Q&A: The Chemical Brothers

If the words 'new Chemical Brothers album' don't excite you, you might be reading the wrong magazine. One of the few universally uniting acts who can get techno and EDM fans to shake hands (and shuffle feet) in agreement, the duo are back this month with their eighth album: 'Born In The Echoes'. Delivered exactly 20 years since their game-changing debut 'Exit Planet Dust' and featuring the likes of Beck, Q-Tip, Ali Love, St Vincent and Cate Le Bon, it's another mile-a-minute block-rocking blur of genres and senses and is well worth the five-year wait since their last opus, 'Further'. Described by Tom Rowlands as 'rawer' and 'more instinctive' than their previous work, it marks the start of yet another exciting new chapter. With disco partner Ed Simons pursuing his academic studies, their new live line-up features long-time confidant and king of their legendary visuals, Adam Smith. We caught up with Tom to discuss Adam's new role, the new album, the old albums and a whole load more…

You're two days off your first live show in a long time. Excited?

Yeah! It's actually happening! It's really exciting; we've got loads of new music to play, lots of old music to play and we've been working out how to put it all together. It's been great fun working it all out and Adam's been working on new visual material. It's a whole new show!

Adam's an official Chemical Brother now, right?

He has been for years. When Ed said he couldn't tour this summer it was like, 'Oh, what are we going to do?' But we'd had the idea a long time ago of Adam being on stage with us anyway, so it made sense. He's got a lot on when we play, he's got visual stuff and he's doing musical stuff.

Adam must be musical anyway?

He's been a DJ for years. He used to play after our shows, and he knows our music inside out. He's the ideal man for the job!

The set-up must have developed, too...

We're always adding new machines. We've got various vintage synths and drum machines, lots of digital kit. We like different technology to do different things. It's not the easiest way to do things, but it's more fun.

Vintage synths are going for a lot of money these days… do you worry you'll batter them on tour?

These are all the ones we have two of! We bought these machines when no one really wanted them. Everyone was like 'Eugh, what do you want that for? You want to get a nice workstation!' But we've got a great back line who makes sure they're looked after.

It's been far too long since your last album. The longest we've had to wait…

We needed our spark. We have to have a reason to make music. We make records that we love, and every time we make a new one we have to love it as much as the others. It takes a lot of experimenting to find that sound or that idea or theme.

'Further' had a very distinct theme, didn't it?

Yeah, it was a very singular theme with no vocalists. It was always meant to be played live from start to finish and we had films for each song. It was very specific. Like all records we've done, this one is a reaction to the last one. 'Further' was complicated, synth-heavy and with lots of layers. This one is rawer and more instinctive with more funk to it. We got inspired by writing [the first single from the new album] 'Sometimes I Feel So Deserted'; we'd played it in a few DJ sets in the middle of a lot of techno. It worked in context, but it sounded like nothing else. It hasn't got that booming kick-drum or really sharp hats. It's got an almost live, broken techno feel to it.

'Just Bang' is like that, too. It sounds like an old LFO record.

Thank you! Sometimes you want to make an amazing massive piece of music that tells the world everything you love about music. And other days you just write a song that bangs, right? We love those rough, raw records
that are just a really solid groove that makes everyone go crazy. We're just as excited about making a record like that as we are working with Beck on a really considered piece of music.

You've got a great balance of both raw and considered on the new album…

All our records move around a lot. Even going way back to 'Exit', you've got 'Chemical Beats' which is an acid breakbeat monster then you've got 'Alive Alone' with Beth Orton which is the polar opposite. We love albums that take you all around the place. That's something we're really excited by; we want to take you somewhere and do something to you.

That sums up every album you've made! There's not one reader who won't have specific memories attached to your albums. So what memories do each album give you? What springs to mind?

Wow… OK, well 'Exit Planet Dust' makes me think of The Heavenly Social and all the inspiring musical things that were happening at the time. 'Dig Your Own Hole' came after touring a lot and finding mad records at little record shops in the middle of, say, Kansas City or somewhere.

How about 'Surrender'?

The first thing that springs to mind is the first time we played it and people were like 'Eurgh! This is 4/4 charty stuff!' We were like 'Really?' It was influenced by playing live and the endless tours after the last two albums, I guess.

'Come With Us'…

Working with Richard Ashcroft: the first time he opened his mouth and sang in the studio. These primal noises came out and it was like 'Woah!' that was a definite studio moment!

'Push The Button'…

'Galvanize', for me, combined all our loves; acid house, hip hop, Indian music. We've fused everything we love right from the start, but that was one of the best balances we'd done at the time.

So good you called Q-Tip in again for 'Go'?

Yeah! Going to his studio in New Jersey was incredible. He's got the biggest speakers you've ever seen. He's such a great rapper. Such a special flow. We didn't know if we could go back there or whether it would be like 'Galvanize Part Two' but he was amazing. Again!

Being in the studio with Beck must have been great too, right?

Sadly he was the one collaborator who we didn't meet face to face. We were going to LA but it was during the Grammys and that whole scenario kicked off. It got very complicated. But he came through and we made something really special.

You guys, The Prodigy, Groove Armada and Leftfield have all got albums out this year. Is this some type of 90s legends conspiracy?

Ha! We weren't invited to the assembly if there was one. There's a synchronicity about it for sure. But at the end of the day, it's all just people making interesting electronic music, isn't it? Hopefully we all sound like ourselves and the only thing we have in common is – as you say – the fact that we came from a particular time.

Sure, younger listeners won't give a monkeys if you all came out in the mid-90s. For older heads, though, it feels like a really exciting year for the pioneers.

Isn't every year a really exciting time, musically? There's always great stuff going on; you've just got to go out there and find it.

'Born In The Echoes' is out on July 17 on Virgin/EMI