Combining free improvisations with inspired new writing from Hopper, Etheridge and Travis, Soft Machine Legacy's new studio release, Steam, illustrates the band's chameleon-like abilities. Absent are the keyboards that so defined 1970s Soft Machine; in their place are modern samplings, loopings and sonic processing. The band uses these treatments to create some breaktaking textures -- expansive soundscapes that were not possible during Soft Machine's heyday.The seemingly limitless possibilities of the band will not only appeal to fans of 1970's Soft Machine, but to anyone who likes their fusion wide open, spontaneous, and brimming with potent grooves and fiery energy. Between Etheridge's broad, adventurous sonic endeavors, Hopper's legendary bass loops and "fuzztronics", and Travis' system of sampling his saxophones and flutes in real time (layering some unpredictable harmonies), SML often sound much larger than a quartet.It all adds up to a first-rate offering of powerful new material and highly-charged performances from the progressive music legends.