Soft Machine was formed in 1966 by Robert Wyatt, Mike Ratledge, Kevin Ayers and Daevid Allen. Wyatt had already worked with Allen in the Daevid Allen Trio (which Ratledge occasionally jammed with) in ...

Soft Machine founding member and keyboard player Mike Ratledge died on Wednesday, February 5, after a brief illness, according to his former bandmate and guitarist John Etheridge. “Mike was the ...

Soft Machine are an enigma and an anomaly. With an ever-changing lineup and stylistic shifts, musically, fans often debate about what is the “best” Soft Machine. There are the early years — Kevin ...

Surrealist, satirist and beat generation figure William Burroughs has been an inspirational source of ideas for musicians over the years. But the first time his work was used as a wellspring by a band ...

Mike Ratledge, one of the founding members of the legendary British psych-rock band Soft Machine, has died. As Louder points out, Soft Machine guitarist John Etheridge shared the news in a Facebook ...

Some would argue that Soft Machine didn't technically take its last wheezing gasps until the early 1980s, with the release of the largely inconsistent Land of Cockayne (EMI, 1981). Most, however, ...

Pat Metheny and former Police members Andy Summers and Sting are just a few of the celebrated musicians to sing the praises of English guitar master John Etheridge, who performs in San Diego Thursday ...

The 1970s was a golden age for British jazz rock. Soft Machine and Nucleus were among the bands leading the way, and Brand X and Bruford enjoyed high profiles. But there’s much more to discover from ...

Mike Ratledge, founding keyboardist for influential English group Soft Machine, died on Wednesday following a brief illness. He was 81. The news came via current Soft Machine guitarist John Etheridge, ...

Pioneers of British psychedelic fusion sounds, UK avant / jazz-rock band Soft Machine bring another stellar performance to Band on the Wall. Having shared stages with the likes of Syd Barrett's Pink ...