IF THE very idea of going to a music festival has you wondering where your slippers are, then spare a thought for Basement Jaxx. The dance outfit has been on the circuit since June, and they will still be plugging their mixing desk come autumn.

As one of the most successful electronic acts the UK has produced – and Grammy Award winners to boot – Simon Ratcliffe and Felix Buxton are known the world over for their impossible-to-get-out-of-your-head tunes.

And ever since they stepped into the breach at Glastonbury in 2006 after Kylie’s cancer diagnosis forced her to abandon her headline slot, their live sets have been a must-see.

Lucky then that the pair are more than happy to be back out on the road.

“We have been locked up these last couple of years. We DJed a bit last year, we had a residency in Ibiza, but we didn’t do that many gigs and now it is time to get back out there,” explains Simon, 38.

“The new material is going down well, and it’s fun.”

The material Simon refers to comes from the electronic duo’s fifth album Scars, due for release next month.

We have already had a taster of it in summer single Raindrops and with rumours that it could be the pair’s last LP (their five-album record deal with XL is coming to an end and the pair have talked about perhaps taking time off to pursue other projects), Scars is an eagerly awaited release.

“This is Basement Jaxx 2009,” says Simon, who has been working with Felix since the pair bonded over a love of New York house music in the early 90s.

“Like all our albums, it’s not really one thing. It’s all different kinds of tempos and moods.