Present From Nancy (1970). 2008 digitally remastered and expanded edition of the Dutch Prog Rock quartet's debut album, originally released in 1970. Featured on the soundtrack of the film Control (the Ian Curtis/Joy Division bio-pic), interest in the band is at an all time high. Led by keyboardist Robert Jan Stips (later of The Nits), Inspired by the work of Soft Machine and Caravan, the group recorded a quartet of master works. Eccentric, accomplished and unique, Supersister could run circles around almost any other band of the era…

This band was supposed to call themselves Soft Heap and include drummer Pip Pyle, but though a tour was booked, he found himself otherwise engaged, and Dave Sheen was hired to accompany fellow Canterbury scenesters Alan Gowen, Hugh Hopper, and Elton Dean on a tour of Europe. Calling themselves Soft Head, they hoped to draw in those frustrated fans of Soft Machine and Gilgamesh. And perhaps they did on this night in France in 1978. But make no mistake, even though Hopper and Dean are present here, this is no pure fusion date with a bunch of knotty harmonics and angular changes riffing around all over the place. This is an electric jazz date, period. Largely this is due to Gowen's compositions and arrangements that walk a tense line between strictly composed elements and improvisation, and the fire of the band themselves, who are - on this night anyway - inspired beyond belief…

Long Hair is not only proud to present Tortilla Flat's legendary sole album 'Für Ein 3/4 Stündchen', but also the group's lot more legendary broadcast sessions for Germany's leading underground and krautrock program on radio SWF. The mainly instrumental album is very flute-driven, in opposite to the latter album, which was more electric violin-dominated, with very exciting guitar playing accompanied by rocking drumming and nimble bass lines. Very tight! And very Teutonic! There were not so many progressive rock bands in the early 1970s which were flute and violin dominated, but also don't forget the great solo play of lead guitarist Manfred Herten. An early version of their main opus 'Tortilla Flat' shows the band with violinist Werner Knauber and Herman Basten on flute at its best, a dramatic increase with great tunes…

Bassist Nick Greenwood is best-known today for his fiery work with Arthur Brown in his own 1968-69 heyday. Moving on, in 1972, Greenwood chose to record a solo album, and to that end brought together a crack band of sessionmen. Even for its time the resulting Cold Cuts set was way out there, a mighty slab of psychedelia-laced prog rock that soared into musical recesses seldom explored. Besides showcasing Greenwood's superb bass skills, fans are also surprisingly treated to his vocals – surprising, because Greenwood was not previously known as a singer. He acquits himself quite spectacularly here, his delivery as powerful on the rockier numbers as it is nuanced and introspective on the proggier songs.

Long Hair proudly presents one of the most sought after German albums of the early seventies, now for the first time officially re-released on CD: Tortilla Flat's 'Für Ein 3/4 Stündchen', originally recorded in winter 1974 and released as a private pressing. The instrumental album is very flute and electric piano driven, with very exciting guitar playing accompanied by rocking drumming with slightly jazzy influences and nimble bass lines, very tight! Many mention Supersister as a comparison, Kraan's first album, Brainstorm or Mel Collins' Circus (Crack In The Cosmic Egg), but all this is not really true. In fact the music is very unique, not typical Krautrock, but psychedelic, complex but very tuneful, with slight jazzrock influences and a little bit of British Canterbury sound…

This is the third album by Sicilian art rockers Homunculus Res. It is a 2018 work that exquisitely mixed Canterbury style stylish technical and Italian singing. Although skillful meter is intertwined, with its own style with translucency as a warm heart, the wind instruments of flute, clarinet, oboe, horn etc are exchanged for guitar and vintage synth, and Melotron and charming female vocal are added. Including lyrics, the poetic deepening aiming for Canterbury spiritual increased. Hat off with precise content recorded by members close to 20 including Yao Paolo Botta.

As interesting and fun as the Daevid Allen period was, the name Gong became more meaningful in the context of the music as percussionist Pierre Moerlen assumed the role of bandleader. An emphasis on percussives of all sorts became clear on Gazeuse!, the band's first completely instrumental album, and the music became much jazzier, though never considered jazz. Expresso II finds Pierre Moerlen's Gong at their peak. Like their previous studio release, Gazeuse!, the album is instrumental, the music is very polished, the sound very clean.

