Photo by Austeja Sciavinskaite.
Panda Bear (Noah Lennox) and Sonic Boom (Pete Kember) recorded their FADER Mix in Sintra, Portugal — " a very beautiful little mountain range running to the sea [with] a great mix of tropical and temperate vegetation."
Both of the stalwart musicians live in Portugal (Lennox in Lisbon, Kember in Sintra) and their joint set reflects the serenity and sunniness of their resident country. It also provides a peak into the duo's collaboration on their physical format-only project A ? of WHEN released this past July. "Engagement with music has been ruined, and as a result, we’re seeing a cultural collapse in music and in fact across the arts," Kember tells The FADER over email regarding the streaming economy. "I think if that is your perspective it can’t just always be about money."
The two artists have worked together for years. In 2011, Kember mixed and co-produced Panda Bear's solo album Tomboy, and in 2022 they made a full-length project together, Reset (available across streaming platforms). Together, the two artists craft sonic concoctions that sound like '60s rock as remembered in a dream, and then alchemized into something stranger.
Their FADER Mix is a blend of recognizable hits like MGMT's "Time to Pretend" to their own collaborations to nostalgic tracks from the likes of Sam Cooke. All of it radiates with a sunny and dreamy aura.
Listen to Panda Bear and Sonic Boom's FADER Mix on Soundcloud, Youtube, and Mixcloud — and see below for its tracklist and an interview with the two busy musicians.
Panda Bear and Sonic Boom's FADER Mix tracklist:
Panda Bear & Sonic Boom - "A ? of WHEN"
MGMT - "Time to Pretend"
The Archies - "Sunshine"
Gene McDaniels - "Another Tear Falls"
Pere Ubu - "Final Solution"
Cat Stevens - "Matthew & Son"
Dion - "Ruby Baby"
Them - "Here Comes The Night"
King Tubby / Eric Donaldson - "Cherry's Dub"
Panda Bear & Sonic Boom - "Pray to you"
The Caravelles - "Hey Momma You've Been On My Mind"
J.J. Cale - "You Got Something"
Sam Cooke - "Bring It On Home"
The Stranglers - "Golden Brown"
Crispian St. Peters - "The Pied Piper"
Panda Bear & Sonic Boom - "Lucky Charm"
What led you to start DJing?
Noah Lennox (Panda Bear): I think someone at Other Music (where we worked) asked Dave [(Avey Tare)] and I to DJ at Plant Bar sometime around 2001 or so… We were the first of many DJs that night, and no one really cared … Still have a complicated relationship with it mostly because I feel like I'm especially bad at it.
What’s the first set you ever played?
Pete Kember (Sonic Boom): I used to do a club night with some friends in the mid-80s called the Reverberation Club. So probably there. Playing The Velvets, Elevators, Stooges, Mc5, Gun Club and the like.
What DJs or artists inspire you?
NL: Too many to count, but Yen Sung, Avey Tare, Dean Blunt, Mica Levi, Rivka Ravede, Ben UFO, Tim Koh, Moodyman and Wolfgang Voigt are some names off the top of my head.
How has your local scene shaped your mixing and curation?
PK: There was no real scene, so we built it for ourselves. We were more keen to introduce people to great music rather than just playing other indie hits or whatever.
What’s the most memorable set you’ve ever played?
PK: As Panda Bear & Sonic Boom, I’d say the smallest show we did was a Christmas party out here in Sintra. There were maybe 50 people, a patchwork sound system & one light. As Spacemen 3, it was a show in ‘89 in Chester at a weird health club. We all took MDMA for the show and it was a trip.
What excites you about the future of nightlife?
NL: I suppose I just hope that people keep getting together in groups to experience things together, as I feel it's important and it seems we're getting away from that in some ways these days.
What DJ trend needs to die?
PK: I’m not a fan of standing looking at a DJ, but the whole ‘hot knobs’ fake fidgeting is ridiculous. I saw Grandmaster Flash in the early ‘80s and THAT is what I call a killer DJ.
How would you describe your FADER mix?
NL: It’s a little all over the place, but definitely filled with some all timers for us… It’s also got some friends and some of our stuff too.
Where did you record the mix? Describe your surroundings.
PK: We both live in Portugal. Noah in Lisbon, and I live in Sintra. The mix was made out here [in Sintra].
Beyond DJing and music, what's an interest you have that may surprise people?
NL: Before music, sports was really my thing … My older brother is an athlete (tennis coach these days), so I was always trying to keep up with him… I don't play so much anymore, but I watch a lot of games and listen to a lot of pods.
You recently released your project A ? of WHEN on physical formats only. What inspired that and what's your relationship to the streaming music economy?
PK: We wanted this record to be heard in its entirety and to sort the wheat from the chaff. Some people think they have the right to consume all music from all time for free, and the streaming system that has enabled that kind of thinking is built on such toxic models we do not want to be part of.
