About
SHORT BIO (100 Words)
Raymond Sookram MA is Founding Editor and Associate Editor (Issues 1 and 2) at Sonic Scope Journal, audiovisual scholar, lecturer, recording artist, pianist, drummer and PhD student at Goldsmiths, University of London. His research delves into numerous areas concerning interactive sound and cultures, including film, politics and glitch. Raymond’s current research explores how sound in open world games contributes to specific representations of, and information about, national identities and historical events, and their consequences; and whether game sound affords context for critical reflection in moments of play. Alongside his research, Raymond has released albums focused on ambient soundscapes and improvisation.
LONG BIO (300 Words)
Raymond Sookram MA, BA (Hons) is Founding Editor and Associate Editor (Issues 1 and 2) at Sonic Scope Journal, audiovisual scholar, lecturer, recording artist, pianist, drummer, and PhD student at Goldsmiths, University of London.
An experienced lecturer and public speaker, Raymond teaches music theory, audiovisual media and British culture as Lecturer in Music at Samford University’s London Study Centre, and film and video game music as Associate Lecturer at Goldsmiths, University of London. Additionally, he has chaired several sessions at conferences by the European Ludomusicology Group for Video Game Music Research.
As an audiovisual scholar, Raymond’s research delves into numerous areas concerning interactive sound and cultures involving films, politics, glitch, and video games. Raymond is currently researching imaginary worlds and their intersection with audiovisual media, a key focus of his PhD. He has presented and applied his Paracosmic Multimedia framework to transmedial sound and The Simpsons Game (2007) at the European Ludomusicology Group’s Ludo2019 conference, hyperreal game sound as a published video essay and audiovisual glitch at Music and Moving Image 2025, Sound on Screen IV and Ludo2025.
In addition to his PhD research, Raymond’s academic focus has broadened within and beyond video game music to encompass mental health, major popular musical works and political expression in music. His research has included an autoethnographic video montage panel paper at Sound on Screen IV on first-time gameplay, trauma and stream of consciousness diary writing on Burning Daylight Team’s Burning Daylight, examinations on Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On and Bernard Herrmann’s film score to Psycho, transmedial sound and parody of the Batman franchise within Level 2 of The Simpsons Game, and the argument for politicised speech as a form of popular music (e.g., protest chanting and mashup videos of politicians’ speeches).
Alongside his research, Raymond has released albums which focus on ambient soundscapes and improvisation.
Professional memberships
SSSMG (Society for the Study of Sound and Music in Games)
ISM (Independent Society of Musicians)
Editorial and Administrative Responsibilities
Founding Editor, Reviewer and Associate Editor (Issues 1 and 2)
(January 2020 - PRESENT)
Editorial Assistant to Dr Holly Rogers and Professor Carol Vernallis
(January 2019 - PRESENT)
Cybermedia: Explorations in Science, Sound, and Vision (2021)
Transmedia Directors: Artistry, Industry and New Audiovisual Aesthetics (2020)
Teaching and Marking
Lecturer in Music
(January 2022 to PRESENT)
Teaching foundations of music theory, film music and British culture. Case studies include music from The Crown, music videos, speeches by Queen Elizabeth II and Winston Churchill, music by Billie Eilish, Radiohead, David Bowie, Sir Edward Elgar and Frédéric Chopin.
Marked coursework encouraging students to combine learned music and film theory knowledge with prominent locations in London, UK.
(Samford University, London Study Centre)
Associate Lecturer
(March 2022 to PRESENT)
Taught seminars, tutorials and marked student essays for Music in Film.
Taught lecture on video game music for Third Year Advanced Topics in Music and Screen Media module.
(Goldsmiths, University of London)
External Marker
(June 2021)
Marked student audiovisual works for the Introduction to Audiovisual Composition module.
(Goldsmiths, University of London)
Associate Lecturer
(September 2019 to September 2020)
Taught lectures, seminars, tutorials and marked student essays for Second Year Music in Film module.
