Formed in Canterbury, England in 1966, Soft Machine never achieved great commercial success, but they became one of the most influential bands from the Canterbury scene and beyond. Initially playing their own brand of psychedelic rock, the band was founded by Mike Ratledge (keyboards / flute), Kevin Ayers (bass / guitar / vocals), Daevid Allen (guitar / vocals), Robert Wyatt (drums / vocals), and Larry Nowlin (guitar). This line-up only lasted a short while with Nowlin departing early followed by Daevid Allen, who went on to form Gong. Moving towards a more progressive style of rock, Ratledge, Ayers, and Wyatt remained part of the original line-up by the time they released their debut album, The Soft Machine, in 1968. However, Ayers left the band after the album’s release and Ratledge and Wyatt carried on for a few more albums – Volume Two (1969), Third (1970), and Fourth (1971) – before Wyatt left and formed the band Matching Mole. The group’s line-up would continue to change over the years and included musicians such as Andy Summers, Elton Dean, Hugh Hopper, Allan Holdsworth, Karl Jenkins, and many others. Their musical direction changed as well, blending prog rock leanings with a healthy dose of jazz rock. Mike Ratledge led the band on the albums Fifth (1972), Six (1973), Seven (1973), and Bundles (1975) before leaving Soft Machine in 1976. Although no original members remained in the line-up, the group remained active until 1981 before calling it a day. The band’s influence continued to grow over the years as reissues, archive live releases, and compilations helped to expand their audience. Soft Machine reunited several times over the years for live performances but by the mid-2000’s, a group of old and new members began recording as Soft Machine Legacy. After several years, the reunited band – which did not feature any original members – reverted to the name Soft Machine and continues to tour and record new studio albums such as Hidden Details (2018), Other Doors (2023), and Thirteen (2026). Following the deaths of guitarists Kevin Ayers (2013) and Daevid Allen (2015), keyboardist Mike Ratledge died on February 5, 2025, at the age of 81.
