SONIC BOOM Loser 7 inch 1994

 

Discogs

Sonic Boom Biography by Jason Ankeny

Over the course of a long career, Sonic Boom's unvarying desire to explore the beauty and power of repetition through hypnotic, sometimes abrasive sound has made him a legendary figure. Whether utilizing guitars and drug imagery as part of the influential group Spacemen 3, digging into electronic noise and avant-garde sounds with the Experimental Audio Research collective, or fronting his vintage synth-driven pop unit Spectrum, his devotion to his aural ideals earned him an impressive following in the late '80s and '90s. He turned his focus toward production and collaboration after that, working with important artists like Panda Bear and MGMT and underground artists like Cheval Sombre. In the late 2010s, he returned to making music, collaborating on an EP with No Joy in 2018 and two years later releasing the quintessentially hypnotic All Things Being Equal. In 2022, Sonic Boom teamed up with longtime collaborator Panda Bear for the joint album Reset. A holiday album with Dean & Britta, A Peace of Us, arrived in 2024.

Tracklist

A		Mechanical Man (Kozik Version)
B		Mechanical Man (Sonic Boom Version)

EXPERIMENTAL AUDIO RESEARCH Phenomena 256 1996

 

Discogs

	Moniker of the British musician and producer Pete Kember, born 1965-11-19 in Rugby, England. Sonic Boom is the founder of three acts: Spacemen 3 (co-founded by Jason Pierce), Spectrum (4) and Experimental Audio Research (E.A.R.).

Experimental Audio Research Biography by Jason Ankeny

Experimental Audio Research -- E.A.R. for short -- was a loosely affiliated assembly of performers primarily spearheaded by Spectrum frontman Sonic Boom; from time to time, the group also included, among others, My Bloody Valentine's Kevin Shields, God's Kevin Martin, and AMM's Eddie Prevost. As a revolving exercise in guitar-based noise, each E.A.R. release radically differed from the ones preceding it, spanning the divide between weightless ambience and dense sheets of feedback; the project was introduced via 1994's Mesmerised, and was followed a few months later by Pocket Symphony, released solely on 5" vinyl. (As befitting Sonic Boom's own affection for record collecting, the releases that followed in 1995 -- Hydroponic and an untitled effort -- appeared only as a 10" and 8" picture-disc recording, respectively.) Although released in 1996, the Beyond the Pale LP was originally intended as the first Experimental Audio Research release, and was actually recorded in 1992; Phenomena 256 followed that August. Next up was 1997's The Köner Experiment, a nod to minimalist Thomas Köner, who also appeared on the disc; Millennium Music followed in 1998, with subsequent releases including Data Rape.

Tracklist

1. Delta 6 (Hydroponic)
2. Space Themes Part 1 & 2 (Tribute To John Cage In C, A, G, E)
3. Sub Aqua (Left Channel) • Tidal (Centre Channel) • Lunar (Right Channel)
4. Ring Modulator
5. As The Night Starts Closing In
6. Phenomena 256 (3 Piece Suite)
7. Spacestation
8. Mood For A Summer Sundown

SPECTRUM California Lullabye 10 inch 1994

 

Discogs

 

Band started by Pete Kember a.k.a. Sonic Boom (2) after Spacemen 3. Kember recruited new musicians Richard Formby, who had previously contributed guitar and keyboards to Sonic Boom's side of the final Spacemen 3 album Spacemen 3 - Recurring (1990) 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. 1991's "How You Satisfy Me" single was an original composition by Kember and Formby reminiscent of 1960s garage bands, based as it was upon the Chip Taylor-penned pop hit "Can't Let Go". 

 

Tracklist

A1 California Lullabye
A2 It's Alright
B1 Indian Summer
B2 True Love Will Find You In The End
B3 Thru The Rhythm