Hugh Hopper

“Soft Machine was never a band for resting on its laurels. We were always trying to do something new.”

“The Canterbury scene was more of a journalistic invention than a conscious movement.”

“I was always interested in the textural possibilities of the bass, not just the rhythmic or harmonic ones.”

“Working with loops was a way to create complex textures and layer sounds in a pre-digital era.”

“We weren’t trying to be commercial. We were just making the music we wanted to hear.”

“The music had a life of its own; we were just the conduits.”