When Depeche Mode put out a single you knew that a week later you could go and buy the 12" and it would have six versions and they were all better.

Let's face it, we're all clones nowadays. We've all got the same archives, we've all got the same Hyundai, we've all got the same Mac or PC components, and we're all being told the same news stories globally.

There's not much room for deviation, yet if you manage to crack it, there then you can express things that actually do sound unique and genuinely original.

I know that there's a lot of room to maneuver in those kind of ghostly musical spheres.

It seems like people need to get into the last album until they can tolerate the next one. And then, slowly but surely, by the time the new one's available, they've gotten into the last one and they really love it.

When you're in the studio, you've got a narrative for what goes on, you might switch on a bit of gear and it might not work as you intended or come out a bit wrong, and you try and exploit it.

It's very hard to predict what people are thinking.