Research Interests

In addition to being a musician I hold a doctorate from The Open University, supported by a studentship from the Arts and Humanities Research Council through the CHASE consortium. My work examines how Social Media and Music Technology shapes the ways electronic musicians learn how to produce. Using a range of methods, my work investigates the social and musical practices of musicians online and offline to understand how electronic producers, and in particular hip-hop beat makers, learn how to express themselves musically as both individuals and as part of a wider scene.

Qualifications
•    BSc Physics at the University of Bristol
•    Mmus Ethnomusicology at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London
Biography

My academic path has been unusual. I began by studying for a BSc in Physics at Bristol University, where I gained a 2:1 and was awarded a Vice- Chancellor’s Scholarship for students with exceptional artistic talent. After completing my BSc I decided to pursue a lifelong ambition to study Jewish Music and began an Mmus in Ethnomusicology at SOAS, supported by a Mildred Loss and Sir Jack Lyons scholarship from the Jewish Music Institute and funding from the Jewish Widows’ and Students’ Aid Trust. For my MMus dissertation I carried out a study of radical Jewish culture and music making, exploring ethnomusicological issues and themes relating to tradition and transgression.

Conference Papers

Ethnographic approaches to exploring SoundCloud’s Hip-Hop Underground, British Forum for Ethnomusicology’s Annual Conference, April 2016, “It Ain’t Where You’re From, It’s Where You’re At”: Cambridge University International Hip Hop Studies Conference, June 2016