The band name says it all. Three members of this quartet worked at different times in the original Soft Machine (John Etheridge, Hugh Hopper, John Marshall) whilst the fourth (Theo Travis) has assumed the mantle once taken by the late and lamented musician, Elton Dean. They've come up with a program of music that pulls off the not inconsiderable feat of acknowledging the legacy at the same time as it forges ahead in new and distinct ways. The world would be a far more interesting place if more musicians operated on a similar level. Overall this a vibrant, adventurous fusion and free form jazz outing; it stands up well to the band's illustrious history and ought to be on any Soft fan's collection.

Featuring some of the most stunning musicianship ever associated with England's Canterbury scene, Hatfield and the North's second LP features, like their eponymous debut, Dave Stewart on keyboards, Phil Miller on guitar, Richard Sinclair on bass and vocals, and Pip Pyle on drums (supplemented by a few guest instrumentalists and the ever-ethereal Northettes with their "la la" backing vocals). The participants show an admirable sense of restraint and, like their Canterbury peers, are careful to avoid the pomposity and bombast of better-known prog rockers of the era, such as Emerson, Lake & Palmer and Yes. The Hatfields' convoluted instrumental passages segue into the occasional Sinclair vocal vehicle, in which the exemplary bassist sings in a polite and mellow croon that utterly avoids melismatic displays, histrionics, or over-emoting; in other words, his style – closer to, say, Bing Crosby than, say, Joe Cocker – would likely cause many 21st century pop music listeners to scratch their heads with bemusement.

Alco Frisbass new release joins the other two as another in a line of incredible musics. These Frenchmen incorporate jazz, zeuhl and Canterbury into an ever evolving amalgamation of pure delight.

Flying Teapot is the third studio album by the progressive rock band Gong, originally released by Virgin Records in May 1973. Subtitled Radio Gnome Invisible, Part 1, it is the first of the Radio Gnome Invisible trilogy of albums, followed by Angel's Egg in December and You the following October. This trilogy forms a central part of the Gong mythology. The Flying Teapot idea itself was influenced by Russell's teapot. It was the first Gong album to feature English guitarist Steve Hillage, although he contributed relatively little as he arrived late in the recording process. In the Q & Mojo Classic Special Edition Pink Floyd & The Story of Prog Rock, the album came #35 in its list of "40 Cosmic Rock Albums".

Manna/Mirage is the ongoing project by former The Muffins mastermind Dave Newhouse. While he’s obviously working towards different ends and also with a variety of different people as he explores these different ends, it’s still very much coming from his pen, so fans of the band should also greatly enjoy this release.
The 4th Manna/Mirage album is now available as a limited edition CD in a Digipack format. It features many guest musicians from the RIO / Canterbury / Independent music community. Fred Frith (guitar) adds a new level to a comp entitled "Fred's Dream" (yes, it really did come from a dream I had about Fred!), and Guy Segers (bass) monsters through an 10 minute juggernaut of a comp called "4 Steps Back".

The first Soft Machine LP usually got the attention, with its movable parts sleeve, as well as the presence of ultra-talented songwriter Kevin Ayers. But musically, Volume Two better conveys the Dada-ist whimsy and powerful avant rock leanings of the band. Hugh Hopper took over for Ayers on bass, and his fuzz tones and experimental leanings supplanted Ayers' pop emphasis. The creative nucleus behind this most progressive of progressive rock albums, however, is Robert Wyatt. He provides the musical arrangements to Hopper's quirky ideas on the stream-of-consciousness collection of tunes ("Rivmic Melodies") on side one…

Gilgamesh's 1975 eponymous debut portrays a fine group that emerged during the waning days of Britain's Canterbury scene. The album by keyboardist Alan Gowen's quartet - also featuring guitarist Phil Lee, bassist Jeff Clyne, and drummer Mike Travis in this incarnation - was issued by Virgin Records' budget-line Caroline imprint. By the mid-'70s, Virgin's support for bands of this ilk was approaching its end, with punk and new wave soon ruling the day. Arriving late in the game, Gowen and company sounded most similar to Canterbury supergroup Hatfield and the North, and in fact Hatfields keyboardist Dave Stewart co-produced the album. Gilgamesh had clearly mastered the Hatfields' suites'n'segues approach to Canterbury-style complexity while sidestepping blatant imitation - for the most part…

Downwind (1979). Eagerly awaited re-press for this classic album by Pierre Moerlen's Gong featuring Mike Oldfield, Steve Winwood & Mick Taylor. Booklet with restored artwork, photos & liner notes. By the late 1970s Percussionist Pierre Moerlen had taken over the leadership of Gong and had steered the band away from Psychedelic Space Rock and took the band into a Jazz Rock direction, one in which the band excelled. After recording several albums with Virgin, the band now featured Hansford Rowe on bass, Ross Record on guitar, Benoit Moerlen on vibes and Francois Causse on percussion. Moerlen signed with Arista Records in 1978 and recorded this excellent album partially in Mike Oldfield’s studio. Oldfield guested on the superb lengthy title track with fellow guest Steve Winwood, whilst Mick Taylor appeared on the track "What You Know"…

Ske is the "solo" project of Paolo "Ske" Botta, italian keyboards player who also plays in many bands, most notably Yugen and Not a Good Sign. In 2011 the debut album "1000 Autunni" was released on AltrOck/Fading Records, and features mostly Yugen musicians. The style can be described as 70s Symphonic Prog meets Avant/RIO and Canterbury. The album received great critical acclaim and went quickly out of print, to be eventually reprinted in 2018 as "1001 Autunni", with an additional live CD.
The new studio album "Insolubilia" is still produced by Marcello Marinone. It is a dense and heavily layered album, inspired by brain teasers and paradoxes. Despite this, it has a distinctive melodic approach that should help the listener to avoid “getting lost” into the sonic labyrinth. With echoes by bands such as Gentle Giant, Änglagård…

A French combo NEBULOUS SUN were founded by Captain FLAPATTAK (drums, vocals, ex-RHÙN), Kevin BROSSE (bass, moog, vocals), Jeremie GOUBAULT (lead vocals, guitar), and Charlotte PACE (violin), strongly with multiple inspiration by RIO, Zeuhl, Canterbury, or folk. Their debut album "First Tale" mastered by Udi KOOMRAN was released via a French independent label Baboon Fish Label in July 2021.

A UK rock combo Psychoyogi have been founded as an avantgarde/ jazz/Canterbury rock trio by Chris Ramsing (voices, guitar), Chris Sansom (bass), and Jonas Golland (drums, percussion) around 2010.
Psychoyogi's music is a diverse mixture of instrumental colours, melodies, and words. The songs present social and political critique alongside personal moments and moods. In the words of Mike O'Toole (Beat Magazine) "Their sound is unparalleled and cannot be categorised. It is a rejection of docile adherence to a single musical style".

In the Land of Grey and Pink is considered by many to be a pinnacle release from Caravan. The album contains an undeniable and decidedly European sense of humor and charm. In addition, this would mark the end of the band's premiere lineup. Co-founder David Sinclair would leave Caravan to form Matching Mole with Soft Machine drummer and vocalist Robert Wyatt in August of 1971. As a group effort, In the Land of Grey and Pink displays all the ethereal brilliance Caravan created on their previous pair of 12" outings. Their blending of jazz and folk instrumentation and improvisational styles hints at Traffic and Family, as displayed on "Winter Wine," as well as the organ and sax driven instrumental introduction to "Nine Feet Underground."