Peter Kember (born 19 November 1965), also known by his stage name Sonic Boom, is an English singer-songwriter, composer and

record producer A record producer or music producer is a music creating project's overall supervisor whose responsibilities can involve a range of creative and technical leadership roles. Typically the job involves hands-on oversight of recording sessions; ensu ...

. He was a founding member, vocalist, guitarist and keyboardist of

neo-psychedelic Neo-psychedelia is a genre of psychedelic music that draws inspiration from the music production approaches and songwriting of 1960s psychedelia, either exploring emulations of the sounds of the era or applying its ethos to new styles of music ...

band

Spacemen 3 Spacemen 3 were an English rock band, formed in 1982 in Rugby, Warwickshire, by Peter Kember and Jason Pierce, known respectively under their pseudonyms Sonic Boom and J Spaceman. Their music is known for its brand of "trance-like neo-psyched ...

, lasting from 1982 until the band's dissolution in 1991. He is now based in

Sintra Sintra (, ), officially the Town of Sintra (), is a town and municipality in the Greater Lisbon region of Portugal, located on the Portuguese Riviera. The population of the municipality in 2021 was 385,654, in an area of . Sintra is one of the ...

, Portugal. Kember has also led the musical projects Spectrum and E.A.R. (Experimental Audio Research), sometimes as the only member. He has played and collaborated with a number of artists, including

Stereolab Stereolab are an English people, Anglo-French avant-pop band formed in London in 1990. Led by the songwriting team of Tim Gane and Lætitia Sadier, the group's sound incorporates repetitive motorik beats with the use of vintage electronic keybo ...

Panda Bear The giant panda (''Ailuropoda melanoleuca''), also known as the panda bear or simply panda, is a bear species endemic to China. It is characterised by its white coat with black patches around the eyes, ears, legs and shoulders. Its body is ...

Yo La Tengo Yo La Tengo (Spanish language, Spanish for "I've got it"; also abbreviated as YLT) is an American indie rock band formed in Hoboken, New Jersey, in 1984. Since 1992, the lineup has consisted of Ira Kaplan (guitars, piano, vocals), Georgia Hubley ...

, and Sinner DC. He contributed production work on

MGMT MGMT () is an American rock band formed in 2002 in Middletown, Connecticut. It was founded by singers and multi-instrumentalists Andrew VanWyngarden and Benjamin Goldwasser, Ben Goldwasser. Originally signed to Cantora Records by the nascent ...

's second album ''

Congratulations Congratulations may refer to: Film and television * Congratulations (2010 film), an Egyptian film * Congratulations (2023 film), a Gujarati drama film *'' Congratulations: 50 Years of the Eurovision Song Contest'', 2005 television programme ...

'', Panda Bear's's albums ''

Tomboy A tomboy is a girl or young woman who generally expresses masculine traits. Such traits may include wearing androgynous or unfeminine clothing and engaging in activities and behaviors traditionally associated with boys or men. Origins The w ...

'' and '' Panda Bear Meets the Grim Reaper'', and

Beach House Beach House is an American indie music, indie band formed in Baltimore, Maryland, Baltimore in 2004 by current members Victoria Legrand (vocals, keyboards) and Alex Scally (guitar, keyboard, backing vocals, drum programming). Their work is char ...

's album '' 7''.

Early life and education

Kember lived in

Dunchurch Dunchurch is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Rugby, approximately south-west of central Rugby, Warwickshire, Rugby in Warwickshire, England. The civil parish, which also includes the nearby hamlet of Toft, Warwickshire, Toft, had ...

during his childhood, and attended

Rugby School Rugby School is a Public school (United Kingdom), private boarding school for pupils aged 13–18, located in the town of Rugby, Warwickshire in England. Founded in 1567 as a free grammar school for local boys, it is one of the oldest independ ...

until he was 16. He later attended Rugby Art College where he met Jason Pierce.

Music career

Influences

In discussing music that was important to him, Kember mentioned

Kraftwerk Kraftwerk (, ) is a Germany, German Electronic music, electronic band formed in Düsseldorf in 1970 by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider. Widely considered innovators and pioneers of electronic music, Kraftwerk was among the first successful a ...

