DMLab London: Synth Special – Monday 22 September

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DMLab London: Synth Special

 

Event details

DMLab is a space for Disabled and Non-Disabled musicians, technologists, and makers to exchange practices and explore new accessible instruments.

When: Monday 22 September 2025
Time: 6.30PM to 9PM 
Venue: Rich Mix, 35-47 Bethnal Green Road, London, E1 6LA OR live stream
Tickets: Register for free now!

 

A close-up of a modular synthesizer with multiple brightly colored patch cables (yellow, pink, green, black) connecting various modules. The modules feature rows of knobs, buttons, and LED lights glowing blue, red, and pink. A wooden case holds the modules at an angle, with a larger modular synthesizer visible but blurred in the background.
A modular synth designed by one of our guests, Mat Dalgleish.

Event overview

At this event, we’re excited to explore the world of accessible synthesizers and instruments, discovering the role they can play in inclusive performance. We will be joined by:

  • Mat Dalgleish (he/him): A researcher, educator, artist-designer and congenitally one-handed musician working at the intersection of people, music and audiovisual technology, and accessibility.
  • Paulee Alex Bow (they/them): An autistic musician from Birmingham. Paulee’s work explores themes of isolation, inequality and recovery via vocal-lead orchestral landscapes dotted with crumbling Synthwave, Industrial & Chiptune structures.
  • Hunaid Nagaira (he/him): A London-based designer, technologist, illustrator and one of our 2024-25 Accessible Instrument Development Fund grantees.

As usual, the event will also include opportunities for networking and music making and testing a selection of instruments from Drake Music’s Accessible Musical Instrument Collection.

While this will be an in-person event, there will also be the opportunity to view the presentations online. Register for an online ticket to receive the YouTube link, which will be shared ahead of the event.

Access

  • The venue, Rich Mix, is wheelchair accessible, via a permanent entrance ramp and lifts inside the building. The event will be held in The Studio, which is level throughout and is located on the 4th floor.
  • There are accessible toilets (with RADAR locks) on the ground floor, 1st floor, 2nd floor and the 4th floor.
  • There will be a quiet space available
  • We will have live captions and BSL interpreters at the session (these will also be available on the livestream).
  • There is a hearing loop in the Studio that can be used by switching most hearing aids to the ‘T’ position.
  • There is also an infrared system in The Studio which requires the use of headsets (which Rich Mix provides).

Please let us know of any specific access requirements when registering for the event.

Find out more about accessibility at Rich Mix

About the speakers

 

Mat Dalgleish (he/him)

 

Close-up of the face of a man with short dark hair, trimmed facial hair, and a slight smile, looking directly at the camera under warm lighting. The background is a neutral light colour and slightly blurred.
Mat Dalgleish

 

Dr. Mat Dalgleish is a researcher, educator, and artist-designer working at the intersection of people, music and audiovisual technology, and accessibility. He is also a congenitally one-handed musician.

Mat has previously worked at The OU Music Computing Lab and led postgraduate performing arts provision at the University of Wolverhampton. He is currently Senior Lecturer in Game Audio at the University of Staffordshire, a Leonardo CripTech AI Lab fellow, an Accessibility Chair of NIME 2026, and a trustee of The OHMI Trust.

Bending the Clock: Modular Synthesizers and Disabled Temporalities

The last two decades have seen a marked focus on the provision of accessible interfaces. This talk, illustrated with musical/practical examples, argues that, through their ability to “bend the clock” and reshape musical time to suit the needs of non-normative bodies, modular synthesizers offer a more radical model of accessibility.

Paulee Alex Bow (they/them)

 

Image description: Paulee Alex Bow performing in a black latex dress and thigh-high stockings whilst playing a Korg keyboard and singing into a microphone. Behind is colourful stage lighting and glowing rectangular panels.
Paulee Alex Bow performing on stage.

 

Paulee Alex Bow is an autistic musician from Birmingham, UK. Their work wields dark themes of isolation, inequality and recovery set amongst the bright phosphors of vintage CRT’s and computers.

Bow’s vocal-lead orchestral landscapes are dotted with crumbling Synthwave, Industrial & Chiptune structures; art as therapy out of necessity.

Hunaid Nagaira (he/him)

 

A man in his late twenties with short dark hair, glasses, and a white t-shirt, smiling slightly against a soft grey background.
Hunaid Nagaira

 

Hunaid is a designer, technologist & illustrator based in London. He loves building things which improve how people go about their everyday lives. The challenges that excite Hunaid the most are where his contributions aren’t limited to a singular discipline.

Hunaid’s work has been supported/recognised by institutions such as the Mayor of London’s office, IxDA, Ordnance Survey, Grantham Institute, All India Council for Technical Education, and the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851.

We can’t wait to see you there!