Soft Machine – Thirteen

(Dyad Records through Proper)

John Etheridge – electric guitar
Theo Travis - tenor & soprano saxes, flute, Fender Rhodes piano, electronics
Fred Thelonious Baker – bass guitar
Asaf Sirkis - drums & percussion

‘Thirteen’ is the thirteenth studio album by Soft Machine. Comprising thirteen brand new tracks, the album marks a new chapter in the group’s 60 year history.  Whilst the line-up of Soft Machine may have changed many times since the heady days of the late 1960's, the band's spirit of musical adventure, and the ease with which it freely avoids being pigeonholed has stayed a constant – as it moves from powerful progressive jazz rock to atmospheric psychedelia to free improvised jazz to ambient loop music.

‘Thirteen’ features legendary guitarist John Etheridge who has been with the band over 50 years in superb form. Whilst all four members of the band contribute compositions, the album’s main composer is saxophonist, flautist and keyboard player Theo Travis who wrote six of the album’s thirteen tracks, including the longest most progressive track of the set ‘The Longest Night’ (clocking in at just over 13 minutes). The newest member of the group is drummer and composer Asaf Sirkis. Former Soft Machine drummer and songwriter Robert Wyatt said of Asaf –

“I’ve known Asaf’s gifts for years, certainly enough to say that as far as I can see there’s nothing he can’t do when he puts his mind to it…..his kit skills just keep expanding but what really gets to me are his ethereal, haunting compositions.…”

The album is incredibly broad in its breadth and scope. Tracks include ‘Pens to the Foal Mode’ which is a completely free group improvisation; ‘Open Road’ a rocky track which sees the band soaring on all burners with fiery solos by both Etheridge and Travis; the ballad ‘Disappear’ which starts with ethereal looped flutes and develops into a beautiful piano led and drum less miniature and ‘Turmoil’ penned by bassist Fred Baker which brims with deranged fuzz bass, manic solos and an almost unhinged clamor. ‘Daevid’s Special Cuppa’ sees a cameo by founder member Daevid Allen (his guitar part being recorded years earlier, and the track built around it) in a psychedelic tribal set piece with soprano sax, guitar and duduk (a haunting Armenian traditional wooden flute like instrument) floating over hypnotic rhythms.

A special 2LP vinyl edition is being released which will feature an exclusive whole side of bonus tracks.

The band will be touring the UK and Europe extensively in 2026.

Produced by Theo Travis
Recorded by Ru Lemer at Temple Music Studio, Surrey April 2025
Mixed by Andrew Tulloch at the Blue Studio, London August/September 2025
Mastered by Andrew Tulloch at the Blue Studio, London November 2025
Cover artwork is by Turkish artist Esra Kizir Gokcen.

Pre-order the album both in CD and 2LP format here

The band will launch the album and UK/ Europe with a special gig at Ronnie Scotts Club , London on 19 March 2026

Click here for Soft Machine Tour Dates

Hi Everyone.

Our exciting news is that the new Soft Machine studio album, recorded in April and now mixed and mastered is almost ready.

We can reveal that it will be released on a double vinyl album through Tonefloat records and on CD and digital worldwide on John Etheridge’s Dyad label. We think this album is something very special and we hope you will too. It is also the first to feature Asaf Sirkis on drums as well as a couple of special guests.

The album will be titled ‘Thirteen’ as it is the band’s thirteenth studio album and it features thirteen tracks. Comprising all brand new material, all four members of the band contribute compositions. 

There are now brand new signed posters of the band featuring John Etheridge, Theo Travis, Fred Baker and Asaf Sirkis in the Soft Machine store here. Alos in the store are just 12 exclusive photos available of the Soft Machine Hidden Details line up signed by all four members, including the late great John Marshall.

My Only Desire Records contacted us about taking part in their Brit Jazz 45s series on the label and suggested we cover Harry Beckett’s The Dew at Dawn for the A side. We’re big fans of Harry’s jazz work and he played with jazz-rock/prog acts like the Keef Hartley Band, Manfred Mann and Jack Bruce, so very much inhabited the same musical sphere as Soft Machine. So we were delighted to take part.

Fred’s an ex-bandmate of Harry’s and his love and appreciation for the great man really shines through on his superb bass playing. Anyway, we hope you enjoy our arrangement and tribute to a key figure in British jazz.

For the B side we decided to record a new arrangement of Mike Ratledge’s “Slightly All the Time” from Soft Machine’s seminal 1970 opus ‘Third’, which we had played live before but hadn’t recorded yet. Working within the time constraints of a 7” vinyl, was an interesting but fun challenge and we think people will love this concise reworking of a Softs classic.

* Limited one-off pressing of 600 copies worldwide.

* 7” vinyl housed in a reverse-board picture sleeve.

* Mastered by and lacquer cut by Caspar Sutton-Jones @ Gearbox Studios.

Theo Travis: soprano saxophone, flute

John Etheridge: guitar

Fred Thelonious Baker: bass guitar

Asaf Sirkis: drums

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