MoonJune Records

06/05/2025

04/05/2025

Visionary guitarist and composer Markus Reuter returns with TRUCE

30/03/2025

LPs ready to be shipped next week:

SOFT MACHINE, Floating World Live
2LP, 150 grams, clear vinyl, European pressing
softmachine-moonjune.bandcamp.com/album/floating-world-live-re-mastered
(also available on CD and 24bit download)
(Karl Jenkins, Mike Ratledge, Allan Holdsworth, Roy Babbington, John Marshall)

SOFT MACHINE, Drop
2LP, 150 grams, white vinyl, European pressing
softmachine-moonjune.bandcamp.com/album/drop-remastered-2
(also available on CD and 24bit download)
(Elton, Mike Ratledge, Hugh Hopper, Phil Howard)

05/12/2024

Soft Machine feat. Allan Holdsworth - Floating World Live (1975, remastered 2024) Listening Party
RSVP here:
https://softmachine-moonjune.bandcamp.com/merch/soft-machine-feat-allan-holdsworth-floating-world-live-1975-remastered-2024-listening-party

Album was remastered by Mark Wingfield.

Available as pre-order in HD (24/48), CD and 2LP (150 grams clear vinyl, gatefold)

SOFT MACHINE 'FLOATING WORLD LIVE' notes by Sid Smith

An indispensable record of a band at the top of their game…

The arrival of guitarist Allan Holdsworth into the ranks of Soft Machine in December 1973 marked a significant change in tone and style for the venerable jazz-rock institution.

Having started out as an experimental pop group in the mid-1960s, Soft MACHINE had undergone several changes not only in its personnel but in its music. By the early 1970s albums such as Third, Fourth, boasting long-form compositions in complex and adventurous arrangements, secured their reputation as the UK’s leading jazz-rock performers.

With albums such as Fifth, Six, and Seven navigating a beguiling path through austere free-jazz meditations, minimalist overtures, and immersive proto-ambient sound worlds, the arrival of guitarist Allan Holdsworth in the ranks of this musical institution in December 1973 brought a new and excitingly bold dynamic into the group’s interlocking riffs and elegant themes.

Galvanizing the group’s fanbase at home and in both Europe and America, Holdsworth’s lightning-fast runs and edgy riffing made Soft Machine gigs a must-see, hot-ticket event, as he brought a rockier perspective to Karl Jenkins’ compositions.

By the time of this Bremen Radio broadcast in January 1975, Mike Ratledge (keyboards), Karl Jenkins Sax, Oboe, Keyboards) Roy Babbington (bass), John Marshall (drums), and Allan Holdsworth had been working together for a year. Constantly honing their collective abilities in concert, the quintet had already recorded their first (and only) studio album together, Bundles, in July 1974.

Although not released until March 1975 the setlist at Bremen is largely drawn from Bundles in a sparkling performance that many fans felt outshone the studio versions of this material.

The opening sequence of Floating World / Bundles/ Land Of The Bag Snake is an exhilarating 15-minute rollercoaster in which Holdsworth’s ferocious, gutsy playing bursts into the air, particularly on the Land Of The Bag Snake where his free-spirited performance easily outstrips its studio counterpart.

Mike Ratledge’s The Man Who Waved At Trains, which seamlessly flows into the bracing Peff, highlights a wistful mood swing courtesy of an attentive solo from Holdsworth, this time on violin. Once again, this beautiful piece, one of the last tunes Ratledge would compose for the group before leaving in March 1976, is superior to the version recorded for Bundles in every respect.

While it's true to say Holdsworth’s remarkable flights across the fretboard dominate a scorching set as the principal instrument, there’s plenty of space for others in the group to step into the spotlight. Roy Babbington’s bass solo, here titled Ealing Comedy is a masterclass in exploring texture and melody. Mike Ratledge’s use of the EMS suitcase synthesizer on North Point conjures exotic sound worlds utilizing percussive-style sequencers with harsh, ear-bending sonorities and modulations. No Soft Machine set would be complete without a drum solo and in JSM, John Marshall, always one of the most musical and thoughtful of performers, demonstrates why he was so highly regarded by both fans and critics alike.

Of interest to fans of this later period in the band’s history, there are early versions of Song Of Ae**us and the bare structural bones of Ban-Ban Caliban later refined and developed on their next studio album, Softs, trading here as Riff III.

