Editing Soft Machine (section)

===Alternative bands (1978–2015)===

====Soft Heap / Soft Head (1978–88)====
[[Soft Heap (band)|Soft Heap]] was formed in January 1978 by [[Hugh Hopper]] and [[Elton Dean]] from Soft Machine, and [[Alan Gowen]] and [[Pip Pyle]] from [[National Health]]. {{em|Heap}} is an acronym that is composed of the initials of the members' first names. The band toured in the early-to-mid 1978 as [[Soft Heap (band)|Soft Head]] because Dave Sheen replaced Pip Pyle due to Pyle's commitments to National Health.<ref name="calyx-canterbury.fr Elton Dean chronology"/> The live album ''Rogue Element'' was recorded on that tour and was released in 1978.

The original Soft Heap line-up reformed in October 1978 to record their eponymous studio album, which was released in 1979.{{cn|date=December 2024}}

After two line-up changes from 1979 to 1981, the new line-up intermittently toured throughout the 1980s; they performed four tours during the decade in 25 European concerts, culminating on 11 May 1988 at the festival "Jazz sous les pommiers" in [[Coutances]], France.<ref name="calyx-canterbury.fr Elton Dean chronology"/>

====Soft Ware (1999), Soft Works (2002–04), Soft Mountain (2003) and Soft Bounds (2004)====
Soft Ware (sometimes SoftWhere), which was formed in September 1999, was composed of Elton Dean, Hugh Hopper, [[John Marshall (drummer)|John Marshall]] on drums and Marshall's long-time friend [[Keith Tippett]]. This short-lived line-up played one performance at ([[Augustusburg Hunting Lodge]], Germany, on 4 September 1999. In 2002, with Tippett unavailable, another former Soft Machine member [[Allan Holdsworth]] (on guitar) joined the other three members of Soft Ware, who in June2002 renamed themselves Soft Works<ref name="calyx.perso.neuf.fr Soft Machine chronology 2">{{cite web |url=http://www.calyx-canterbury.fr/softmachine/chrono2.html |title=Chronology 1973–|website=Canterbury Music website |access-date= 20 March 2016}}</ref> to avoid confusion with [[Peter Mergener]]'s band [[Software (band)|Software]]. Soft Works made their live debut on 17 August 2002 at the [[Progman Cometh]] Festival at Moore Theater in [[Seattle, Washington]]; and a live album of the performance was released on 29 July 2003.<ref name="allmusic Soft Works Abracadabra">{{cite web |url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/abracadabra-mw0000320917 |title= Soft Works – Abracadabra (review by Glenn Astarita) |website=[[AllMusic]] |access-date= 15 August 2015}}</ref> Their only studio album ''Abracadabra'', consisting of new material and recorded at Eastcote Studios, London, on 5–7 June 2002. The album was toured in Japan in August 2003, Italy in January and February 2004, and Mexico in March 2004.<ref name="calyx.perso.neuf.fr Soft Machine chronology 2"/>

During a Japanese Soft Works tour in August 2003, Elton Dean on saxophone and Hugh Hopper on bass formed the band Soft Mountain along with Japanese musicians [[Hoppy Kamiyama]] on keyboards, whom Hopper had met two years earlier, and [[Yoshida Tatsuya]] from the band [[Ruins (Japanese band)|Ruins]] on drums. Soft Mountain named themselves after Hoppy Kamiyama, whose name translates as "God Mountain".<ref name="huxrecords.com Soft Mountain"/> Looking for a break from relatively fixed set lists and song forms, Hugh Hopper had contacted Kamiyama with the idea of using a studio for one day to see what might happen. Kamiyama brought in Tatsuya, and, with no discussion, the quartet played two 45-minute improvisations. In 2007, a year after Elton Dean died aged 60, Soft Mountain released the eponymous album they had recorded on 10 August 2003 in Tokyo, Japan.<ref name="huxrecords.com Soft Mountain">{{cite web |url=http://www.huxrecords.com/cdsales84.htm |title=cdsales84 |date= 26 March 2020 |website=Huxrecords.com |access-date= 26 March 2020}}</ref> The two-part "Soft Mountain Suite" extracts the best thirty minutes from each improvisation.<ref name="AllAboutJazz.com Soft Mountain">{{cite web |url=https://www.AllAboutJazz.com/soft-mountain-soft-mountain-hux-records-review-by-john-kelman.php?width=1280 |title=Soft Mountain: Soft Mountain (by John Kelman – February 6, 2007) |date= 26 March 2020 |website=Allaboutjazz.com |access-date= 26 March 2020}}</ref>

In June 2004, Elton Dean and Hugh Hopper formed the band Soft Bounds with [[Sophia Domancich]] on keyboards and Simon Goubert on drums); they played at the Festival "Les Tritonales" in [[Les Lilas]], Paris, France.<ref name="calyx-canterbury.fr Elton Dean chronology"/> This concert was partially released in 2005 as the Soft Bounds' album ''Live at Le Triton''.

