PhD: The Final Frontier

Yes folks, it's coming up to the business-end of this monster task - one that has dominated the last five years of my life. I have often likened the PhD process to making an attempt on Everest: even just getting to Base Camp can be a substantial mission in itself; and, for some time, I found myself stuck there in the cold, watching and waiting for the conditions to be right for an ascent. Now, I'm somewhere high up on the North Ridge, all alone in the middle of the Death Zone, with stormy weather closing in. There's no going back down - the only way is up!

I get another one of these for my final season as a research student at SOAS:

And I'll also be helping my PhD supervisor, Richard Widdess, to teach one of his BA Music courses this year. Coupled with my continued research consultancy work with SOAS Marie Curie Research Fellow and fellow Cure fan William Tallotte, along with the excruciatingly detailed work that remains to be done on the thesis, my hours continue to be filled with the stuff of crazy music analysis. However, once the PhD is submitted (my draft has been approved, so this should be within the next few months, all being well) then I will make some time again for my own musical creativity. I have seventeen album projects waiting in the wings, and my musical mind is filled with all kinds of new visions - so look out!

Launch of SOAS South Asia Institute

It was an honour for me to play some desert music at the launch of the new SOAS South Asia Institute this week - check the link below for more information on this exciting new addition to the school.

http://www.soas.ac.uk/south-asia-institute/

SOAS Music Department is No. 1 in the UK for research

Our wonderful music department is OFFICIALLY the No. 1  Music Department in the UK for the quality of research published by our members of staff. Our research is described as  “world leading” and "internationally excellent". Check out the link here, if you don't believe me:

http://www.soas.ac.uk/news/newsitem98011.html

This result was announced in the national Research Excellence Framework yesterday, in which all departments in all subjects and all universities in England are assessed for the quality of their research. So there.

My first conference paper! Intimidating...

Yes, I'm going to present some research findings at the ACE Conference 2014 (great name for a conference, I think). It should be a lot of fun, if my brain doesn't explode. Here's a bit more about the event itself:

VisionMix Short Cuts

If you happen to find yourself in Central London on the eve of May 13th, then come and check this out: it's the screening of a fascinating and vital film anthology, featuring important works by some of India's leading visual artists - and I did the sound design (including composition of original music for the opening and closing credits).