The improvised Endgame typifies the effortless acceleration the group had at its disposal all of which makes Floating World Live something of a bittersweet release given that just two months after its recording Allan Holdsworth would leave Soft Machine to join Tony Williams’ Lifetime.

Beautifully remastered by guitarist and MoonJune Records artist, Mark Wingfield, this is without doubt one of the very best archival Soft Machine releases. Capturing a cracking set by a lineup at the very top of their game, Floating World Live is an indispensable counterweight to the group’s sole studio album, Bundles.

Listening Party from Soft Machine.

24/10/2024

Soft Machine featuring John Etheridge, Theo Travis, Fred Thelonious Baker and Asaf Sirkis. I am contemplating to see shows in London and Sutton (Surrey) on November 27 (Together with Colosseum) at the 229 Club, and on November 29 at the The Sound Lounge Sutton, and in between, on November 28, I will be seeing Hugh Cornwell and EXTC at the Electric Ballroom.
In town for extra few days. Londoners, ¿where we are having our pints?

16/10/2024

Bill Bruford reflects on his evolution from the drummer for Yes and King Crimson to a leader in jazz fusion. Known for his constant innovation and the pioneering use of electronic drums, Bruford’s thoughts reveal a deep commitment to exploration and the pursuit of musical collaboration. Now back after a lengthy break from performing, Bruford offers a look at his creative processes, the role of technology in shaping his sound, and his return to live performance with the Pete Roth Trio.
Read more in this article in The Strange Brew.

Bill Bruford reflects on his evolution from the drummer for Yes and King Crimson to a leader in jazz fusion. Known for his constant innovation and the pioneering use of electronic drums, Bruford's thoughts reveal a deep commitment to exploration and the pursuit of musical collaboration. Now back aft...

07/10/2024

The so-called Soft Machine MoonJune Years period (as named once by the late great John Kelman) started in 2002 with Soft Works (Elton Dean, Allan Holdsworth, Hugh Hopper, John Marshall) and it was a very special band. The only reason it wasn't called Soft Machine was because Hugh Hopper thought it might upset his old friend Robert Wyatt, but when we toured Japan, Italy and played in Mexico, everyone called the band Soft Machine, and both The Italian and Japanese tour had a gigantic SOFT MACHINE LEGACY headline under the name SOFT WORKS.
Due to some personal reasons and Allan's then manager sabotaging the band's existence with AH, the outstanding guitar legend John Etheridge was called to be part of the band, and we changed the name to SOFT MACHINE LEGACY. Then Elton Dean died, and in his place came the great Theo Travis who revolutionized the sound of the band, and when Roy Babbington joined the band, after passing of Hugh Hopper, the rhythm section was much more compatible, but then John Marshall started having health problems and the band had so many subs on the drums, a number of the most impressive British beat keepers. Then Roy Babbington decided to retire due to age and hand arthritis, and the fretless bass maestro Fred Baker became the natural choice for the bass position. And when John Marshall died, it was only natural that one of the most musical drummers of the 21st century, Asaf Sirkis Sirkis, took the Soft Machine drum chair. And as much as I've enjoyed every single constellation since 2002, I truly believe this may be the most cohesive, most compact, and most energetic. It used to be magical to hear Allan and Elton together two decades ago, but the arrival of Theo Travis is what pushed the band on an adventurous musical path, which greatly benefited John Etheridge who hadn't played often distorted electric guitar in the two decades before joining. At the age of 76, John Etheridge proves to be one of the greatest living electric jazz-rock-fusion guitarists and one of the all time greats. This is the band's photo by Pascal Ratthe from their very last North American tour, last Saturday in Quebec City. Special thanks to Nicolas Houle, the QC promoter.

03/10/2024

Continental Europe booking in process for The Pete Roth Trio featuring Bill Bruford (drums), Pete Roth (guitar) and Mike Pratt (bass). It's all about jazz.

02/10/2024

PAKT has a new member, Adam Holzman, who will be subbing for the mega-n=busy guitar uber-maestro Alex Skolnick lkater this year. And next year, I would vividly suggest the band to be, instead of PAKT, simply PAAKT! The next level of creative improvised music created on the spot by five great masters of their own instruments.
Percy Jones (bass), Adam Holzman (keyboards), Kenny Grohowski (drums), Tim Motzer (guitars and electronics).
Stay tuned for some live actions in the USA North-East, and next year, hopefully PAAKT can do more!

