How did you get into electronic music? Where did it all begin?

I was a teenager in Manchester when the UK Jungle and Dutch Gabber scenes were starting to boom. I was blown away by the sounds and became obsessed with trying to recreate it myself. After reading a magazine article (funnily enough by a Scottish hardcore producer called Scott Brown) I got a copy of Cubase and started making terrible music. Then in my early 20s I was introduced to deep house by Al Bradley of 3am Recordings and my productions mellowed somewhat. Throughout the years I have discovered more eclectic sounds which help shape the sound of my music today.

Is there one piece of gear that was a real turning point for you?

The Novation Nova. I loved how you could assign the modulation sources to so many different parameters, then one day I found out you can have almost infinite modulation possibilities with patch cables and my modular journey began.

Is there a particular instrument or sound source you find yourself drawn to?

Despite being a synth nerd the simple sound of an acoustic piano often finds it's way into my music. I think it sits really nicely in electronic pieces.

What does your creative process look like? Are there particular techniques that help your process?

I often write a piece of music using presets on plugins to get my ideas down quickly, then once the arrangement is in place I will start programming sounds and patching up the eurorack to record all the final parts. I'm quite sporadic and inconsistent with my processes though, it all depends how inspired I am feeling and how high or low my patience levels are at the time.

Where do you usually start when creating a new piece?

It usually starts with an idea in my head, or a random sound I've heard somewhere or recorded on my handheld digital recorder. Or sometimes I just fire up Logic and bash away on the keyboard and see what happens.

Do you find that other creative pursuits influence your music?

Not so much. Not a creative pursuit but I enjoy going for bush walks and once stole a melody from a bird I heard singing. I have also used recordings I've taken of birds in my music.

Do you perform live? How do you translate your music into a live performance?

No, I prefer to lock myself away in my studio. The thought of performing in front of a crowd terrifies me.

What is the source of inspiration for your latest work?

My inspiration comes from all around, sounds I hear, new synth modules, funny things my daughter says. For 'Rings Mult 1' the main inspiration came from the Mutable Instruments Rings module and just playing with different patches. It's a simple track but I think the depth of sound you get from the Rings compliments that.

Do you think the town you live in (Auckland) has an influence on your sound or process?

Definitely. Since moving from Manchester to Auckland my music has chilled out a lot. I find being in Auckland I have access a lot more diverse sounds to make field recordings of too.

What is the strangest or most surprising instrument you have used?

For my track 'Big Metal Door' I recorded a squeaky door hinge down at the old air base at Hobsonville Point. Before all the new houses were built you could go inside the old brick rooms with the big metal doors, the reverb in there sounded amazing. I put my LS10 digital recorder on a tripod in the middle of one of the rooms and recorded myself playing with the hinged lock on the door. That then got keymapped on the sampler and I played the main chord progression and melody with it.

Who do you see as your biggest influence?

I really couldn't pinpoint one particular influence as being the biggest. In regards to approach, I'm definitely influenced by Oneohtrix Point Never's complete disregard for genre and what is/isn't considered an acceptable thing to put on a record. I like the freedom of not being constrained to any particular formula or set of rules, just making whatever music I want.

What records caught your attention early on and influenced your direction?

Primal Scream - Screamadelica
Phuture 303 - Alpha & Omega
Aphex Twin - Richard D James
Christ. - Metamorphic Reproduction Miracle

Recommend one artist for people to check out (other than yourself of course)

Christ. Especially the recording of his live John Peel session