Sam Cooke Samuel Cooke (; January 22, 1931 – December 11, 1964) was an American singer and songwriter. Considered one of the most influential soul music, soul artists of all time, Cooke is commonly referred to as the "King of Soul" for his distin ...

Laurie Anderson Laura Phillips "Laurie" Anderson (born June 5, 1947) is an American avant-garde artist, musician and filmmaker whose work encompasses performance art, pop music, and multimedia projects. Initially trained in violin and sculpting,Amirkhanian, Cha ...

Pierre Henry Henry at his home (January 2008) Pierre Georges Albert François Henry (; 9 December 1927 – 5 July 2017) was a French composer known for his significant contributions to musique concrète. Biography Henry was born in Paris, France, and bega ...

Michel Colombier Michel Colombier (23 May 1939 – 14 November 2004) was a French composer, arranger, and conductor. Career Colombier wrote the scores of several motion pictures and TV productions. He also wrote chamber music and ballets. With composer Pierre ...

Bo Diddley Ellas Otha Bates (December 30, 1928 – June 2, 2008), known professionally as Bo Diddley, was an American guitarist and singer who played a key role in the transition from the blues to rock and roll. He influenced many artists, including Buddy ...

the Sandpipers The Sandpipers were an American easy listening trio who carved a niche in 1960s folk rock with their vocals and innovative arrangements of international ballads and pop standards. They are best remembered for their cover version of "Guantaname ...

Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD) are an English electronic music, electronic band formed in Meols, Merseyside in 1978 by Andy McCluskey (vocals, bass guitar) and Paul Humphreys (keyboards, vocals). Regarded as pioneers of electronic musi ...

and George Faith.

Spacemen 3

Kember initially came to prominence as a member of the outfit Spacemen 3.

Sonic Boom

Kember's first solo album, ''Spectrum'', was recorded in 1989 while Spacemen 3 were still a going concern, and featured the other members of the group. A second album, '' All Things Being Equal'', was released in 2020. A collaborative album with Sinner DC, ''Maps'', was released in 2025 on Mental Groove Records. Peter kember

Spectrum

Kember recruited new musicians Richard Formby, who had previously contributed guitar and keyboards to Sonic Boom's side of the final Spacemen 3 album '' Recurring'', and Mike Stout for the group Spectrum in 1991. Initial Spectrum releases carried on from the sound of late-period Spacemen 3, featuring conventional songs and a regular band. First single "How You Satisfy Me" was an original composition by Kember and Formby reminiscent of 1960s

garage band Garage rock (sometimes called garage punk or 60s punk) is a raw and energetic style of rock music that flourished in the mid-1960s, most notably in the United States and Canada, and has experienced a series of subsequent revivals. The style is ...

s, based as it was upon the Chip Taylor-penned pop hit "

I Can't Let Go "I Can't Let Go" is a song co-written by Al Gorgoni and Chip Taylor, who also wrote " Wild Thing". "I Can't Let Go" was originally recorded by the blue-eyed soul singer Evie Sands on George Goldner's Blue Cat label, which was popular in New Y ...

". 1992's ''Soul Kiss (Glide Divine)'' album was split between songs and longer experimental pieces featuring drones and repetition. Another single from the album, a cover version of

Daniel Johnston Daniel Dale Johnston (January 22, 1961 – September 11, 2019) was an American singer, musician and artist regarded as a significant figure in Outsider music, outsider, Lo-fi music, lo-fi, and alternative rock, alternative music scenes. Most ...

's "True Love Will Find You in the End" reached number 70 on the UK singles charts. Formby departed the band as soon as the album was released and Stout left not long after. ''Highs, Lows and Heavenly Blows'' (1994) featured a new line-up, primarily Scott Riley (guitar/vocals) and Alf Hardy (engineer), but also including former Spacemen 3 bass player Pete Bassman (Pete Bain), was also mainly song-oriented with Scott co-writing and taking lead on Take Your Time. Kember has occasionally collaborated with Jessamine and

Silver Apples Silver Apples were an American electronic rock group from New York, active between 1967 and 1970, before reforming in the mid-1990s. It was composed of Simeon (born Simeon Oliver Coxe III, June 4, 1938 – September 8, 2020), who performed ...

under the Spectrum name. Since 1996 the Spectrum name has been used for Kember's solo work, sometimes with Bain and

recording engineer An audio engineer (also known as a sound engineer or recording engineer) helps to produce a recording or a live performance, balancing and adjusting sound sources using equalization, dynamics processing and audio effects, mixing, reproducti ...