So far PAKT feat. Percy Jones, Alex Skolnick, Kenny Grohowski, Tim Motzer played a nice number of gigs across the USA and one in Canada, I saw only 13 of them.

Aug-26-2024 - Charlotte, NC (The Milestone Club)
Aug-27-2024 - Asheville, NC (The Grey Eagle)
Aug-28-2024 - Raleigh, NC (Kings Raleigh)
Aug-30-2024 - Sellersville, PA (Sellersville Theater)
Sep-01-2024 - Chapel Hill, NC (ProgDay at the Storybook Farm)
Sep-07-2024 - Rutherford, NJ (Williams Center, ProgStock Presents)
Feb 13-2024 - Phoenix, AZ (The Rhythm Room)
Feb-12-2024 - Costa Mesa, CA (The Wayfarer)
Feb-11-2024 - Los Angeles, CA (The Baked Potato, 2 shows)
Feb-10-2024 - Los Angeles, CA (The Baked Potato, 2 shows)
Feb-09-2024 - Lompoc, CA (Flower City Ballroom)
Feb-08-2024 - Mill Valley, CA (Sweetwater Music Hall)
Feb-06-2024 - Pacifica, CA (The Winter Tavern)
Feb-03-2024 - Eugene, OR (The WOW Hal
Feb-02-2024 - Portland, OR (Alberta Abbey
Feb-01-2024 - Seattle, WA (Funhouse)
Nov-26-2023 - New York City, NY (The Cutting Room)
Jul-14-2023 - Hudson Falls, NY (The Strand Theater)
Jul-15-2023 - Brooklyn, NY (ShapeShifter Lab)
Jul-16-2023 - Sellersville, PA (Sellersville Theater)
Mar-05-2023 - Cincinnati, OH (The Ludlow Garage)
Mar-04-2023 - Westland, MI (Joy Manor)
Mar-03-2023 - Columbus, OH (Double Happiness)
Mar-03-2023 - Indianapolis, IN (Irving Theater)
Mar-01-2023 - Chicago, IL (Shack @ Reggie’s)
Feb-19-2023 - Philadelphia, PA (Solar Myth)
Feb-18-2023 - New York City, NY (Nublu)
Dec-18-2021 - Piermont, NY (The Turning Point)
Dec-16-2021 - Catskill, NY (The Avalon Lounge)
Dec-15-2021 - Buffalo, NY (Tralf Music Hall)
Dec-14-2021 - Cleveland, OH (Beachland Ballroom)
Dec-13-2021 - Rochester, NY (Lovin’ Cup)
Sep-12-2021 - Hudson Falls, NY (The Strand Theater)
Sep-11-2021 - Liverpool, NY (Sharkey’s)
July-25-2021 - Sellersville, PA (Sellersville Theater)
July-24-2021 - Brooklyn, NY (ShapeShifter Lab)
July-23-2021 - Kennett Square, PA (Kennett Flash Rooftop Series)
July-22-2021 - Pawling, NY (Daryl's House)
Aug-15-2020 - Brooklyn, NY (ShapeShifter Lab)

02/10/2024

Quartet Diminished from Tehran, Iran performing at MoonJune Festival 2024 in Guadamur. Their ex*****on of 25+ minutes suite 'Deerand' from the homonymous 4th album of the band, and the first on Records, was the absolute highlight of the whole festival. I just wish that the general sound was 10-15% 'louder'. Ehsan Sadigh (guitar), Soheil Peyghambari (bass clarinet, soprano sax), Mazyar Younesi (acoustic piano), Rouzbeh Fadavi are 4 monstrously talented musicians and above all, four wonderful chaps. Manfred Eicher of ECM Records is a fan of the band. Unfortunately, due to reasons totally out of my control, their CD 'Deerand' arrived too late to Toledo, from the manufacturing plant in Poland, but You can check and get the album here:
https://4tetdiminished.bandcamp.com/album/deerand
Hopefully, the idiocy of the current rulers of two countries that start with the letter "I" will not prevent this phenomenal avant-garde and progressive chamber jazz-rock ensemble from performing further in Europe, and due to circumstances, I have to cancel my plans to go to Tehran later this month for their promotional concert with a symphony orchestra. In any case, Iran was always at the top of the list of countries I wanted to visit since 1968, when my mother used to send me beautiful postcards from Tehran, Tabriz and Isfahan. Ancient culture, great arts, breathtaking natural beauty, gastronomy and Quartet DIninished, and I still want to go to Iran one day, no matter what.