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Louder
Louder
Entertainment
Prog

“The sound universe that Soft Machine opened before me was almost unfathomable. It was a revelation, a musical epiphany”: Meet the Canterbury scene’s international next generation

Robert Wyatt, Daevid Allen, Kevin Ayers and Mike Ratledge of Soft Machine in 1967.

Born in the titular Kent city in the late 60s, the Canterbury scene spawned some of prog’s most creative and quirky acts. From The Wilde Flowers and Soft Machine to Caravan and Gong, each had a distinctive sound and, in many cases, image that captured the hearts and minds of their followers.

But the scene’s impact didn’t end in the 70s. Phil Howitt, Facelift editor and Hugh Hopper’s biographer, explores the new breed of progressive acts inspired by it – both consciously and unwittingly – and unearths the secret of the “Canterbury chord.”

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