Rock In Opposition · Genres
Home › Genres › Rock In Opposition

What is rock in opposition?

Rock in Opposition or RIO was a movement representing a collective of progressive bands in the late 1970s united in their opposition to the music industry that refused to recognise their music. It was initiated by Henry Cow in March 1978 when they invited four European groups to come to London and perform in a festival called "Rock in Opposition".

About rock in opposition

The bands in the RIO movement were also described as "avant-progressive rock" or "avant-prog".

From Last.fm, where 707 listeners have tagged music as rock in opposition.

Artists to start with

  1. Aksak Maboul
  2. Samla Mammas Manna
  3. Univers Zero
  4. Art Bears
  5. Decibel
  6. Univers Zéro
  7. Present
  8. Stormy Six
  9. Nazca
  10. Henry Cow

Albums to hear first

  • Unrest by Henry CowUnrestHenry Cow
  • Legend by Henry CowLegendHenry Cow
  • In Praise of Learning by Henry CowIn Praise of LearningHenry Cow
  • Undestroyed by Free Salamander ExhibitUndestroyedFree Salamander Exhibit
  • Leg End by Henry CowLeg EndHenry Cow
  • Western Culture by Henry CowWestern CultureHenry Cow
  • Même en Hiver/Comme un Pinson Dans L'Eau by L'Ensemble RayéMême en Hiver/Comme un Pinson Dans L'EauL'Ensemble Rayé
  • Vis-à-Vis Movers Dance Company by L'Ensemble RayéVis-à-Vis Movers Dance CompanyL'Ensemble Rayé

Rock In Opposition songs

  1. Living in the Heart of the Beast by Henry Cow
  2. On Suicide by Art Bears
  3. Carabosse by Univers Zero
  4. La Jupe by Debile Menthol
  5. Slow (Loud) by black midi
  6. Avalanche by Debile Menthol
  7. Cul de Sac by Debile Menthol
  8. A chacun son accent by Debile Menthol
  9. (Armed) Peace by Art Bears
  10. Klezmer-spaghetti by Cédric Vuille

Neighbouring genres

In the rock & punk family. All genres

alternative rockrockcrust punkart rockart punkdeathrockindietronicaexperimental rockanarcho-punkglam rockgrungehard rock

Questions

What is rock in opposition?
Rock in Opposition or RIO was a movement representing a collective of progressive bands in the late 1970s united in their opposition to the music industry that refused to recognise their music. It was initiated by Henry Cow in March 1978 when they invited four European groups to come to London and perform in a festival called "Rock in Opposition". The bands in the RIO movement were also described as "avant-progressive rock" or "avant-prog".
Who are the best-known rock in opposition artists?
By Last.fm listening: Aksak Maboul, Samla Mammas Manna, Univers Zero, Art Bears, Decibel and Univers Zéro.
What genres are similar to rock in opposition?
On Risocast it sits with alternative rock, rock, crust punk, art rock, art punk and deathrock.

Risocast is free. Install it once and it logs everything you play.

Download for WindowsFree · v4.0.9Open RisocastRight here · Spotify or Last.fm

Updated 6 October 2026

Risocast Help

A music log that fills itself in. It records the songs you play on your computer and your phone, turns them into your top songs, stats and a public profile, and finds people whose taste overlaps with yours.

Yes. The app and the website are free.

A song counts once half of it has played, or four minutes — whichever comes first. Songs of 30 seconds or less, and videos or podcasts over 20 minutes, never count.

On Windows, anything that shows up in Windows' media controls: Spotify, YouTube Music, Apple Music, Deezer, browsers, foobar2000, Windows Media Player and more (VLC, iTunes and MusicBee through their free media-controls plugin). On Android, any music app — it reads the same now-playing info your lock screen shows. You can also connect Spotify or import from Last.fm.

Yes. Plays are counted on your device and sent when you're back online, and the phone app opens without a connection.

It does the same core job — scrobbling, automatically — without plugins per player, and adds taste matching: see who listens like you and how much your taste overlaps.

Your profile and listening are public so people with similar taste can find you, unless you make your profile private (then only your buddies see it); your email never is. Nothing is sold and there are no ads; anonymous usage analytics (Microsoft Clarity, Google Analytics) show what to improve. See the privacy policy for the details.

More in Help, the guides and the privacy policy.

Welcome to Risocast
Risocast

Your music, logged. Your people, found.

A small player that sits in your tray, writes down every song you play, and shows you who listens like you.

243 songs logged today

Download for WindowsFree · v4.0.9Open RisocastRight here · Spotify or Last.fm

Android is coming to Google Play. Get notified

How logging works

On Windows, Risocast reads the system media controls, so any player counts: Spotify, YouTube Music, Apple Music, Deezer, browsers, foobar2000. No plugins.

On Android the app reads what any music app is playing (it's coming to Google Play). Anywhere else, connect Spotify or a Last.fm username.

When a song countsAfter half its length, or four minutes, whichever comes first.Tracks under 30 seconds are ignored.Offline plays are counted on the device and sent later.

More on automatic logging · Risocast vs Last.fm

Taste twins

See how much your taste overlaps with anyone's, and find the people who listen most like you. The match comes from what you both actually play, not a list of favourites.

Open People

How the match works

Weekly Disc and Taste Map

Every week becomes a disc of your top songs. Every record you play goes on a map, grouped by genre.

Weekly DiscTaste Map

Real ones, from the maker's own listening.

Download Risocast

Risocast is free for Windows 10 and 11. Android is coming to Google Play; on any other device, use the web app with Spotify or Last.fm.

Download for WindowsFree · v4.0.9Open RisocastRight here · Spotify or Last.fm
  • Version 4.0.9 · Windows 10 and 11 (64-bit) · about 100 MB
  • Updates itself: new versions download in the background and install on restart.
  • Every installer is published with its SHA-256 checksum on the releases page.

All platforms and questions

Features
Automatic loggingWeekly DiscTaste MapTaste matchProfiles and statsMusic windowsBPM, key and soundSong stripLikes that syncPlay in your appFindPeople and buddiesCompare tasteAnthemsGenre labelsAndroid appImport and connectWindows 98 look
18 object(s)Open as a list
Guides
Track music on WindowsLog YouTube MusicApple Music statsFind people like youPlayers that workLog VLCLog foobar2000Log MusicBeeiTunes on WindowsLog DeezerLog TidalLog SoundCloudAmazon MusicWindows Media PlayerSpotify historyTop songs of all timeWhat genre is it?Describe your tasteExport your dataComing from Last.fm
20 object(s)Open as a list
Compare
Risocast vs Last.fmLast.fm alternativesRisocast vs stats.fmWrapped any time
4 object(s)Open as a list
243 logged today