Tom Burford.

What were you doing before you came to Spirit Studios?

I was teaching Music Technology at The Manchester College.

How did you get into what you teach?

I have been releasing music with numerous record labels including Rhythm section International, Far Out, Try Thoughts and Shall Not Fade. I finally decided I wanted to move from performing my music solely as a DJ and developed a live performance system consisting of synthesisers, drum machines, external FX pedals, tuned percussion and Ableton Live. This has led me to teach on the Electronic Music Performance and Technologies module.

The last 10 years of my career have been spent being a professional musician , as well as facilitating music production sessions, and working across secondary and further education.

Any special areas of interest?

I have a particular interest in rhythmic practices and percussive instrumentation having grown up playing drums and percussion. I am interested in exploring different approaches to rhythmic composition and performance and creating music that connects contemporary electronic music with rhythmic traditions from around the world.

What’s your proudest career achievement?

Performing at The Royal Albert Hall, Warehouse Project, Nyege Nyege festival in Uganda and Dimensions festival in Croatia.

What do you get up to outside of teaching?

Getting out into the peaks for walks or camping. I’ve recently go back into climbing too. I also do a lot of music production and performance outside of teaching and host a radio show on NTS radio alongside Yadava.

Tell us something people may not know about you?

I used to mountain unicycle when I was a teenager. There wasn’t much to do growing up in Cumbria!

Career credits or any notable people you may have worked with?

I have collaborated with cellist Abel Selaocoe, remixed legendary Azymuth drummer Ivan Conti and been remixed by the likes of Ross From Friends, Kaidi Tatham and K15.

If you have anything released online, where can we find it?

You can check out some of my releases here.

What’s your favourite album/artist? and why?

I’ve been really loving Comme Au Moulin by Nyssa Musique over the last year or two.

What’s the best gig you’ve ever been to?

I saw the Cinematic Orchestra perform about a decade ago which was very special. More recent gig highlights would have to include Mark Ernestus’ Ndagga Rhythm Force.

What’s your musical guilty pleasure?

I’ve got a soft spot for the Jurassic Park theme tune!

Want to learn from Tom?

Tom is a tutor at Spirit Studios that teaches on our BA (Hons) Electronic Music Production and Performance course.