"Hiding under the moniker Church of Hed is Quarkspace drummer Paul Williams. Created to indulge the latter's electronic side, this project focuses on tighter songs and a synth-heavy sound. Lack of electric guitar aside, the music follows a path very similar to the group's own brand of trippy space rock. Williams, billed as “the nefarious HED," plays multi-layered synthesizers, loops, drums and even vocals on a couple of numbers. In short, this eponymous release makes a convincing debut." - Francois Couture - All Music Guide

Press Info

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Similar Artists

"Think Ozric Tentacles, but also Tangerine Dream, The Orb, even a touch of Stereolab." - All Music Guide

Influences

"Shades of the usual suspects - Pink Floyd, Gong, Hillage,
Hawkwind - and hints at dub & ambient styles, too." - ZNR Records

Bio

Drummer/keyboardist Paul Williams is mostly known for his tenure in the U.S. space rock group Quarkspace and for his regular column in the magazine Progression. Through the 1990s he went from amateur drummer to professional musician and record producer. He is also involved in the New Druids, Spirits Burning, National Steam, the "supergroup" Secret Saucer, and is the sole member in the space electronica outfit Church of Hed.

Williams was born in 1966 in Amherst, OH. Self-taught on drums and keyboards, he began playing music during his teens. At age 18 he was recruited by guitarist and classmate Darren Gough to play drums in the newly formed group Quark! After two years of local gigging, Williams left, but remained active on the music scene. He released a cassette of space music, putting together his own label, Eternity's Jest, on which all Quarkspace-related material would later appear.

A technology wizard, Williams gradually moved from acoustic to electronic drums, keyboards ,and electronics, dragging Quarkspace's sound toward a space rock-electronica in the process. He also took up the production and recording aspects of the group's life.

Williams then got involved in Secret Saucer, with members of Architectural Metaphor, Star Nation, and Sun Machine. He also started his electronica project Church of Hed, making him the most active musician in Quarkspace. — François Couture, All Music Guide