Q&A: The Chemical Brothers

'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