Who is Code Kitchen?
Code Kitchen is Manchester-based software developer Ben Tappin and is occasionally helped by a focussed and hard-working collection of friends with expertise in many areas.
I specialise, primarily, in the backend development and maintenance of small-medium scale web-based systems, as well as server administration and technical project management.
Sonata
Sonata is a new music licensing marketplace specialising in supplying incredibly high-quality music to content creators and the creative industries.
I have architectured and built the entire backend system taking care of subscription payments, royalties, API, audio transcoding and audio streaming. I also look after the Vue frontend handling the state management and business logic.
Ambie
Ambie.fm is an exciting music-tech startup providing businesses with a curated music-streaming service. They were admitted to the Techstars accelerator in 2015.
I built the core backend architecture including a RESTful API and operational tools and continued to build new features and manage the technical infrastructure for 2–3 years.
AWAL
AWAL is a digital music distributor. They have helped release music by artists such as Radiohead, Todd Terje, Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds and Prince.
Their online platform, built by Code Kitchen, allowed artists to upload products and for staff to process and send them to digital music stores. It reliably handled the processing and delivery of 10s of thousands of products to iTunes and other online stores.
Evermix
Evermix is social music platform for recording, sharing and streaming live electronic music.
I provided Django development and maintenance for their website as well as extending, and optimising the API used for the iOS and Android mobile apps.
What I can help you with
Full Web System Builds
I have extensive experience in working with the Django web framework which allows for rapid development and I can take a project from inception through to implementation. I tend to work on backend business systems as opposed to design-led work, but I can team up with designers and expert frontend developers to work on any kind of project.
Djanitor Django Project Maintenance
If you have an existing Django app that isn't being actively maintained then you may benefit from my Djanitor service. It is designed for projects that are not under active development but require upkeep and small modifications to keep them secure and operating smoothly to give you peace of mind. Find out more.
Have an Existing Project?
If you need some extra help during a busy period, or are short on staff, then I can easily slot into your existing technical team to help you out. I've freelanced for agencies and product companies in addition to running projects.
Consultation
Know you need a web platform but don't know your HTML from your Javascript? I can come and chat with you, jargon-free, to help you find a way forward.
Ben Tappin
I have been a software and web developer for well over a decade and freelance for almost half of the time. I've worked at web agencies, software houses and in tech teams for service and product companies using a whole host of languages and systems: everything from C# to Python, Postgres to MySQL and Windows to Unix.
I have overseen the backend development of a music streaming service that streams to hundreds of businesses and a music distribution platform that delivers gigabytes of music to iTunes, Amazon and Spotify daily.
My work takes me across the stack from frontend development through to the backend (where I specialise) and on to system infrastructure and administration.
Many projects that I've worked on have included outsourcing portions of the work and I'm comfortable managing the technical side of the project if you don't have a technical team. Equally, I can work with your current team on either existing or new projects.
But what kind of developer am I?
I believe in:
- Agile project management
- Code reviews
- Testing
- Automation
- Good communication
Like what you see?
I'm always interested in talking about new projects and opportunities so please feel free to get in touch. And if I can't help you I might know someone who can.
I mostly work remotely but I can work on-site in the Manchester area. I'm happy to travel for meetings when working remotely and use your productivity tools and processes.
