Paul Kendall, a name synonymous with innovative soundscapes and cutting-edge music production, might seem worlds away from the fantastical realms of Doctor Who. Yet, for this British composer, producer, and visual artist, the iconic theme music of the long-running sci-fi series served as a pivotal moment, igniting a lifelong fascination with sound and its boundless possibilities. Kendall, known for his work with luminaries such as Depeche Mode and Nitzer Ebb, traces his sonic journey back to the day the Doctor Who theme first warped its way into his young ears, forever altering his perception of music.
Kendall’s path wasn’t paved with traditional musical beginnings. Describing himself as a “non-musician musician,” his early attempts at mastering the descant recorder and piano were fleeting. The constraints of his environment – living in a series of small, rented apartments – made practicing any instrument, and the inevitable noise it produced, practically impossible. However, necessity, as they say, is the mother of invention. The family’s garage, situated in the forecourt of their second apartment block, became an unlikely sanctuary. Inside their blue Morris Marina, parked in the darkness of the closed garage, the teenage Kendall found a space to explore sound. Armed with a tenor saxophone and fuelled by the imagined spirits of Evan Parker and late-era Coltrane, he unleashed free-form improvisations. While his neighbors might have registered the sounds as mere “wailing,” for Kendall, it was the genesis of a lifelong exploration of contextual sound creation, even if formal technique took a backseat to raw expression and, by his own admission, a touch of laziness when it came to practice.
What truly captivated Kendall wasn’t necessarily conventional musicality or harmony, but rather the evocative power of specific sounds. He was drawn to the cavernous voice reverb in Joe Meek’s productions and the otherworldly introduction of “Telstar” by The Tornados. These sonic textures resonated deeply, hinting at realms beyond the ordinary. Then, five days after his ninth birthday, the first episode of Doctor Who aired, and with it came Ron Grainer and Delia Derbyshire’s groundbreaking theme music.
The Doctor Who theme music, crafted by the pioneering BBC Radiophonic Workshop, shattered young Kendall’s preconceptions of traditional musical timbre. It was, as he describes it, “music from the spheres during the Space Age.” This wasn’t the sound of conventional instruments; it was something altogether new, electronic, and utterly captivating. The theme, realized through tape manipulation and early electronic techniques by Delia Derbyshire, was a revelation. It opened his ears to a universe of sonic possibilities, perfectly encapsulating the show’s science fiction ethos. Suddenly, the distorted guitar of The Kinks, the psychedelic explorations of Small Faces, and the sensually visceral soundscapes of Jimi Hendrix took on a deeper resonance, all filtered through the lens of the Doctor Who theme’s sonic innovation. The impact of this theme music on Kendall’s young mind cannot be overstated; it was a sonic seed that would blossom into a career dedicated to pushing the boundaries of sound.
Kendall’s family background further intertwined with his burgeoning sonic interests. His parents, who met through their work in telecommunications – his father a telephone engineer, his mother a telephonist – inadvertently provided the tools for his early audio explorations. It’s no surprise that his first headphones were surplus telephone equipment, launching him on a personal journey into the world of stereo sound.
This journey continued with a touch of technical naiveté. His first foray into recording technology was a 4-track reel-to-reel tape machine that, ironically, wasn’t even capable of stereo recording. True tape experimentation remained just out of reach until his time at the University of York’s Music Department. There, amidst the academic environment, he gained access to a VCS3 Synthesiser and a Revox 2-track recorder. Crucially, this period marked the beginning of his formal education in stereophonic space, a concept that would become central to his artistic approach.
A brief ownership of a Hohner Clavinet provided further avenues for sonic exploration. Played through an HH Combo Amp and with the sustain switch engaged, it could be coaxed into resembling a wailing, feedback-drenched guitar. These experiments, however, likely reinforced his neighbors’ appreciation for the lack of electricity in the garage.
The year 1984 marked a turning point. Access to analogue multitrack recording equipment unlocked new dimensions of sound manipulation. This era lasted until the early 1990s, when the acquisition of his first Macintosh computer and Digidesign’s Sound Tools software ushered in the age of digital editing and processing. For Kendall, this was a technological leap comparable to the invention of the commercially available tape recorder in the late 1940s. Prior to this digital dawn, he had been using an Atari 1040 running Creator Midi Sequencer, the precursor to Logic, navigating the limitations of MIDI technology.
In 1985, Kendall played a pivotal role in establishing Mute Records’ in-house studio, working there until 1997. This period was characterized by extensive collaboration as an engineer, producer, and mixer with a diverse array of artists, both within and outside the Mute Records roster. His fascination with emerging technologies, particularly Digital Audio Workstations (DAWs), led him to establish Parallel Series, a label within Mute. This venture highlighted a significant realization: the converging technological paths of classical electronic music (musique concrète and academic composition) and popular music, both now utilizing the power of Pro-Tools and similar digital tools.
After departing Mute, Kendall intentionally shifted his workflow to working “in the box,” a now-common phrase describing the move away from traditional studios towards computer-based recording and mixing. This methodology became the cornerstone of his compositional process, serving him well until the recent rediscovery of sound generation and processing possibilities offered by the iPad.
The creative drought of the 2020 lockdown spurred a new chapter. In May of that year, after three months of creative stagnation, Kendall delved into the world of iPad apps. He was particularly impressed by programs like Borderlands and Tardigrain, which offered immediate access to novel sonic palettes and the added dimension of tactile, performative interaction. While he had always considered outboard effects units as his instruments in the studio, their prohibitive cost had been a barrier. These apps, in contrast, were both affordable and remarkably versatile.
Reinvigorated, Kendall embarked on a burst of creativity, recording eight improvisations over three days, utilizing his voice and a Leaf Audio Microphonic Soundbox as sound sources. The subsequent six months were dedicated to editing and composing, culminating in his first vinyl album, Boundary Macro (2021).
Throughout his career, new plug-ins and software have consistently acted as catalysts for Kendall’s compositional drive. His journey began with Generator/Reaktor in 1996, and Native Instruments’ offerings have continued to inspire over the years. He still laments the discontinuation of Spektral Delay, a tool he considered a powerful manipulator of sound.
However, for Kendall, the arrival of Ableton Live in 2001 stands out as the most transformative event in the DAW landscape. He vividly recalls a fellow engineer at Mute demonstrating Live’s groundbreaking ability to seamlessly synchronize percussive loops in real-time with the click of a button. Before Live, this process involved manually slicing loops and sequencing individual elements – a time-consuming task now effortlessly achievable by anyone with a laptop. Ableton Live democratized music production, enabling bedroom producers to cut up loops and DJ without the need for traditional decks and vinyl.
The current prominence of Ableton Live, Kendall suggests, might obscure its revolutionary impact when it first emerged two decades ago. For Paul Kendall, whose sonic journey began with the otherworldly sounds of the Doctor Who theme music, Ableton Live represents just the latest chapter in a continuing exploration of the ever-evolving landscape of sound and technology, a landscape that the BBC Radiophonic Workshop helped to map out decades prior.
