Benjamin Court is a PhD student in musicology at UCLA. He is originally from Rochester, NY and received his B.A. in music and history from SUNY Buffalo (2009). He is interested in a wide variety of popular and experimental musics from the twentieth century. In particular, his current research explores noise, psychedelia, electronic music, punk and post-punk, hip-hop, and European modernism. Benjamin is currently working towards his certification in Experimental Critical Theory at UCLA with a focus on the intersections between music and utopian theory, as well as the philosophy of Alain Badiou. He has presented his work at EMP/IASPM-US, CCM University of Cincinnati, UT Austin, and McGill University. In addition to graduate school, Benjamin is a freelance essayist on art, politics, and culture. In his free time, he composes and performs in numerous noise, punk, and free improv bands.