Spectrum Members, Gear & Sound

Spectrum is the long-running project led by Pete “Sonic Boom” Kember (vocals, guitar, keyboards, production), formed in England after the end of Spacemen 3. Although the lineup has shifted over the years—with contributors including Richard Formby (guitar), Mike Stout (bass), Kevin Cowan (guitar), Scott Riley (guitar), and Alf Hardy (programming)—Spectrum is best understood as Kember’s vehicle for exploring the space between psychedelic rock, space rock, ambient pop, shoegaze, electronic music, and musique concrète. Their recordings balance pop structure with drone, repetition, and a hazy, narcotic atmosphere, carrying forward Kember’s fascination with minimalism, texture, and altered-state sonics.

Spectrum’s sound is hypnotic, spacious, and deliberately repetitive—less about flash than about locking into a pulse and letting layers slowly bloom. The guitars are often fuzzy but soft-edged rather than aggressive, sitting inside a cloud of reverb and echo while simple basslines and motorik rhythms keep everything grounded. To get close, think in terms of drones, sustained chords, and trance-inducing repetition, with vintage-flavored tones that feel both intimate and cosmic. A guitar like Kember’s Airline 1964 "JB Hutto" Res-O-Glass Guitar into a characterful amp such as a Vox Conqueror, then washed in expansive ambience from something like the Boss RRV-10 Digital Reverb, points in the right direction. Synths and treated noise are just as important: understated analog-style textures, organ-like pads, and incidental sound collage help give Spectrum its dreamy, otherworldly blur.