He began his career as a drummer in the vibrant punk scene of his native Washington, DC and was later active in the experimental tape music underground, producing works for independent labels in the U.S. and abroad. Moving to California in the early ‘90s, he completed his academic work at CalArts and Mills College, where his principal teachers included Pauline Oliveros, Alvin Curran, Mel Powell and Terry Riley. Since the late 90s, the hammer dulcimer has been the primary vehicle for his music and he is active as a performer with his own chamber ensemble, The Dan Joseph Ensemble, as well as in various improvisational collaborations and as a soloist. He also the curator of Musical Ecologies, a monthly symposium on music and sound in Park Slope, Brooklyn.