Soft Machine is a British group of rock'n'roll, pioneer in the psychedelism. Its name is inspired by the book éponyme of William S. Burroughs.

Formed in 1966 with Canterbury by Robert Wyatt (battery and song), Mike Ratledge (Organ, Piano), Daevid Allen (Guitar) and Kevin Ayers (low Guitar, and song), Software Machine, whose name is the title of a work of William Burroughs: The Software Machine (Olympia Press-1961), will become a headlight group of the progressive Rock. It records its 1st album in April 1968 with New York (without D. Allen which will create the group Gong later two years).

Beginning 1969, Hugh Hopper replaces K. Ayers with low. The 2nd album is recorded in April then the saxophonist viola Elton Dean joined the group which will record the double album “Third” as of the first months of the year 1970. It is with the formation Wyatt, Ratledge, Hopper and Dean which the 4th album will be carried out. Wyatt leaves the group in July 1971 to form Matching Mole, the corresponding mole , a pun according to soft Machine , the literal translation of Soft Machine in French.

Artistically, Soft Machine is with the crossroads of several kinds: pioneers of the psychedelism, they quickly turned to the jazz; increasingly intrigued by the complex rates/rhythms, they confine with the Jazz-rock'n'roll. The influence of the Pataphysique and Dada on their first productions (Volume Two is a patchwork of references dadaïsantes, to which come to be added homages to the creators of the serial music) will leave place to a musical volubility more and more sometimes malvenue. This evolution is felt with the departure of the musicians of origin: Daevid Allen then Kevin Ayers and finally Robert Wyatt, the last holding the psychedelic branch which will leave after Third and its splendid Moon in June , will of Robert Wyatt in Soft Machine. The group continues thereafter to exist in various forms after the departure of its founders, in particular under the direction of Karl Jenkins.

Albums of Software Machine

• 1967 : Jet Propelled

• 1968: The Software Machine
• 1969: Volume Two ( The Software Machine and Volume Two was republished in only one CD)
• 1970: Third
• 1971 : Fourth
• 1971 : Faces & Places
• 1972: Fifth
• 1973 : Six
• 1973: The Software Machine Collection: Album 1 & 2
• 1974: Seven
• 1975 : Bundles
• 1976 : Rubber Rif
• 1976: Softwares
• 1977: At the Beginning 1967
• 1977: Triple Echo
• 1978: Alive and Well: Recorded in Paris
• 1980: Memories
• 1981 : The Land off Cockayne'
• 1988: Live At the Proms 1970
• 1990: The Untouchable 1975-1978
• 1991 : The Peel Sessions 1970
• 1991: Ace Yew
• 1994: Radio operator BBC 1 Live in Concert 1972
• 1994: Jet-Propelled Photographs 1989
• 1995: Live in France (Paris)
• 1995: Live At the Paradiso 1969
• 1995: The Best off Software Machine: The Harvest Years
• 1996 : Spaced 1969
• 1998: Virtually
• 1998 : Live 1970
• 1999 : Software Machine Fourth/Fifth
• 2000: Hazel nut
• 2001: Man in Deaf Corner: Anthology 1963-1970
• 2001 : Turns One Volume 1
• 2001: Turns One Volume 2
• 2002: Backwards
• 2002 : Facelift
• 2003 : Radio operator BBC 1967-1971
• 2003: Kings off Canterbury
• 2004: Radio operator BBC 1971-1974
• 2004: Somewhere in Soho
• 2004: Live in Paris 1972
• 2005: Breda Reactor
• 2005 : Out-Bloody-Rageous - Year Anthology 1967-1973
• 2006: Grides
• 2006 : Middle Earth Masters

External bonds

• sessionographies Wyatt/Hopper/Ratledge/Dean]

• illustrated chronology 1966-1981
• discography Wyatt time 1966-1971