"Quiet Euphoria" presents the magical alchemy of surreal atmospheres, lightness, and jazz flavor to reach its stylistic and expressive peak. There is room for everything: experimentation, delicacy, and power, they all manage to coexist in this album with a thousand faces, very tight and full of feeling in a fully jazz-rock sound. With this album the band delivers another masterpiece that will definitely, and with every right, resonate into the world of prog and jazz rock and become an inevitable classic of this music.

Live 1990 is a live album released by a reformed line-up of Canterbury scene band Hatfield and the North. This marked the band's first manifestation since its 1975 break-up. Original keyboard player Dave Stewart declined to take part and was replaced by French jazz pianist Sophia Domancich, at the time a member of drummer Pip Pyle's band Equip'Out. This line-up's activity was limited to this one appearance on Central TV's "Bedrock" series. In addition to a number of tracks from the band's classic repertoire, a large part of the concert was devoted to more recent material. This was to be Hatfield's swansong until the 2005-06 reformation.

Afters is a 1980 compilation album released by Canterbury scene band Hatfield and the North. Of the sixteen tracks, eleven are taken from the band's two studio albums Hatfield and the North and The Rotters' Club, three are live recordings, and the two remaining songs are those from their 1974 single "Let's Eat (Real Soon) / Fitter Stoke Has a Bath".
Emerging from the Canterbury, England musical community that also launched Gong and Kevin Ayers' the Whole World, the whimsical progressive rock unit Hatfield and the North formed in 1972. Named in honor of a motorway sign outside of London, the group's founding membership brought together a who's who of the Canterbury art rock scene - vocalist/bassist Richard Sinclair was a former member of Caravan, guitarist Phil Miller had tenured with Robert Wyatt in Matching Mole, and drummer Pip Pyle had served with both Gong and Delivery…

Between the earth and the stars, between ecological concerns and cosmic visions, Oiapok transcends the boundaries of progressive rock with future jazz sonorities. Oiapok’s music draws its inspiration from progressive rock, 70’s funk, film soundtracks and Afro-Cuban rhythms. The group is shaking conventions with its non standard instrumentation and its various influences.

All music composed and arranged by Jean-Paul Prat.
This French ensemble’s latest release is an intoxicating instrumental blend of avant-garde, Canterbury, chamber, RIO, and zeuhl influences. The music is full of odd, twisting, jazzy passages prominently featuring saxophone and marimba. That’s paired alongside moments of beautiful, melodic evolutions. Ahora incorporates some uncommon, daring musical ideas into a satisfying melange.

Recorded on September 8, 1974, this set features Robert Wyatt (post-accident) with a slew of mates, including Ivor Cutler! Introduced by John Peel and recorded by the BBC - only a little over half the concert survives - this is a wild, freewheeling document featuring Wyatt, Cutler, and Julie Tippetts on vocals; Dave Stewart and Tippetts on keyboards; alternate drummers Nick Mason and Laurie Allan; Hugh Hopper on bass; Fred Frith on guitar, violin, and viola; the late Mongezi Feza on trumpet; the late great Gary Windo on reeds; and guitarist Mike Oldfield. It's quite a lineup and an awesomely inspiring performance. Wyatt is in excellent form here, and the bandmembers, who are a bit ragged in places, are nonetheless tight and full of fire…

Esoteric Recordings are pleased to announce the long overdue release of an expanded 2CD remastered edition of the classic 1978 live album Alive & Well Recorded In Paris by the celebrated Jazz and Rock group Soft Machine. The album was the band ‘s third for EMI's Harvest label and featured a line-up of KARL Jenkins (Piano, Electric Keyboards, Synthesiser), John Marshall (Drums), John Etheridge (Acoustic and Electric Guitars) and new members Steve Cook (Bass Guitar) and Ric Sanders (Violin). The final live recordings to be released by the band during their lifetime, Alive & Well was the product of several nights of excellent concerts at Le Palace Theatre in Monmartre, Paris in July 1978. The album was initially released as a single album, although the discovery of multi-track masters of a concert in the archives has resulted in this expanded edition with a CD of additional material recorded in July 1978…