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“It was probably the hardest album we have done.
“The mood of the album is a bit more melancholy than our previous stuff but then in the last six months we pulled it back round and started doing stuff that had more energy to it.”
It is also jam-packed with guest artists, among them Kelis, Santigold, Sam Sparro and Chipmunk.
“It wasn’t by design, that’s just how it all fell together,” says Simon. Except perhaps for the collaboration with a certain Beatle widow.
“Felix had always wanted to meet her,” says Simon of Yoko Ono. “Not necessarily to work with her. He just wanted to meet her.
“Her music manager is an American music journalist who had interviewed us on several occasions and he told us she was a real fan of what we do and would be up for getting together some time.
“Felix was keen to make that happen. And then she ended up on a song, so that’s cool.
“Santigold (who is on a song called Stardust) was just an up-and-coming singer when we recorded with her,” Simon continues. “We thought she sounded cool. Since then she has blown up.”
So what about that album title? Sounds a bit serious for Basement Jaxx.
Simon explains: “There’s a song on the album called Scars (sung by Kelis) which is about being proud of your scars because they make you who you are. They can be physical and on the outside or they can be on the inside.
“It’s about the ups and downs of life and how you get beaten sometimes, but ultimately you should be proud of what those scars make you.”
OK, we get it. But it naturally begs the question – do Felix and Simon have any scars of their own?
Says Simon: “I have got one on my head. When I was three years old, I was on holiday with my parents in Ibiza and got knocked down by a car.
“It was quite a big deal. I nearly got killed and was in hospital for three or four months and I have a big scar on the front of my head, I don’t think it is nearly as prominent as I think it is . . . but it’s a big old scar.
“Felix has nothing really obvious. He must have a scar somewhere, though.
“He fell off stage when we were in South Africa once during Where’s Your Head At. He didn’t see the end of the stage and tumbled about 10 feet down onto a concrete floor and was knocked unconscious. So he has a scar from that.”
Hopefully there won’t be any such incidents when Basement Jaxx take to the main stage at Creamfields at Daresbury at the end of this month.
It is four years since the lads last performed for the Liverpool massive. It poured down. But, rain or shine, Felix and Simon are looking forward to their return.
Says Simon: “Creamfields is a great event to do. It’s really English and hardcore. Last time the weather was really rubbish, but I don’t think anyone cared. People really got into what we do. It’s in your face and messy!”
BASEMENT Jaxx headline the main stage at Creamfields at Daresbury on August 30. For tickets call 0844 888 4401 or go to www.creamfields.co.uk
