As a musician, I have been writing, recording and performing music professionally for over 30 years. After training as a programmer and sound engineer, I signed an artist contract with Ninja Tune records under the name DJ Food in 1991, producing albums, remixes and a weekly radio show with the duo Coldcut and continued to perform internationally for 10 years. The broad range of musical styles and influences that I was exposed to during these years continues to inform my music making and teaching today. In 1999, I joined the band The Cinematic Orchestra as a turntablist, bringing the sound of my studio to the live stage with bespoke electronics and turntable dexterity. When the band were given the task of re-scoring the cinematic masterpiece ‘A Man With A Movie Camera’ my role developed via composition and orchestration and culminated with a live album recorded in the Albert Hall in 2008.

When Native Instruments released the DJ software Traktor I quickly recognised the vast creative possibilities that this tech development allowed and since 2014, I have been digging deep into its creative potential. At about the same time, I also visited my first 5 Rhythms class, held by Sue Rickards, and became equally inspired by the creative possibilities that this form of expression allowed me. These two threads ran alongside each other for 10 years until joining forces recently through the social enterprise ‘Dance Kew’, a community-led, inclusive space dedicated to conscious dance and mindful movement, a project I have been integral to.