Besides being one of the most well-known progressive rock artists of our generation, Steven Wilson has earned a reputation as one of the most respected remixers in the rock world, revisiting and revitalizing classic albums by acts like Black Sabbath, Rush, Jethro Tull, Tears For Fears, and XTC. Yet, his choices aren’t guided by commercial success alone; they’re also driven by personal admiration.
Speaking with Noise11, Wilson explained that he prefers to work with artists whose music he genuinely loves. He pointed to one particular project as proof of that approach
“The Gentle Giant guys are the sweetest guys. I don’t know if you’ve ever interviewed those guys, but they’re the sweetest guys. The music is incredible, and it deserves to have its own profile,” he said as transcribed by Ultimate Guitar.
Wilson’s connection to Gentle Giant runs deep — he has remixed six of their albums: 1970’s Three Piece Suite, 1972’s Octopus, 1974’s The Power and the Glory, 1975’s Free Hand, 1976’s Interview, and 1977’s The Missing Piece.
“Those bands are what you would call a little bit underrated. And one of the things that’s beautiful about remixing their work is that some people discover the bands for the first time through the remixes. And it might be that they’re my fans, and that they see, ‘Oh, Steven‘s remixed this band called Gentle Giant. Never heard of them, but if he’s worked on them, I’m definitely going to check them out,” he added, “And then, ‘Oh, my God, they’re amazing! I’m going to collect the whole catalog!”
For Wilson, that moment of discovery is the true reward: “And that, for me, is the greatest gift of all, is to be able to introduce music that I think is amazing to people who don’t know it before. And that’s happened a lot with Gentle Giant. To me, it’s only second to The Beatles in terms of innovation, songwriting genius. And to be able to introduce that to your fans is such a great feeling. So that’s the reason I do the Gentle Giant [remixes], as well.”
Through his meticulous remix work, Wilson is somehow bridging generations, ensuring music he considers extraordinary continues to find new ears.
