Paul Kendall, a name synonymous with innovative soundscapes and cutting-edge production, reveals the early sonic influences that shaped his career as a composer, producer, and visual artist. From his formative years experimenting with sound to his groundbreaking work with iconic musicians, Kendall’s journey is a testament to the power of auditory curiosity and technological exploration. In this reflection, we delve into the pivotal moments and inspirations that molded his unique approach to music, with a particular nod to the seminal impact of the Doctor Who theme music.
Kendall playfully describes himself as a “non-musician musician,” recalling fleeting childhood encounters with the recorder and piano. However, these instrumental dalliances were curtailed by the acoustic realities of his environment – a cramped apartment where the sounds of practice were simply impractical. This environmental constraint, however, inadvertently fostered a different kind of musical exploration. In a peculiar act of teenage rebellion and sonic experimentation, Kendall found his practice space within the confines of the family car, a blue Morris Marina parked in the garage. Armed with a tenor saxophone, he filled the enclosed space with free-form improvisations, envisioning himself channeling the avant-garde spirit of Evan Parker and the spiritual intensity of late-era John Coltrane. While his neighbors might have perceived mere noise, for Kendall, it was the beginning of a lifelong pursuit of sound creation, unburdened by conventional technique and driven by contextual exploration. He admits his technique remained limited, emphasizing his focus on sound creation through diverse sources rather than traditional instrumental proficiency.
Kendall’s narrative then shifts to a deeper exploration of his sonic fascinations. He wasn’t drawn to conventional musicality or harmony in his early listening experiences. Instead, he was captivated by the textures and sonic signatures of recordings – the cavernous reverb in Joe Meek’s productions, the otherworldly introduction of “Telstar” by The Tornados. These elements, the sonic architecture rather than the melodic structure, resonated deeply with him.
Crucially, Kendall pinpoints a specific moment of auditory awakening: the first broadcast of Doctor Who. Just days after his ninth birthday, the Doctor Who theme music erupted onto the airwaves, shattering his nascent perceptions of musical timbre. To his young ears, it was “music from the spheres,” a sonic embodiment of the Space Age. This groundbreaking theme, with its pioneering electronic soundscape, became a pivotal influence. It opened his ears to a new universe of sonic possibilities, paving the way for his appreciation of the raw energy of the Kinks’ overdrive guitar, the psychedelic explorations of Small Faces, and the sensually charged, stereophonic world of Jimi Hendrix. The Doctor Who theme, with its futuristic and unconventional sound, acted as a sonic gateway, expanding his musical horizons beyond the traditional.
Family history also played an unexpected role in Kendall’s sonic journey. His parents, both employed in the telecommunications industry, inadvertently provided him with his first foray into personal audio. Surplus telephone headphones became his portal to stereo sound, launching him into a world of immersive listening. This early exposure to stereo, despite his initial technical limitations, set the stage for his later explorations of spatial audio.
Technical naivety initially led him down a path of sonic experimentation with a non-stereo four-track reel-to-reel tape machine. True tape manipulation and stereo exploration had to wait until his time at the University of York Music Department. There, he gained access to a VCS3 Synthesiser and Revox 2-track recorder, crucial tools that allowed him to delve deeper into the realm of stereophonic space and electronic sound manipulation. This period marked a significant step in his understanding and manipulation of sound in a spatial context.
A brief ownership of a Hohner Clavinet further fueled his sonic experimentation. Played through an HH Combo Amp with the sustain switch engaged, the Clavinet could be coaxed into resembling a feedback-drenched guitar, much to the dismay of his neighbors, who were spared the amplified sonic outbursts in the un-electrified garage of his youth.
The year 1984 marked a turning point with access to analogue multitrack recording. This era extended into the early 90s when the acquisition of his first Mac computer and Digidesign’s Sound Tools software (later Pro Tools) revolutionized his workflow. Digital editing and processing became a reality, a seismic shift comparable to the advent of commercially available tape recorders in the late 1940s. Prior to this digital leap, his setup revolved around an Atari 1040 running Creator Midi Sequencer, the precursor to Logic.
From 1985 to 1997, Kendall played a pivotal role at Mute Records’ in-house studio. As an engineer, producer, and mixer, he collaborated with a diverse roster of artists, both within and beyond the Mute family, including Barry Adamson, Depeche Mode, and Nitzer Ebb. He also established Parallel Series, a label within Mute, dedicated to exploring the possibilities of new technology, particularly Digital Audio Workstations (DAWs). This venture highlighted the converging paths of classical electronic music (musique concrète and academic composition) and popular music, both now leveraging the same technological tools, most notably Pro-Tools.
Upon departing Mute, Kendall embraced a fully “in the box” approach, rejecting traditional studio setups in favor of computer-based recording and mixing. This methodology became central to his compositional process and served him well until a recent rediscovery of sound generation and processing through the iPad.
The creative drought of the 2020 lockdown spurred Kendall to explore iPad apps. He was particularly impressed by programs like Borderlands and Tardigrain, which offered immediate access to new sonic palettes and tactile performance possibilities. For Kendall, who had always considered outboard effects as his instruments, these affordable and flexible apps were a revelation.
This renewed enthusiasm led to a burst of creative activity. Over three days in May 2020, he recorded eight improvisations using his voice or a Leaf Audio Microphonic Soundbox as sound sources. These improvisations became the foundation for his first vinyl album, Boundary Macro (2021), a testament to his enduring creative drive and adaptability.
Kendall reflects on his long-standing reliance on new plugins and software to ignite his compositional spark. Native Instruments’ Generator/Reaktor, in particular, provided years of inspiration. He laments the discontinuation of Spektral Delay, a tool he considered a powerful sound manipulator.
However, he unequivocally identifies Ableton Live’s arrival in 2001 as the most significant game-changer in the DAW landscape. He vividly remembers a fellow engineer demonstrating Live’s ability to seamlessly time-stretch percussive loops with a simple click. This innovation eliminated the laborious manual slicing and sequencing of loops, democratizing music production and empowering bedroom producers to DJ and create without the constraints of traditional equipment. The ubiquity of Ableton today, Kendall suggests, might obscure its revolutionary impact when it first emerged, a true paradigm shift in music technology.
Through anecdotes and reflections, Paul Kendall’s journey reveals the formative power of early sonic experiences, particularly the groundbreaking Doctor Who theme music. His story underscores the importance of curiosity, experimentation, and the relentless pursuit of sonic innovation, driven by both technological advancements and a deep-seated fascination with the very essence of sound itself.
