn-of-the-decade bleaksville Sheffield). He Said: one of Graham 'Wire' Lewis's many alter egos (another is Halo).

This weekend I've been rediscovering Hard Corps, a mid-80s Brixton-based minimal electronic pop band with French chanteuse, not too dissimilar to Propaganda. They seemed to have a lot going for them - 3 excellent singles, arena support slots with The Cure and Depeche Mode, produced by Martin Rushent and Daniel Miller, and a major label in Polydor - so why didn't it happen for them? In an anglophone world, I think the titles of their singles - Je suis Passée, Respirer and Porte Bonheur. - might offer a clue.. Anyway, check out: http://www.youtube.com/watch#!v=8dn9_NvG-5o&feature=related.

Along with Sakamoto, Hosono is probably the most influential musician on the Japanese scene, from the 70s right through to now. And Michael Hoenig qualifies if only for his exquisite Departure from the Northern Wasteland album '78.

A long list of also-rans... From the 70s: Jimi Hendrix (OK, he really should be in the Top 10 but I'll face the consequences), Hawkwind, Herbie Hancock (for Headhunters and Sextant and, a bit later, Rockit); George Harrison (his best period), Isaac Hayes (the brilliant Shaft), Peter Michael Hamel, Hatfield & the North, Henry Cow (in small doses), Roy Harper, even Steve Hackett (Voyage of the Acolyte). From the 80s: Robert Haigh (great Satie-esque piano releases before he went drum&bass as Omni Trio), Hula, Paul Haig, Housemartins, House of Love, Half Man Half Biscuit, Hothouse Flowers, Husker Du, Holger Hiller, Lucia Hwong... 90s: The Heart Throbs (one great single, Dream Time), and a lot of electronica: Howie B, David Holmes, Beaumont Hannant, Mick Harris, Heavenly Music Corporation, Higher Intelligence Agency... 00s: Hazard, Hexstatic, Hybrid, Hot Chip... Plus miscellaneous no-era artists like Huun-Huur-Tu (Mongolian throat singers), Charles Hayward (Quiet Sun, This Heat, solo), and Robyn Hitchcock. Oh, and I never 'got' Peter Hammill.