When I first started doing stuff outside of Hot Chip, I got the impression that Joe Goddard was a bit concerned. But I said, "I really want to record these songs quickly and not turn them into dance music." And he was fairly supportive - maybe not wholly supportive. But then you learn that no one's about to quit the band, so it seems good and healthy.

I was listening to a lot more folk music. I love the sound of acoustic guitars but I didn't want to be that person standing up there strumming away.

I know that I can't ever write a song that just sounds completely saccharin. Even if I'm singing about someone being my complete love life, I'm singing about my own inabilities to be as bright as that person.

When you're making the record, you're not thinking about an audience, but you still need them and you want them.

A lot of people in the crowd want to be told what to do; if you just put your hands up, they do it.

I'll also listen to music on a Discman and realize how nice it can sound when it's not compressed to MP3 format.

For me, the audience is the most important thing in the whole chain, so finding out how they respond to things is a learning curve at all times.