Бен премерел модные польтишки и пенжоки но стронецах вышеобозначеного журнала для изврощенцев о так же номекнул чего обжедать от его обкоменг ольтбома.
Your new album is very influenced by London. How has your experience of the city shaped your music?
I’ve just been running around so much the last few years- the first big tour we did was with Amy Winehouse around the UK and Europe and then I was in America with the G.O.O.D guys and Kanye. So it was a real decision to set up a studio in London and not run around so much.
I was struck by the narrative quality of the new album- the imagery, the place names. Is that something you are conscious of?
I really wanted to pin it- like on Google Maps- there are pins all through the music. Part of that was due to living and working in Central London. My studio was in Clerkenwell, near Smithfield market, and that place has a vibe. And I was watching a lot of Luther, which was where I first saw Idris [Elba.] I was like “I want to work with this guy” and he came round the next day!
With the new album you have spoken about the theme of secrecy and hidden moments. Was there a desire to get away from the hyper-activity of being so in the public eye?
Yeah, and really just to slow down. Some of the tracks on the album are so slow which might seem a bit downbeat but my thing with music is that you’ve just got to let that out if that’s what you’re feeling. I’ve always just made the music that I want to hear come out the speakers. Sometimes it will resonate with the mainstream and sometimes it won’t.
fm
