You can sit down with Reason or Ableton and literally in a couple of hours make a very good-sounding record. But then a lot of people become contented with that, rather than pushing themselves to making something that sounds great.

I think it'd be great if Prince made an album of just romantic, slow ballads.

I have actually found myself buying up more and more old analogue gear. I have this strange obsession with old drum machines.

A lot of times good, pristine recordings prevent the listener from getting emotionally involved in the music.

When Britney shaves off all her hair and beats paparazzi with umbrellas - that's what celebrities are supposed to do. They're not supposed to be reasonable, middle-aged guys drinking organic tea talking about semiotics.

It will be interesting to see what the long term fruits of our national apathy will be, 'cos so far they've been pretty foul.

I look back and think of all the times I've had to let things go in the past, and how traumatic it seemed while it was happening, but how my understanding of it changed as time passed - and oftentimes things that seem really difficult and traumatic in the short term seem a lot less difficult and traumatic in the long term. So I remind myself of that.