Peter Kember | |
---|---|
Peter Kember in concert with Spacemen 3, 1989 |
|
Background information | |
Born | 19 November 1965 Rugby, England |
Genres | Alternative rock Drone music Electronic music Experimental music |
Occupations | Musician |
Instruments | Electric Guitar Analog synthesizer Keyboard |
Years active | 1982–present |
Labels | SpaceAge |
Associated acts | Spacemen 3 Spectrum E.A.R. (Experimental Audio Research) |
Peter Kember (born 19 November 1965) is a British musician and producer, more usually known as Sonic Boom, and was a founding member of alternative rock band Spacemen 3.[1]
Since the disbandment of Spacemen 3 in 1991, Kember has recorded as Spectrum and E.A.R. (Experimental Audio Research) - the two projects have existed in parallel, and recordings under both names occasionally only feature Kember. He has occasionally performed live under both monikers, most recently in 2008-11 as Spectrum, touring as a band in America and Europe.
Kember has played and collaborated with a number of artists, including Stereolab and Yo La Tengo.
Kember has also colloborated with other artists as a producer. He performed production duties on MGMT's 2010 album Congratulations and Panda Bear's 2011 album Tomboy.
Contents |
See main article: Spacemen 3
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.
Kember recruited new musicians 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 reminiscent of 1960s garage bands, based as it was upon the Chip Taylor-penned pop hit "Can't Let Go". 1992's Soul Kiss (Glide Divine) album was split between songs and longer experimental pieces featuring drones and repetition, and Highs, Lows and Heavenly Blows (1994) was also mainly song-oriented. Kember has occasionally collaboarted with Jessamine and The Silver Apples under the Spectrum name.
Since 1996 the Spectrum name has been used for Kember's solo work, sometimes with Pete Bain from the original Spacemen 3 lineup and recording engineer/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 albumn, there were no further releases of new material under the Spectrum moniker until 2008's Indian Giver collaboration with Jim Dickinson. He has also worked with Füxa's Randall Nieman.
During 2008-11, Kember toured extensively as Spectrum as a four-piece ensemble in America and Europe. This has included providing main support for the 2009 reformation tour of My Bloody Valentine, and a performance at the All Tomorrow's Parties festival in May 2011. An EP, War Sucks, was released in 2009. A new Spectrum album has been in the offing for several years, but has been put on hold due to other recording and live commitments.
see main article 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 (the first to be recorded, however) was Beyond the Pale (1996, recorded 1992), which featured Kevin Shields of My Bloody Valentine, Kevin Martin and AMM's Eddie Prévost. The album was remixed by German musician Thomas Köner in 1997, and released as The Köner Experiment. Prévost also appeared on Phenomena 256 (1996) and Millennium Music (1998), both of which featured a larger group of musicians. Data Rape (1998) was recorded solely by Kember, using the technique of circuit bending, which he continued to use on the EP Vibrations (2000) and album Continuum (2001). The latter two releases were made with assistance from Delia Derbyshire, formerly of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop, 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).
Kember has also played and collaborated with Stereolab, Yo La Tengo, Britta Phillips and Dean Wareham, Cheval Sombre, and Pat Fish of The Jazz Butcher.
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, Peter Kember undertook superervisory production on MGMT's second album, titled Congratulations; and, in 2011, he mixed and mastered Panda Bear's fourth album, Tomboy.
Albums:
Singles/EPs:
Albums:
Compilations and special releases:
Singles/EPs:
Albums, etc.:
Spectrum and E.A.R. releases have often featured elaborate packaging, unusual formats, or limited editions. Some notable examples are:
|