Biography
Over a lengthy span in music, Sonic Boom has remained committed to probing the allure and force of repetition via mesmerizing, occasionally jagged textures, establishing him as an iconic presence. From deploying guitars alongside drug-related motifs in the pivotal Spacemen 3, to probing electronic noise and experimental avant-garde realms via the Experimental Audio Research collective, to leading his retro-synth pop outfit Spectrum, his steadfast pursuit of distinctive sonic principles attracted a devoted audience throughout the late 1980s and 1990s. Shifting emphasis afterward to production and joint projects, he lent his efforts to notable figures such as Panda Bear and MGMT alongside more underground talents like Cheval Sombre. Returning to original material in the late 2010s, he partnered on a 2018 EP with No Joy before issuing the characteristically mesmerizing All Things Being Equal two years later. In 2022 Sonic Boom reunited with longtime associate Panda Bear on the shared album Reset. A seasonal collection with Dean & Britta titled A Peace of Us appeared in 2024, followed in 2025 by his collaborative album Maps alongside Swiss duo Sinner DC.
While enrolled at art college, Rugby, England native Pete Kember joined Jason Pierce to establish Spacemen 3 and captured a demo tape in 1986. Following their signing to Glass Records, the band tracked its first LP Sound of Confusion, on which Kember took the alias Peter Gunn. By the era of the subsequent EP Walkin' with Jesus he had renamed himself Sonic Boom, retaining that moniker through his ongoing work. In 1990 he released an album credited to Sonic Boom titled Spectrum; once Spacemen 3 dissolved shortly thereafter, Kember repurposed the Spectrum name for his fresh ensemble. Spectrum launched with the 1992 album Soul Kiss (Glide Divine) and issued two further LPs, Highs, Lows & Heavenly Blows and Forever Alien, across the rest of the decade. The group also put out numerous singles, EPs, and joint releases with Silver Apples and Jessamine.
Sonic Boom additionally anchored the experimental-noise Experimental Audio Research endeavor, an informal assembly of players that included My Bloody Valentine's Kevin Shields and Techno Animal's Kevin Martin among others. The project generated multiple recordings through the latter half of the 1990s and reemerged for the single album Worn to a Shadow in the mid-2000s, an interval when Kember more often appeared as a guest or producer than as a solo creator.
Throughout the 2000s he collaborated and produced with Füxa, the Warlocks, Magnétophone, Dean & Britta, Cheval Sombre, Sunray, and the Flowers from Hell. His reemergence from the edges of the alternative landscape came when MGMT enlisted him to helm their prominent second album Congratulations in 2010. He maintained steady activity thereafter, applying his hypnotic approach to works by TEEN, Cheval Sombre, Panda Bear, and Moon Duo while joining shoegaze revivalists No Joy on a densely electronic 2018 EP.
A few years earlier he had started shaping a collection of modular-synth instrumentals. Although longtime friend Tim Gane of Stereolab assured him the pieces warranted release, Kember set them aside. Following his 2018 relocation to Portugal he revisited the material and incorporated vocals. Satisfied at last, he saw Carpark issue All Things Being Equal in 2020. The characteristically hypnotic yet distinctively bright album included contributions from Panda Bear and Britta Phillips. A set of his synth-focused remixes drawn from the record, together with two tracks previously available only in Japan, appeared soon after under the title Almost Nothing is Nearly Enough, released by Carpark in April 2021.
In 2022 Sonic Boom and Panda Bear combined once more for Reset, their initial official joint LP after more than a decade of shared work. Recording for Reset commenced amid the initial stages of worldwide COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns and saw the longtime collaborators challenge one another toward fresh creative directions, with Sonic Boom even contributing vocals on tracks where he had previously remained instrumental. Domino released the album in August 2022. On 2024's A Peace of Us, Kember aligned with longstanding colleagues Dean & Britta for a program of holiday-oriented material. The following year he united with Swiss electronic duo Sinner DC on the collaborative album Maps, a body of work first developed in 2013 for live presentation at Switzerland's Festival La Bâtie.
While enrolled at art college, Rugby, England native Pete Kember joined Jason Pierce to establish Spacemen 3 and captured a demo tape in 1986. Following their signing to Glass Records, the band tracked its first LP Sound of Confusion, on which Kember took the alias Peter Gunn. By the era of the subsequent EP Walkin' with Jesus he had renamed himself Sonic Boom, retaining that moniker through his ongoing work. In 1990 he released an album credited to Sonic Boom titled Spectrum; once Spacemen 3 dissolved shortly thereafter, Kember repurposed the Spectrum name for his fresh ensemble. Spectrum launched with the 1992 album Soul Kiss (Glide Divine) and issued two further LPs, Highs, Lows & Heavenly Blows and Forever Alien, across the rest of the decade. The group also put out numerous singles, EPs, and joint releases with Silver Apples and Jessamine.
Sonic Boom additionally anchored the experimental-noise Experimental Audio Research endeavor, an informal assembly of players that included My Bloody Valentine's Kevin Shields and Techno Animal's Kevin Martin among others. The project generated multiple recordings through the latter half of the 1990s and reemerged for the single album Worn to a Shadow in the mid-2000s, an interval when Kember more often appeared as a guest or producer than as a solo creator.
Throughout the 2000s he collaborated and produced with Füxa, the Warlocks, Magnétophone, Dean & Britta, Cheval Sombre, Sunray, and the Flowers from Hell. His reemergence from the edges of the alternative landscape came when MGMT enlisted him to helm their prominent second album Congratulations in 2010. He maintained steady activity thereafter, applying his hypnotic approach to works by TEEN, Cheval Sombre, Panda Bear, and Moon Duo while joining shoegaze revivalists No Joy on a densely electronic 2018 EP.
A few years earlier he had started shaping a collection of modular-synth instrumentals. Although longtime friend Tim Gane of Stereolab assured him the pieces warranted release, Kember set them aside. Following his 2018 relocation to Portugal he revisited the material and incorporated vocals. Satisfied at last, he saw Carpark issue All Things Being Equal in 2020. The characteristically hypnotic yet distinctively bright album included contributions from Panda Bear and Britta Phillips. A set of his synth-focused remixes drawn from the record, together with two tracks previously available only in Japan, appeared soon after under the title Almost Nothing is Nearly Enough, released by Carpark in April 2021.
In 2022 Sonic Boom and Panda Bear combined once more for Reset, their initial official joint LP after more than a decade of shared work. Recording for Reset commenced amid the initial stages of worldwide COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns and saw the longtime collaborators challenge one another toward fresh creative directions, with Sonic Boom even contributing vocals on tracks where he had previously remained instrumental. Domino released the album in August 2022. On 2024's A Peace of Us, Kember aligned with longstanding colleagues Dean & Britta for a program of holiday-oriented material. The following year he united with Swiss electronic duo Sinner DC on the collaborative album Maps, a body of work first developed in 2013 for live presentation at Switzerland's Festival La Bâtie.
Albums
Singles