/musician Alf Hardy. The music made with Bain and Hardy was often in the same vein as E.A.R., reflecting an increased interest in vintage analogue synthesizers, especially those made by EMS. After issuing 1997's '' Forever Alien'' album, there were no further releases of new material under the Spectrum moniker until 2008's ''Indian Giver'' collaboration with Jim Dickinson. Kember has also worked with

Füxa Füxa (pronounced like the color fuchsia) is an American rock band. Füxa was formed in Detroit in 1994 by musicians Randall Nieman (formerly of Windy & Carl) and Ryan Anderson (formerly of Asha Vida and later to join Delta Waves). Band memb ...

Randall Nieman Randall Nieman is an American musician and entrepreneur. In addition to being a guitarist and percussionist in several bands, he has played a variety of exotic instruments, including the theremin. Nieman departed the post-rock Post-rock is ...

. During 2008–11, a four-piece Spectrum toured extensively in America and Europe. This included providing main support for the 2008 reformation tour of My Bloody Valentine, and a performance at the

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festival in May 2011. An EP, ''War Sucks'', was released in 2009.

E.A.R.

Although the first E.A.R. album to be released (''Mesmerised'', 1994) was Kember on his own, the initial intention of E.A.R. was to record experimental "soundscape" music with collaborators. The second album, ''Beyond the Pale'' (1996), which was actually the first to be recorded, in 1992, included

Kevin Shields Kevin Patrick Shields (born 21 May 1963) is an Irish musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer, who achieved international fame as the lead vocalist and guitarist of the alternative rock band My Bloody Valentine (band), My Bloody Valenti ...

of My Bloody Valentine, Kevin Martin and AMM's

Eddie Prévost Edwin John Prévost (born 22 June 1942) is an English percussionist who founded the free improvisation group, AMM. Early years Of Huguenot heritage, Prévost's silk weaving ancestors moved to Spitalfields in the late 17th century. He was born ...

. The album was remixed by German musician

Thomas Köner Thomas Köner (born 1965 in Bochum, West Germany) is a multimedia artist whose main interest lies in combining visual and auditory experiences. The BBC, in a review of Köner's work in 1997, calls him a "media artist," one who works between insta ...

in 1997, and released as ''The Köner Experiment''. Prévost also appeared on ''Phenomena 256'' (1996) and ''Millennium Music'' (1998), both of which included a larger group of musicians. ''Data Rape'' (1998) was recorded solely by Kember, using the technique of

circuit bending Circuit bending is the creative customization of the circuits within electronic devices such as children's toys and digital synthesizers to create new musical or visual instruments and sound generators. Circuit bending is manipulating a circuit ...

, which he continued to use on the ''Vibrations'' EP (2000) and ''Continuum'' album (2001). The latter two releases were made with assistance from

Delia Derbyshire Delia Ann Derbyshire (5 May 1937 – 3 July 2001) was an English musician and composer of electronic music. She carried out notable work with the BBC Radiophonic Workshop during the 1960s, including her electronic arrangement of the theme ...

, formerly of the

BBC Radiophonic Workshop The BBC Radiophonic Workshop was one of the sound effects units of the BBC, created in 1958 to produce Incidental music, incidental sounds and new music for radio and, later, television. The unit is known for its experimental and pioneering ...

, who also had a track named after her on the Spectrum album ''Forever Alien''. The most recent E.A.R. release is ''Worn to a Shadow'' (2005).

Other musical collaborations

Kember has also played and collaborated with Birmingham band Magnétophone who were signed to 4AD Records, performing with them live on European tours between 2006 & 2007 (he also managed them during this period), The Field Trip,

Britta Phillips Britta Phillips (born June 11, 1963) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, record producer, and actress. Phillips' music career spans more than 30 years. She came to prominence in the mid-1980s as the singing voice of the title character ...

and

Dean Wareham Dean Wareham (born 1 August 1963) is an American musician and actor who co-founded the band Galaxie 500 in 1987. He departed from Galaxie 500 in April 1991 and went on to establish the band Luna (1990s American band), Luna. Following Luna's di ...

