He was steered towards serious composition by Luigi Nono in 1980, and he has studied with György Ligeti among others, attending courses at IRCAM and the like, and is now an award-winning and frequently performed artist and professor at the Paris Conservatoire. Echoes of Ligeti's 'hobbling' rhythms can be heard here and there, as is there a more direct tribute to Luigi Nono and other literary references outlined in the liner notes.