Through my engineering consultancy CETRE Ltd I’ve built, scaled and
supported infrastructure for nearly 30 companies. I’ve helped
entrepreneurs and startups - some of whom have consequently had
successful exits - along with SMEs, large corporations and public sector
organisations.
I’ve gone from building Linux PCs, to installing and maintaining
server and network infrastructure in data centres, to cloud
infrastructure engineering and writing infrastructure as code.
Consequently I have a broad and deep understanding of infrastructure
from the hands-on physical level to the cloud-based approach of defining
infrastructure as code and building and provisioning it from software
repositories.
I maintain a blog with
articles mainly derived from solutions I’ve developed through my work
which could be helpful for other engineers, and a GitHub containing some of my
code for others to use.
Whilst not originally from a development background, I have done a
lot of scripting and coding over the years, and I have a growing
interest in programming. I recently completed the Automate
the Boring Stuff with Python course and intend to push further into
more advanced coding projects.
Music and sound design
I founded the dark electro band Dicepeople and released its first
studio album in 2009, and since then I’ve been responsible for most of
the songwriting, music, recording and production for the band.
Dicepeople’s music consists of intricate, immersive, modern electronic
productions, uniquely and seamlessly blending a broad range of genres
from industrial and EBM, through darkwave and post-punk, to synth-pop
and electronica. There have been many collaborators in the studio and
onstage including musicians, vocalists and visual artists. The current
lineup is myself with Zmora on lead vocals.
Dicepeople has an extensive back catalogue of four
studio albums (with a fifth to come soon) plus several singles, EPs and
remix releases.
Since the first official live performance in 2013 Dicepeople has played over 40 shows in London,
including support for acclaimed artists such as Android Lust and Zanias.
We’ve been booked for many venues including Electrowerkz and Islington
Academy, as well as being on the bill for several festivals and a range
of alternative nightclubs such as AntiChrist and Reptile. Dicepeople
were chosen by the fashion designer John Lawrence Sullivan to play at
their 2020
men’s fashion show as part of London Fashion Week in 2019.
I’ve successfully organised and co-organised several live events in
London with Dicepeople on the bill alongside other artists.
Under the Dicepeople name I’ve produced quite a few remixes for
other artists - of which some examples are here
and here
- and I’ve also assisted several artists with production in the
studio.
I have decades of experience of synthesizer programming and sound
design, which has enabled me to create uniqely crafted original sounds
in the studio and onstage for Dicepeople and other projects.
I design and develop live sets for Dicepeople making comprehensive
use of Ableton Live’s capabilities, along with the automation framework
ClyphX Pro. This combination enables me to set up advanced controller
mapping and automation support for dynamic live performances, plus
integrated synchronisation with lighting and visuals. I’ve started
exploring Max for Live development, my first plugin being a an
informational widget showing important dynamic set data and timings
during live performances.
I’ve written soundtracks for the short film 600 Days After, an entry to the
Sci-Fi London 48 Hour Film Challenge in 2014, and Sara Dee’s 2019 sci-fi
short film Alone.
I’ve done multiple collaborations with visual artist Nettie Edwards
to incorporate sound art with her visual work, including: Harriet is Breathing in 2015; Tornare Alla Luce in 2017 for
the Making It Real: Analogue LDN exhibition at Ugly Duck,
Bermondsey, and for the Lumen Residency 2017 exhibition at The
Crypt Gallery, St Pancras; and a residency in 2018 at The Crypt Gallery,
St Pancras.
I’ve been a keen photographer for many decades. I was an early pioneer of
mobile photography and was heavily involved in the worldwide
iPhoneography movement in the late 2000s and early 2010s. I continued to
be an exponent of mobile photography as it transitioned from a niche
artform to a mainsteam medium. I’ve used a variety of techniques in
addition to iPhoneography, including digital Lomography, digital pinhole
photography, and infrared.
I founded the London iPhoneography Group in 2010, which included as
members a significant number of notable London-based iPhoneographers and
mobile photographers. We were involved with various photography events
and exhibitions in London including slideshow
talks at Apple Store special events. The London iPhoneography Group
on Flickr is still
active.
Whilst I’ve experimentated with various different styles and genres,
my main interest for decades has been atmospheric urban landscape
photography. With my work I explore the evocative, surreal and sometimes
dark side of city existence in a visceral way, visually documenting
London and other places. I completed
all 15 sections of London’s Capital Ring Walk, covering 78 miles in
total whilst photographing it extensively.
Counselling and mentoring
I’ve a keen interest in psychology and neurology, specifically in
overcoming and coping with mental health and neurological issues. This
inspired me to complete a
counselling course at City Lit in 2007, and I’ve subsequently had the
opportunity to provide mentoring in business environments, in addition
to being able to support friends and colleagues with cognitive
challenges impacting negatively on their progress.