, Cheval Sombre, Cloudland Canyon, and

Pat Fish Patrick Huntrods (20 December 1957 – 5 October 2021), known as Pat Fish, was an English musician best known for his work as a member of the band The Jazz Butcher. (The name "Jazz Butcher" has been applied ambiguously both to Fish and the whole ...

The Jazz Butcher The Jazz Butcher was the alias of British singer/songwriter Pat Fish (20 December 1957 – 5 October 2021). It also served as the name of the band, though adjuncts were frequently used to distinguish between Fish's persona and band itself (The J ...

, The Fields of Hay and with the Italian band Julie's Haircut. 2006 saw Kember mentor The Flowers of Hell through the creation of their self-titled debut, mixing and performing on a track and returning to do the same on the group's 2009 Come Hell or High Water album. In 2022, Kember collaborated with Black Market Karma on a track '' The Sour Truth'' released in 2023. The single is produced by Kember and features him on synth and percussion.

Work as a producer

Kember produced Blair 1523's debut album, ''Beautiful Debris''. He remixed Britta Phillips and Dean Wareham's ''L'Avventura'' album, releasing ''Sonic Souvenirs'' in 2003. In 2010, Kember undertook superervisory production on

's second album, titled ''

''. In 2011, he mixed and mastered

's fourth album, ''

''. In 2012 he produced TEEN's record ''In Limbo''. In 2015, he co-produced Panda Bear's fifth album, '' Panda Bear Meets the Grim Reaper''. He also did mixing work on Deakin's first solo work, ''

Sleep Cycle The sleep cycle is an oscillation between the slow-wave and REM (paradoxical) phases of sleep. It is sometimes called the ultradian sleep cycle, sleep–dream cycle, or REM-NREM cycle, to distinguish it from the circadian alternation between ...

'', in 2016. Kember collaborated in the production of '' 7'', the

album released on 11 May 2018. He mixed Moon Duo's 2019 album, ''Stars Are the Light''

Packaging and formats

Spectrum and E.A.R. releases have often featured elaborate packaging, unusual formats, or limited editions. The LP version of the Sonic Boom album ''Spectrum'' came with a revolving "

Op art Op art, short for optical art, is a style of visual art that uses distorted or manipulated geometrical patterns, often to create optical illusions. It began in the early 20th century, and was especially popular from the 1960s on, the term "Op ...

" sleeve. 2000 copies came with a slip allowing purchasers to also buy a limited 10" coloured vinyl EP. The EP contained experimental drone recordings, with instructions to play at 16, 33, 45 or 78 RPM. The group Spectrum's first album ''Soul Kiss (Glide Divine)'' was originally released in a transparent

PVC Polyvinyl chloride (alternatively: poly(vinyl chloride), colloquial: vinyl or polyvinyl; abbreviated: PVC) is the world's third-most widely produced synthetic polymer of plastic (after polyethylene and polypropylene). About 40 million tons o ...

sleeve, with a blue oil and water mixture contained within it. (These notoriously burst when being shipped to record store). The LP was pressed on transparent vinyl. E.A.R.'s first single release was ''Pocket Symphony'', a 5" vinyl record with cover art by

Anthony Ausgang Anthony Ausgang (born Anthony Charles Grant Thompson, May 22, 1959) is an artist and writer born in Pointe-à-Pierre, Trinidad and Tobago in 1959 who lives and works in Los Angeles.''Vacation from Reality: The Art of Anthony Ausgang'' () Ausgang ...

