His work has been characterized as avant-garde, incorporating elements of "free jazz, rock, rap, thrash, tango, lounge and contemporary classical" music.
He is Co-Artistic director of Dumbworld, a production company he formed with filmmaker John McIlduff in 2009, and was the first Associate Composer with the Ulster Orchestra from 2008 to 2012.
In 2015 he became the first Music Laureate for the City of Belfast and in December of that year was named as the winner of the Paul Hamlyn Composers Award.
Much of his output has involved collaborations with artists from other disciplines, including Seamus Heaney (poet, Ireland), Eduard Bersudsky (sculptor), Jennifer Walshe (composer/vocalist), John Mcilduff (filmmaker/director), Joanna Macgregor (piano), Jari Nemenin (filmmaker/director), Joel Simon (filmmaker/animator), Matthew Robbins (animator/artist), LAU (BBC Folk Award Winners), Ivor Cutler (poet, singer), Keiji Haino (guitar, Japan), David Holmes (producer/composer/DJ), Paul Dunmall (saxophone/reeds/bagpipes), Darragh Morgan (violin), and Owen McCafferty (playwright).
13 Vices was selected to represent the UK in the 2017 New Music Biennale in Hull (City of Culture) and at the South Bank in London.