SOFT MACHINE - WONDERLAND

There is more than one band with So as their name: 1) So began in 2002 with the pair of Eriko Toyoda and Markus Popp (Oval, Microstoria). So is a true symmetrical duo as both members equally contribute to the songwriting and processing. An absolute departure from Oval, So’s debut CD is a melodic, at times soothing, technological demonstration. The album was initially begun as a reworking of a song cycle from Eri’s archives. These archives are comprised of a vast collection of diverse materials she recorded in her parents’ house in Mito-City, Japan. Their sound represents a shift away from the dense, abrasion of Oval's ground-breaking Commers series, and instead moves towards more airy and organic tones. The inclusion of vocals - processed and natural - and live instrumentation allow for So's music to expand far beyond the constraints of the purely digital. Perhaps following formats will allow the listener to fully convey the peculiar and conflicting underlying personal and musical dynamics at work here. Despite the at times colorful, detailed and balanced musical presentation internally, So derives most of its momentum from constant confrontation with Markus and Eri’s conceptualizations and implementations of music. The actual collaborative process is more a resemblance of an 18th century naval battle than a convenience exercise in file sharing. Fundamentally different in countless respects, Oval recordings are linear and strategic on the planning board as well as in practice. So, however, lost the compass from the beginning and is a free project. Recording of the final version of So began in 2002 and is actually not yet finished. Being more of a "tech demo" it was worked on until ten minutes before the FedEx person came to pick up the CD-R. Vocal recordings and guitar were re-recorded directly into the PowerBook’s internal mic. Even though this CD is his most painstaking and complex work to date, Markus would like to see his contribution described as "art direction." Album artwork was created by Katsumi Yokota, the prolific Japanese illustrator who made contributions to the most experimental stages of the United Game Artist’s video game classic, Rez (released for Dreamcast and PS2 in 2002). There are no song titles as So finds it doesn’t make sense and is too much of a compromise to put English song titles to Japanese lyrics. So’s live performance will be a significant departure from any of Markus’ past shows. For these, Markus and Eri decided to build a completely customized, So Fi-PA-system. They will consist of two Triode amplifiers based on ancient schematics, rated at 6-8 Watts each as well as a set of homemade broadband speakers consisting of 1950s broadband speakers (from movie theaters) using an empty bottle as a quasi-backloaded Tractrix (Spherical) horn and mounted in plain cardboard boxes. The sound produced is very trashy and peculiar. Both the speakers and amps are somewhat large, but not super-rugged. They are entirely transportable. To Markus, going retro-HiFi seemed the most radical departure from Oval turning into a software engine. This custom PA will allow for concerts in cafes and galleries. Further details about this are available to any serious head upon request. 2) So was a British duo from the late 1980s that featured Markus Bell and Mark Long, who were previously members of a band called The Opposition. The duo were managed by Steve Weltman of Esta Management, and were contemporaries of acts such as Climie Fisher, Blue and Waterfront. Signing to Parlophone Records, they released singles such as "Are You Sure?" (UK charts #62, US #41) and "Would You Die For Me", as well as the album "Horseshoe In The Glove", produced by Walter Turbitt. The band toured as the opening act for Icehouse on the group's "Man Of Colours" U.S. tour. The video for the single "Are You Sure?" also received significant airplay on MTV, and still receives airplay years later on MTV's sister channel, Vh-1 Classic. "Are You Sure?" has appeared on many 80's new wave compilations, most notably on EMI's successful "Living In Oblivion" series. 3) So was a slacker rock / slowcore band from Whatcom County, Washington active between 2015-2019. Their music is being released in compilations through the New York record label Death Metal, Florida. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.

