Simon is a writer, broadcaster and countercultural investigator. Over the last 25 years he has written for everyone from The Guardian to Loaded magazine, presented television for Rapture TV, hosted radio programs for the likes of Galaxy and scripted the ITV show Club@Vision. He has also found time to earn a Masters Degree in Novel Writing, a PhD in the club scene (hence Dr Disco) and write several books (a collection of journalism, a guidebook to Ibiza and one on financial planning for young people – as well as academic books). He also established the communications agency, Pad Communications, looking after a range of leisure and lifestyle clients.Over the years he has spent his time writing for the likes of Marie Claire in Australia, The Big Issue and the Manchester Evening News, where he has reviewed concerts and theatre, as well as stint as their Pub & Bar Editor. He is also a broadcaster, appearing regularly on Tony Livesey’s late night BBC 5Live show for the BBC, and also for BBC Radio Manchester Gourmet Night food and drink show and BBC Breakfast News. He has also written a feature film, based on a story for The Guardian, currently with a production company.Simon’s main focus has been music and travel. His career has included editing Ministry of Sound‘s magazine in Ibiza for two summers and also writing two long-running columns for DJmagazine – “Around The World in 80 Clubs” (which took him everywhere from Beijing to Brazil, Moscow to Marrakech) and “Dispatches From The Wrong Side”. A collection of the latter was published in the UK and US as the book Discombobulated, including tales as varied as gatecrashing Kylie Minogue’s birthday party, getting deported from Russia, having a gun held to his head by celebrity gangster Dave Courtney and going raving in Ibiza with Judith Chalmers. He has recently written for the likes of Red magazine, Hotline, Clash, Tilllate, Shortlist and the Manchester Evening News. Pad Communications has recently consulted for clients as varied as Manchester nightclubs, Ibiza events and New Zealand toy companies.On a personal note, Simon is a Londoner who left the capital at the age of 18 and never looked back. He sees himself as a citizen of the global dancefloor having lived in Sydney, Los Angeles, Ibiza and Amsterdam. He currently splits his time between writing, and working as Senior Lecturer and Programme Leader for Music Journalism at The University of Chester. He lives in a studio loft in an old mill in central Manchester with three turntables and four guitars.