Sensible music studios

Classically trained multi-instrumentalist lets rip on her complex debut.

The great and good of progressive music give us a glimpse into their prog worlds. As told to Grant Moon.

PETER GILES

Inspiring the wider music world…

What began as a vague idea for two musicians from very different parts of the prog world to jam together has turned into an exciting electro-instrumental project. Bioscope combines the talents of Marillion’s Steve Rothery and Tangerine Dream’s Thorsten Quaeschning. The pair talk to Prog about the mutual respect they have for each other, and how they turned that into their long-gestating debut album Gentō .

Born in the titular Kent city in the late 60s, the Canterbury scene spawned some of prog’s most creative and quirky acts. From The Wilde Flowers and Soft Machine to Caravan and Gong, each had a distinctive sound and, in many cases, image that captured the hearts and minds of their followers. But the scene’s impact didn’t end in the 70s. Phil Howitt, Facelift editor and Hugh Hopper’s biographer, explores the new breed of progressive acts inspired by it, both consciously and unwittingly, and unearths the secrets of the ‘Canterbury chord’.