There are numerous artists who have used the name Machine, including: 1) Machine (band) Origin:New York City, New York, United States Genres: Disco, pop, funk, rock Years active: 1977–1981, 2009–present LabelsRCA Victor, RCA Members: Clare Bathé, Jay Stovall, Jocelyn Brown, Kevin Nance, Lonnie Ferguson, Melvin Lee, Thomas Browder. Machine was an American funk, disco and rock group, formed in New York City and originally active from 1977 to 1981. The band reached its biggest success with the single "There but for the Grace of God Go I", which became a disco hit in 1979, reaching #8 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart. Career The band was originally formed by singer/guitarist Jay Stovall in 1973 with the release of the single "One Guy Too Late," written and produced by Van "Do the Hustle" McCoy on the United Artist records/Abbot label. The band was later reformed in 1977 New York City with the intent to create a funk rock group. The band released its self-titled debut album in 1979, which produced its most famous single "There But For The Grace Of God Go I". The song describes two Latino parents named Carlos and Carmen Vidal who move out of the Bronx to protect their baby daughter. In their new surroundings, their daughter is cut off from her own heritage and becomes self-destructive from the Vidals' cosseting. When the daughter grows up, her parents find she is the type of person from whom all their peers are trying to protect their own children. It ends with the mother's conclusion that "Too much love is worse than none at all." The controversial lyrics ended up being censored twice: the original lyrics in the 3rd verse "popping pills and smoking weed" were changed to "gaining weight and losing sleep" and later the first verse lyrics, for the 7" single edit, "let's find a place they say, somewhere far away, with no blacks, no jews and no gays" were changed to "let's find a place they say, somewhere far away, where only upper class people stay". "There But For The Grace Of God Go I" was a hit for the band, reaching number 77 on the Billboard Hot 100 and spending ten weeks on the chart. In Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies (1981), Robert Christgau said the song was "irresistible musically—still the disco disc of [1979]", although he found the rest of Machine's first album either "mildly arresting musically" or "ordinary Isleys-influenced black pop/funk/rock". Slant Magazine later named it the sixth greatest dance song, and Pitchfork Media included it in its collection of The Pitchfork 500. Machine released its second and final album Moving On in 1980 with two accompanying singles, but the album suffered from poor sales. The group disbanded the following year, and August Darnell, the group's most successful producer, went on to form Kid Creole and the Coconuts, who released a cover of "There but for the Grace of God Go I" in 1980. In 2009, three of the band's original members, Jay Stovall, Kevin Nance, and Clare Bathé, reformed the act for a tour. Discography: Albums: Machine (1979) Moving On (1980) Singles: "There but For the Grace of God Go I" (RCA Victor, 1979) (Billboard Hot 100 #77, Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs #91, Billboard Hot Dance Club Play #8) "Is It Love" / "I Finally Found" (RCA Victor, 1980) (Billboard Hot Dance Club Play #27) "Power and Reason" / "Thunder, Lightning, and Rain" (RCA, 1980) In popular culture An altered version of "There but for the Grace of God Go I," was featured in the 2016 Netflix series The Get Down. In season 1, episode 2 ("Seek Those Who Fan Your Flames"), Mylene Cruz (portrayed by Herizen F. Guardiola) enlists the help of Ezekiel "Zeke" Figuero (portrayed by Justice Smith) to write a song for her church solo so that she may impress music producer Jackie Moreno (portrayed by Kevin Corrigan). The song that Zeke writes is untitled, but it is known that it is "There but for the Grace of God Go I," as Zeke muses aloud on the lyrics. Mylene gives a powerful introduction to the song, seemingly overtaken by the Holy Spirit, and the chorus is chanted/sung in Spanish ("antes de la gloria de Dios, ay voy yo") by Mylene and a few members of the choir before she launches into the song in English, with piano accompaniment by Zeke. The lyrics were changed in this version; for instance, "let's find a place they say, somewhere far away, with no Blacks, no Jews and no gays" was changed to "let's find a place to stay, somewhere far away, where they do and play and sing as they may." Jay Stovall appeared in 2017 on "The People's Court " in episode titled "Sizzling Mad Disco Singer". The song was featured in Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City. https://www.discogs.com/artist/11650-Machine https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machine_(band) 2) Hakuei (vocals) and Kiyoshi's (guitar) duo. Started in 1999. Hakuei's also PENICILLIN's vocalist and has a solo career, Kiyoshi has been in bands like Media Youth and Spread Beaver, as well as on a solo career. 3) Dutch prog rock band Machine was a follow up from The Swinging Soul Machine. With the single "Lonesome Tree" Machine had a hit. This band existed in 1970/1971. Paul Vink later in the 70's played in several succesful bands, amoung wich Livin' Blues, Finch and Limousine. Line-up: Francois Content: flute, trumpet Hans Sel: guitar Jaap Schoonhoven: guitar Jan Bliek: drums Jan Warby: bassguitar John Caljouw: vocal Maarten Bekkers: flute, clarinet, saxophone Paul Vink: keyboards Wim Warby: flute, saxophone, vocal Mac Sell: guitar 4) IDM / Experimental group (Chase Gorman & Jonathan Christ) with a blend of music created by two artists using analog hardware. One, controlling the drum machine and rythm synth/effects, while the other plays keyboard, xylophone, and samples. No computer editing-straight from equipment to cd besides arrangement. 5) Funk/Prog/Metal trio out of Ann Arbor, Michigan. Brothers AJ Sapala and Elliot Sapala take the bass and drums respectively, with Kastor Podgorski on lead guitar. They have a gloomy, instrumental, jam-based sound. 6) The duo of Curtis and Connor, who incorporate synthesizer-like sounds into their slow-paced groove tracks for an interesting sound. 7) UK techno artists Luke Slater and Alan Sage used the name Machine for one of their many joint projects, releasing a 12" in 1993 on the Jelly Jam label. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.