Poetry and literature lie at the heart of DPJ’s songwriting and compositional voice. His work ranges from intimate songs and song cycles to choral works, often re-imagining words and music from both past and present.

Vocal works featuring his own lyrics include Something There (2002) — his first release on Linn Records, inspired by the poetry of Samuel Beckett and performed by the DPJ Ensemble; the sea-faring song cycle Palmstar Poppy (2008), currently being reworked for future recording; and the forthcoming trilogy The Unravelled Heart.

His larger choral projects include Mr K’s Talk Without Words (2002) for the National Youth Choir of Scotland, inspired by the writings of J. Krishnamurti, and a series of pieces for the NYCoS Songbooks collection.

In Triptych (2023), commissioned by Push The Boat Out Poetry Festival, DPJ brought together music, sound and spoken word to create a live, cinematic soundtrack with new writing by Harry Josephine Giles, Iona Lee and Ever Dundas. The four-track EP The Sky’s Harbour (2014) features his setting of the aviation poem High Flight by John Gillespie Magee Jr.

For the gig-theatre production Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me (2024), he created a live soundtrack of re-imagined songs by 1980s icons including This Mortal Coil, Tears for Fears and Madonna.

DPJ performs his concert work in intimate live settings, often with small string ensembles. His latest song cycle, Lone Tree (2024), setting poetry by Kathleen Jamie, premiered at the Edinburgh International Book Festival 2024 with Justyna Jablonska (cello), Fay Guiffo (violin) and sound designer Gabriel Kemp. A studio album and further performances of Lone Tree are now in development.