 He studied economics at Aston University in Birmingham and pursued a career in journalism, while composing and performing free form improvised music (see free improvisation).He lived in Johannesburg, South Africa between 1996 and 2003, working as a foreign correspondent for major US and British newspapers, after which he moved back to England.He lived in Brighton from 2013, and was a member of the New Music Brighton and London Forum collectives of composers in the UK.