Dear readers, we are pleased to offer you in this article an interview with a UK project with a modern Progressive Rock sound. Welcome to Rob Reed from Cyan.
Hello, how are you?
“Im good“
The band was formed in the mid-80s from an idea by Robert Reed, how did the project come about?
“The original band was formed in school, by school mates who wanted to be the next Genesis.
We could all play to varying degrees, but had a lot of enthusiasm. There was an innocence to our writing.“
The lineup has changed over the years, how has the band’s sound evolved since then?
“The original band disbanded when we all left school. But we made a demo tape, that somebody heard and wanted a full album. I recorded that , playing all instruments. The CD did well and followed by another two. The band then split up and I formed Magenta that did VERY well.“
November 2023 will see the release of a reworking of the album “Pictures from the Other Side,” how would you describe this work?
“Its more than a reworking, its a complete re recording and re writing of teh songs, some songs are double the length and have completely different instrumentation“
The album was originally released in 1994, how does this new re-written and expanded version differ?
“There are complete new sections. The band is also brand new festering Peter Jones on vocals ( CAMEL) and Luke Machin on guitra( IT BITES).“
The music and lyrics are very intense, what themes do the album’s lyrics deal with?
“These songs were originally written with an innocence . They are VERY prog themes, which I like. Vampires, split personalities, and long journeys through various countries.“
The tracks are elaborate and intertwine sophisticated vocal and instrumental parts, how does the creative process of your music take place?
“They start with a demo on my phone, then a rough sketch from that. My brother writes lyrics to my rough vocals. I have a full modern studio, so I can pick any sounds .I like to have lots of details in there.“
Many of your fans and our readers wonder if there will be a chance to hear your music live, do you have plans in this regard?
“Yes we have played 3 festivals so far and planning, lots more for 2024“
Besides Cyan you are part of other projects always in the prog genre, how do the sounds of the different bands differ?
“I have my band Magenta for 20 years and a solo project called “ Sanctuary”. This allows me to do music 24/7“
Music is constantly evolving, how do you see today’s scene in a more sophisticated genre like yours?
“Everybody wants to be under the prog rock banner because it’s teh last genre of music that the fans are prepared to pay for. So lots of other musical styles have become under the prog rock banner, like heavy metal and indie rock.“
Given your experience, what advice would you give to young artists approaching music in a genre like yours?
“Become a Plummer, and do music as a hobby. It’s a tough game at the moment with Spotify killing the music industry.“
Do you have any other passions or artistic activities outside music?
“I love film making and like to make elaborate music videos.“
I thank Rob Reed for the interview and wish them all the best for the continuation of his artistic career.
“Thank you“
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