Background
Actually I spent most of my adult life travelling and my only instruments for a long time were a small hand drum and a Shakuhachi. Once I settled for a little while I began producing using samples and building beats in a drum lab, until the compositions grew too complex for that. Then I learned to play piano so I could actually do justice to the pieces that wanted to come through.
Approach
My approach to composition is entirely organic. If I am writing on spec I just allow the piece to go where it wants to go, generally starting with the palette of sounds; the shape usually makes itself apparent from there.
Writing a piece for a specific purpose is generally a feeling thing. I start with the inspiration - let's say it's a video - and then filter through my sounds until I find something which suits the ambiance, shape the sound until it is a perfect fit and then allow the composition to birth itself from there.
