Experimental Audio Research

Experimental Audio Research -- E.A.R. for short -- was a loosely affiliated assembly of performers primarily spearheaded by <a href="spotify:artist:6PWLmgeCatbK7dhDQ6A1oQ">Spectrum</a> frontman <a href="spotify:artist:4lBmxg4Z1e9NTDD05a2mhI">Sonic Boom</a>; from time to time, the group also included, among others, <a href="spotify:artist:3G3Gdm0ZRAOxLrbyjfhii5">My Bloody Valentine</a>'s Kevin Shields, <a href="spotify:artist:2rg0G4NyvLU2Q22FSXvW0Z">God</a>'s Kevin Martin, and <a href="spotify:artist:5qLSqzqiH39RCZVrXsgWgq">AMM</a>'s <a href="spotify:artist:0CrcVQkRC6u1cTXVsDAbqv">Eddie Prevost</a>. 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 <a href="spotify:artist:4lBmxg4Z1e9NTDD05a2mhI">Sonic Boom</a>'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 <a href="spotify:artist:02H68OmCeljWgjoVQVOB1v">Thomas Köner</a>, who also appeared on the disc; Millennium Music followed in 1998, with subsequent releases including Data Rape. ~ Jason Ankeny, Rovi