Taught lecture on video game music for Third Year Advanced Topics in Music and Screen Media module. Created and presented as an online lecture in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
(Goldsmiths, University of London)
External Marker
(December 2019 to PRESENT)
Marked student essays and literature reviews for Year 2 Writing About Music module.
Marked student essays for Popular Music Debates module.
(The Institute of Contemporary Music Performance (ICMP))
Undergraduate Tutor
(November 2018 to January 2019)
Essay writing for undergraduate music student on emergence of glam rock in 1970s Britain.
(Goldsmiths, University of London)
Presentations and Public Speaking
Conference Paper
(12th July 2025)
’Play in Fragmented Worlds: The Paracosmic Multimedia of Glitch Game Sound’
(Presented at Ludo2025, The Fourteenth European Conference on Video Game Music and Sound, University Square Campus, University of East London)
Chair
(11th July 2025)
Session 5 - Listening Between Realities and Fictions
(Ludo2025, The Fourteenth European Conference on Video Game Music and Sound, University Square Campus, University of East London)
Conference Paper
(26th June 2025)
’Broken Glitches and Broken Minds: Towards a Personal Approach to First-Time Gameplay, Ludomusicology and Burning Daylight’
(Presented at Sound on Screen IV 2025, Oxford Brookes University)
Panel paper with Liane Gualdim Silva and James Redelinghuys titled
‘Playing for the First Time: Ludomusicological Journaling as a Grounded Play-Thought Practice’
Conference Paper
(25th June 2025)
’Play in Fragmented Worlds: The Paracosmic Multimedia of Glitch Game Sound’
(Presented Online as a Subtitled Video Essay at Sound on Screen IV 2025)
Conference Paper
(30th May 2025)
’Play in Fragmented Worlds: The Paracosmic Multimedia of Glitch Game Sound’
(Presented at Music and Moving Image (MaMI) Conference XXI, New York University)
Chair
(11th July 2024)
Session 3 - Performing Traditions
(Ludo2024, The Thirteenth European Conference on Video Game Music and Sound, Tecnocampus - UPF in Mataró, Spain)
Research Talk
(20th February 2024)
‘Exploring Paracosmic Multimedia and The Simpsons Game’
(Presented as part of the Music Research Series, Goldsmiths, University of London)
Chair
(23rd March 2023)
Session 2 - Non-Human Encounters
(Ludo2023, The Twelfth European Conference on Video Game Music and Sound, University of Edinburgh)
Chair
(21st April 2022)
Session 2 - Technologies of Potential
(Ludo2022, The Eleventh European Conference on Video Game Music and Sound, virtual conference)
Chair
(24th April 2021)
Session 4 - Starts, Stops and the In-Between
(Ludo2021, The Tenth European Conference on Video Game Music and Sound, virtual conference)
Conference Paper
(14th January 2021)
’Playing in the Paracosm: Imagination, Hyperreality and the Video Game Experience’
(Presented at the British Forum for Ethnomusicology and Royal Musical Association Research Students’ Conference 2021).
Conference Paper
(28th April 2019)
’Paracosmic Multimedia: Transmedia Characters and Video Game Music’
(Presented at Ludo2019, The Eighth European Conference on Video Game Music and Sound)
Research Talk
(26th May 2017)
‘Exploring Bart Simpsons’ Musical Representation in The Simpsons and The Simpsons Hit & Run’
(Presented at the Fourth Westminster-Goldsmiths Symposium for Student Research)
Lecture Talk
(2nd May 2017)
‘From Parody to Brexit to President Trump: (Re)Examining Politicised Speech as Popular Music’
(Presented as part of the Music Research Series, Goldsmiths, University of London)
Creative Work
Drummer
Puny Humanz with Matt Hom and Anton Michael
Piano Improvisation
Moments (Live at Brunel University London) with Anton Michael
Ambient Soundscapes (Piano and Strings)