08/2025 – Shufu Studio

This month we turn our ears to progressive rock’s eternal balancing act: the head versus the heart. Born from the collision of two seemingly foreign paradigms – the raw energy of rock and roll and the structured ambition of concert music – the genre has always thrived on its internal contradictions. For all its eclectic DNA, prog developed an unmistakable sound. Whether it’s the diverse instrumentation, shifting time signatures, dramatic harmonies, or demanding arrangements, you know a prog song when you hear it.

For this month’s playlist, our research team focused on rare tracks from the genre’s fringes, digging for hidden gems that even the most avid fans might not know. Our journey spans decades and continents, from prog’s off-season to its global peak, and into the modern era where its spirit continues to evolve.

Our playlist begins with a pair of tracks from an era when prog was far from the center stage – so far, in fact, that these might not be described as “prog” at all. First is a cut from the cult Macedonian rock band Mizar, whose sound blends post-punk shadow with Balkan drama and choral gravitas. We follow with a piece by Canterbury sound pioneer Robert Wyatt, whose late-career work is infused with a warm, humane, and slyly adventurous spirit.

Next, we dive into four tracks from the 1970s, the peak of prog rock’s popularity. Going deeper than the well-known English, Italian and German scenes, we unearthed some incredible hidden gems:

Фирюза (Firyuza) – “Ашхабад” (1979): A holy grail for collectors of Soviet-era vinyl, this Turkmenian ensemble filters traditional ethnic melodies through psychedelic jazz-fusion. On their single, highly sought-after album, the band brilliantly imitates the sound of Turkic folk using Western instruments.
Ragnarök – “Nybakat Bröd” (1976): A pastoral Swedish breeze – an atmospheric instrumental where guitar and flute trace earthbound, unhurried melodies.
Bubu – “Sueños de Maniquí” (1978): Exploding out of Buenos Aires, Bubu delivers symphonic rock with theatrical bite and immaculate precision. This track is a masterclass in tension, a dense and diabolical dance between winds, keyboards, guitars, strings, and a relentlessly tight rhythm section.
Gòtic – “Dança D’estiu” (1978): This Catalan group offers a delicate, airy take on symphonic prog. Led by luminous keyboards and a nimble flute, it’s a piece of pure melodic joy.

To mirror these four unsung classics, we close the playlist with four modern tracks from the last 15 years that carry the torch of progressive ambition:

Nolan Potter – “Trapped Inside a Head” (2024): This Austin-based multi-instrumentalist treads a brilliant line between old-school acts like Focus and Yes and the modern neo-psychedelia of bands like King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard. It nods to the past without slipping into pastiche.
Art Zoyd – “1er Bal De Zoydglub” (2011): From a project creating retroactive soundtracks, this piece accompanies the 1929 Soviet film Man with a Movie Camera. The French avant-garde act delivers a distorted march. Like Sousa through a funhouse mirror, it is as inventive as it is unsettling.
The Amorphous Androgynous & Peter Hammill – “We Persuade Ourselves We Are Immortal” (2020): This epic collaboration brings together electronic pioneers and the legendary Van der Graaf Generator vocalist. The track covers the apocalyptic themes often found in Hammill’s work with an eclectic accompaniment of classic prog sounds and modern electronic loops.
David Maxim Micic – “Universe in a Crayon” (2015): The Serbian composer brings soul and sensitivity to a composition that, in other hands, might have been rendered kitschy or banal. The clever instrumentation and moving performance create a sound that is both technically awe-inspiring and deeply emotional.

As always, a few selections sit beyond the major streaming platforms – as the best discoveries often do. For the complete experience, you can listen to the full mixtape on our website.

We hope you enjoyed the results of this month’s research. Let us know your thoughts, and feel free to share your favorite tracks or artists with us over at: research@shufu.studio