We decided to catch up with the man himself to talk about his influences, what he has planned for, and just how and what he does does to create his own unique buttery sound.

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What’s behind the name of the new album, ‘Butter’?

I just wanted the title to reflect the production and I felt that word was the perfect description in so many different ways, whether you interpret it literally or you think of a more far out buttery concept.

It’s also partly just because I just really love short-bread.

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We heard a rumour that you were asked to put forward some tracks for Michael Jackson. Is this true?

well… it was discussed at one point…it was very much just in initial stages though… but who knows what could have happened if it panned out….quite gutted about that…I am working on submitting tracks for a few other major artists though

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In an ideal world, who would you like to collaborate with?
CeeLo, Grace Jones, Busta Rhymes, Tunde Adebimpe, Jay Z, Dexter Wansel, Andre3000, David Bowie, so many…

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How did you end up collaborating with Dam-Funk and what was he like to work with?

We were just fans of each others work and I decided to go to him with some tracks to try and involve him in the record. He was great to work with, amazingly humble and genuine guy, we’ll have some more joint goodness coming soon with any luck.

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From what we can hear your music has incredibly rich texture and multiple layers of sounds. Can you give us an insight into your technical process of making beats?

Its not a really complicated process, I keep it quite simple, nothing more than just whats flowing out of my head at the time, once I have 1 or 2 elements I kind of get an image in my head of where everything else has to sit on the track and from there it just flows. technically speaking, its all sequenced in fruityloops, I have a few keyboards, a piano and a load of drums and percussion instruments, and also just got a talkbox hehe. I used to be really into sampling but at the moment Im trying to kind of create my own samples, making sort of mini/condensed tracks playing all the parts and melodies myself and then chopping those mini tracks up as if i had sampled them off vinyl.
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Who are your top 5 producers of all time?

tough question…theres more than 5, but in no order, 5 of my classics; Quincy Jones, Just Blaze, Timbo, Premier, Neptunes…

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How do you feel your music, your aspirations and yourself as an artist sit amongst being part of Warp Records?

For me I think Warp is my ideal home, Its the only place I can get away with basically doing exactly what I want musically, right accross the board, and still know that the label will give me full support and artistic freedom or at least some good crit if its total shit heh. It’s also just a good home for the more twisted end of a genre and so while I sometimes think my my music doesnt necessarily sit with alot of their previous releases, it does definitely fit the principles and ethos of the label and I think that is more important. In terms of my aspirations Warp are right behind me and are helping to push me continually so that hopefully soon I’ll be able to do these collabs and everything else that only exists as a dream in my head at the moment, and even if i end up broke and homeless next year, I at least got to release a record on Warp and a couple of years back even that wouldve been a completely unrealistic aspiration for me, so its alll gooood!!

From the Motown audition in 1968. Performing James Brown’s “I Got The Feelin” – aged 10.