. E.A.R.'s "Sub Aqua / Tidal / Lunar" (1995) was an 8" vinyl release, a

picture disc Picture discs are gramophone record, gramophone (phonograph) records that show images on their playing surface, rather than being of plain black or colored vinyl. Collectors traditionally reserve the term picture disc for records with graphics ...

with a

locked groove The overwhelming majority of records manufactured have been of certain sizes (7, 10, or 12 inches), playback speeds (33, 45, or 78 RPM), and appearance (round black discs). However, since the commercial adoption of the gramophone record (cal ...

at the end of the second side. "Sputnik" (1997), a split single with

Thurston Moore Thurston Joseph Moore (born July 25, 1958) is an American guitarist, singer and songwriter best known as a member of the rock band Sonic Youth. He has also participated in many solo and group collaborations outside Sonic Youth, as well as running ...

and Don Fleming on the other side, was pressed on glittery 7" vinyl. Another 7" single, "Data Rape (Part 9)" has a drawing by artist

Savage Pencil Edwin Pouncey (born June 1951), also known by the '' nom de plume'' Savage Pencil, is an English comics artist, musician, and music journalist. Biography As Savage Pencil and otherwise, Pouncey has contributed to magazines such as '' Sounds'' ...

scratched onto the B-side instead of music. 1998's "Death of a Robot" is pressed on 9" clear vinyl.

Discography

As Sonic Boom

Albums: *''Spectrum'' (1990) *'' All Things Being Equal'' (2020) *''

Reset Reset may refer to: Film and television * Reset (2015 film), ''Reset'' (2015 film), a 2015 French documentary film * Reset (2017 film), ''Reset'' (2017 film), a 2017 Chinese film * Reset (2024 film), ''Reset'' (2024 film), a 2024 Sri Lankan sh ...

'' (2022; collaboration with

) Singles/EPs: *''Angel'' (1989) *''Octaves/Tremolos'' (1990) *''Drone Dream'' (1991) *''Mechanical Man'' (1994) *''The Sundowner'' (2000) *'' The Sour Truth'' (2023) (with Black Market Karma)

As Spectrum

Albums: *''Soul Kiss (Glide Divine)'' (1992) *''Highs, Lows and Heavenly Blows'' (1994) *'' Forever Alien'' (1997) *''A Lake of Teardrops pectrum & Silver Apples LP' (1999) (with

) Compilations and special releases: *''What Came Before After'' (1994) ompilation*''A Lake of Teardrops'' (1999) *''Live Chronicles Vol. 1'' (2001) ive recordings*''Live Chronicles Vol. 2'' (2001) ive recordings*''Refractions: Thru the Rhythms of Time 1989–1997'' (2004) ompilation*''Indian Giver: Spectrum meets Cpt. Memphis'' (2008) Jim Dickinson">ith Jim Dickinson Singles/EPs: *''How You Satisfy Me'' (1992) *''True Love Will Find You in the End'' (1992) * ''Super Sympathy Spectrum Stocking Stuffer'' (1992) plit EP with The Field Trip*''Indian Summer'' (1993) *''Undo the Taboo'' (1994) *''California Lullabye'' (1994) *''Songs for Owsley P' (1996) *''A Pox on You pectrum and Jessamine EP' (1996) ith Jessamine*''Feels Like I'm Slipping Away'' (1997) *''Interface/Come Out to Play'' (1999) plit EP with Imajinery Friends*''War Sucks P' (2009)

As E.A.R. (Experimental Audio Research)

Albums, etc.: *''Mesmerised'' (1994) *''Beyond the Pale'' (1996, recorded 1992) ith Kevin Shields*''Phenomena 256'' (1996) *''The Köner Experiment'' (1997) *''Millennium Music'' (1998) *''Data Rape'' (1998) *''Living Sound .A.R. & Jessamine' (1999) *''Pestrepeller'' (1999) (Limited to 1900 copies) *''Vibrations'' (2000) *''Continuum'' (2001) *''Worn to a Shadow'' (2005)

Remixes

*''The Sonic Boom Mixes EP'' – Sinner DC (Mental Groove, 2013)

References

External links

3ammagazine.com 2002 interview
*
Alteredzones.com interview, 2011

Interview with Peter Kember in Spain, c. 2010
(Youtube video)
Interview with Peter Kember, c. 2010
(Youtube video)
'Soul Kiss (Glide Divine), Spectrum's timeless masterpiece dismantled…'
– Interview with Kember about the LP, 2014 {{DEFAULTSORT:Kember, Peter 1965 births Living people English alternative rock musicians English record producers English rock guitarists English rock keyboardists English expatriates in Portugal People from Rugby, Warwickshire People from Sintra Spacemen 3 members Space rock musicians People educated at Rugby School