====Soft Machine Legacy (2004–15)====
In October 2004, the members of Soft Works, with John Etheridge permanently replacing Holdsworth, took the name "Soft Machine Legacy" and performed two festival shows; one on 9 October in Turkey and the other on 15 October in the Czech Republic. [[Liam Genockey]] temporarily replaced John Marshall who had ligament problems. The new band's line-up was Elton Dean, John Etheridge, Hugh Hopper and Liam Genockey.<ref name="calyx.perso.neuf.fr Soft Machine chronology 2"/> Soft Machine Legacy released three albums: ''Live in Zaandam'' (2005),<ref name=zaan>{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/live-in-zaandam-mw0000352898 |title=Live in Zaandam – Soft Machine Legacy &#124; Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards |publisher=AllMusic |date=2005-05-10 |access-date=2013-08-12}}</ref> the studio album ''Soft Machine Legacy'' (2006),<ref name=zaan/> which was recorded in September 2005 and features fresh material, and ''Live at the New Morning'' (2006).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/live-at-the-new-morning-mw0000583322 |title=Live at the New Morning|publisher=AllMusic |date=2006-07-01 |access-date=2013-08-12}}</ref> After Elton Dean died in February 2006, the band continued with the British saxophonist and flautist [[Theo Travis]], formerly of Gong and [[The Tangent]].

In December 2006, the new Legacy line-up recorded the album ''Steam''<ref name="lynchsteamreview">{{cite web|first=Dave|last=Lynch |url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/steam-mw0000779835 |title=Steam – Soft Machine Legacy &#124; Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards |publisher=AllMusic |access-date=2013-08-12}}</ref><ref name="astaritasteamreview">{{cite web |url=http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=26601 |title=Soft Machine Legacy: Steam |date=12 August 2007 |publisher=AllAboutJazz.com |access-date=2013-08-12}}</ref><ref name="jonessteamreview">{{cite web|url=http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=26685 |title=Soft Machine Legacy: Steam |date=19 August 2007 |publisher=AllAboutJazz.com|access-date=2013-08-12}}</ref> in [[Jon Hiseman]]'s studio. ''Steam'' was released in August 2007 by [[Moonjune Records]] before a European tour. Hopper left the band in 2008 because he was suffering from [[leukaemia]], so for live performances [[Fred Thelonious Baker]] deputising for Hopper. Following Hopper's death in 2009, the band announced they would continue with Roy Babbington again replacing Hopper on bass.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.johnetheridge.com/softmachinelegacy/index.htm |title=Soft Machine Legacy |publisher=John Etheridge |access-date=2013-08-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090415084954/http://www.johnetheridge.com/softmachinelegacy/index.htm |archive-date=15 April 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Soft Machine Legacy released their fifth album in October 2010; the 58-minute record ''Live Adventures'' was recorded live in October 2009 in Austria and Germany during a European tour.<ref name="allmusic.com Soft Machine Legacy Live Adventures">{{cite web |url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/live-adventures-mw0002045621 |title= Soft Machine Legacy – Live Adventures (AllMusic Review by Alex Henderson) |website=[[All Music]] |access-date= 30 October 2015}}</ref> Founding Soft Machine bassist Kevin Ayers died in February 2013 at aged 68,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.clashmusic.com/news/kevin-ayers-has-died |title=Kevin Ayers Has Died &#124; News &#124; Clash Magazine |date=20 February 2013 |publisher=Clashmusic.com |access-date=2013-08-12}}</ref><ref name=consequenceofsound/> and 77-year-old Daevid Allen died in March 2015 following a short battle with cancer.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/mar/13/gong-founder-daevid-allen-has-died-aged-77 "Gong founder Daevid Allen has died, aged 77"], ''[[The Guardian]]'', 13 March 2015</ref><ref>[http://www.noise11.com/news/r-i-p-daevid-allen-of-soft-machine-and-gong-1938-2015-20150313 "R.I.P. Daevid Allen Of Soft Machine and Gong 1938–2015"] by [[Paul Cashmere]], ''Noise 11'', 13 March 2015</ref> On 18 March 2013, the Legacy band released a new studio album titled ''[[Burden of Proof (Soft Machine Legacy album)|Burden of Proof]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.weirdomusic.com/2013/02/27/new-soft-machine-legacy-album-out-now/ |title=New Soft Machine Legacy album out now|publisher=Weirdomusic.com|date=27 February 2013 |access-date=20 March 2016}}</ref> Travis stated: "legally we could actually be called Soft Machine but for various reasons it was decided to be one step removed".<ref>"Soft Machine Legacy" in [[Cherry Red Records]] ''My Favourite Flavour'' magazine; issue #28; June 2013; p. 11</ref>