Keyboardist, bassist, composer

Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?

A: My final project at Berklee – at the height of the COVID lockdown – was a one-person wall-to-wall short film score written as a set of double variations and orchestrated using vintage synth plug-ins. Watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qkLbbRIlUw

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: My own album, as well as some classical compositions (a piano concerto and a symphony).

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Both! Analog for immediacy, digital for reliability.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: The fact that I find it not only fun but also rewarding.

Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?

A: That a keyboardist's sound palette is restricted to 'piano', 'strings', and 'piano and strings', and that a bassist must play root notes and nothing else.

Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?

A: One will do: my trusty Ensoniq SD1. I lose track of time with it anyway...

Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?

A: Professionally since 2014, but I started teaching myself all this in 2007, when I was eleven!

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Curiosity.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: Whatever the song needs, even if that happens to be silence.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: Understand the music and the requirements inside-out, write out parts and/or improvise as necessary, rinse and repeat until the client is satisfied.

Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?

A: Synthesists: Greg Hawkes (The Cars), Lyle Mays (Pat Metheny Group), Michael MacNeil (Simple Minds), Tony Banks (Genesis), and Wally Badarou (Grace Jones). Bassists: Bruce Thomas (Elvis Costello), Derek Forbes (Simple Minds), Frank Blair (Marvin Gaye/Robert Palmer), Geddy Lee (Rush), and John Deacon (Queen).

Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.

A: Synthesiser programming and playing, and electric bass playing. In most cases I am asked to come up with my own parts and sounds – the amount of guidance varies.