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Louder
Louder
Entertainment
Sid Smith

“I used Steven Wilson’s Mellotron in exchange for me guesting at his London Palladium show!”: Prog pioneers Soft Machine spared no effort on their new album, then took a risk by calling it Thirteen

Soft Machine in 2026.

Soft Machine’s 13th album is packed with impressive songwriting and even a few firsts, it’s arguably one of the ever-evolving collective’s luckiest releases. Woodwind and keys player Theo Travis tells Prog about its creation and the posthumous appearance from one of the band’s co-founders.

What is it that burrows deep within the British psyche to male it near impossible for a person – especially a musician – to accept a compliment? Evidence of this characteristic is on display when Prog catches up with Soft Machine’s Theo Travis to talk about the making of the band’s latest release, Thirteen.

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