English guitarist/songwriter Sonic Boom, aka Pete Kember, has been a true innovator and musical visionary for almost 20 years. First gaining prominence as a founder of the now-legendary (and ultra-influential) drone-rock band SPACEMEN 3, he has since released a startlingly diverse amount of music as SPECTRUM (his outlet for more song-based material) and EXPERIMENTAL AUDIO RESEARCH / E.A.R. (his project for leftfield sound experiments and ambient music), not to mention his many solo releases and collaborations with other like-minded artists and musicians. This interview was conducted in March, 2002 by Todd Zachritz. Many thanx to Sonic for his time and efforts.
(GODSEND): Since your early work, you've paid homage to a number of
influences (from the STOOGES, SUICIDE, MC5, SUN RA, ROKY
ERICKSON, DANIEL JOHNSTON, JOHN CAGE, etc.). How do
you feel about your own records now being cited as a major
influence on other emerging artists and musicians?
(SONIC): It's obviously very flattering. I always thought that it was only fair to pay
our dues to those who influenced us. It's always nice to see that newer
bands find those recordings interesting .
It seems that you were likely responsible for most of the more
experimental SPACEMEN 3 tracks...is there anything you
would've done differently in that band, looking back?
Very true. Well, I guess we would'nt 've split in an ideal world, but I
don't have too many other regrets about what I/we did. I like a lot of pop
music too, but think it ideal to dose it with a healthy dose of exploration. I think the most successful/best "pop/rock" bands have always had that edge
(Beatles, Hendrix, etc.).
SPECTRUM began as a more song/structured project...and
has gradually moved towards a harsher, more abstract sort of
sound...any particular reason for the move away from 'pop' song
structures?
Spectrum will always be predominately song-based - though perhaps involving
song-cycles & mood pieces as links & appetizers. E.A.R is always abstract
soundscape - with the obvious bent on Experimentation. Both formats rely
heavily on drone based explorations.
E.A.R.'s initial beginnings--how did you become involved with
such disparate artists as Kevin Martin, Eddie Prevost, and Kevin
Shields?
I dont think of these guys as disparate. They are all highly intelligent
sound-smiths, each with their own particular vision, but all also having
common ground to work in. EAR has often been a forum for working with other
artists whose work I admire & although EAR was originally based on Pieces
written by me, it was easily adaptable to combine it with the explorations
of others.
Your work with E.A.R. has seemingly become your primary
focus in recent years (especially as the last true SPECTRUM
album was released in 1997)...do you find much more freedom
to work under this umbrella?
Yes. It is a source of a lot of my interests, but notwithstanding my love
still for the song format . I plan to record a new Spectrum l.p. this year.
It is quite hard , as l.p.s like Highs & lows or Forever Alien sell
dreadfully at their release & then become in demand 4/5 years later. It has
been a recurring pattern unfortunately.
Your music has gradually moved further away from
conventional guitar 'rock' and is evolving into what seems to be a
wholly electronic world. Do you feel that the guitar may have had
it's day and it's time to move on to new realms and possibilities?
Not at all. I love the guitar as an experimental sound source. Electronics, however , give you a certain control over things that a guitar will not. I
find wholly electronic music very stimulating & a very vital format. As
perhaps the first generation to totally accept electronic music for what it
is & not be afraid of its possibilities, I think it is the time to broaden
the listener base for this type of music with each generation. Strangely,
the supposedly most electro-centric generation (the kids who are 15-18 now)
seem to have little grasp of anything more interesting than McDonalds or
Playstation.
Much of your work has become almost impossible to find in
North America (especially early releases like your solo
'Spectrum' LP and the 'Highs, Lows, & Heavenly Blows' CD)--are
there any plans to reissue any of this work in the future?
Plans, but nothing more concrete.
Space Age Recordings has become a sort of home for your
many projects and collaborations--is this your own personal
label? If so, is there anything particularly you're trying to
accomplish with it aside from being an outlet for your works?
This is not my label. I do release a lot of releases with them & it is
home to all the Spacemen 3 recordings so I like to continue the relationship. Everything that is released on SpaceAge is sanctioned by me & the guys who
run the label, in tandem .
Your use and study of trance/drones has been extensive--what
do you think is the draw of such extended or repetitive tones and
do you think there's any sort of underlying spiritual or
physiological quality to them?
Yes. Without doubt there is a magic to drone music /pentatonic music/ or any
music using real/pythagorean tunings in its scales. I dont like to over
analyse it, but there are certain magical divisions that we find in most
music of merit going back to the Greeks. Certain harmonic divisions are as
magical as their visual counterparts - used for centuries in buildings & works
of Art.
Your thoughts on production and remixing, as I know you've
worked on recordings by friends and colleagues like ALPHA
STONE and SHALLOW, among others...
Keeps my hand in. No Alpha Stone work I remember...
If your listeners are seeking more or similar work on the
same level as E.A.R. or SPECTRUM, who or what would you
recommend (or, alternately, what new music has impressed
you)?
Delia Derbyshire & Radiophonic Workshop pre-'73, Stockhausen pre'75, Lamonte
Young, most of the current Ochre record label roster, theres a load of good
music around. Mogwai, Stereolab - there's plenty of good stuff out there,
but its not mainstream . I guess we're back at 1975.........mainstream music
generally sucks, but Kraftwerk, the Stooges, Cluster/Harmonia & a bunch of
other art school bands kept the flame burning? Do we even have art school
bands these days ?
This question ALWAYS SEEMS SO HARD TO ANSWER.
What is in the future for Sonic Boom as for new releases or
other projects?
We'll have to see....there are some old bits finally seeing light of day,
with out-take material where at all possible.
I have an L.P. recorded as part of a collaboration with the eminent Los
Angeles artist Anthony Ausgang, one of my longtime friends & collaborateurs, plus a follow up l.p. to the Vibrations /Continuum song cycle released on
Rocketgirl & SpaceAge respectively.
Closing words, if any, for fans of your work...
Thank you all very much.
For more information on Sonic and all of his projects, visit: