singles

Does having a hit record separate that song out from the rest of your work. I imagine you think of your work as being some kind of continuum, like a whole, but then you have a big hit and then suddenly that song is much more prominent and then maybe some are more experimental. Does that then separate it out for you in some way from the other work ?

It is a tricky decision, when you do a single, like why you should do it. I guess I have usually been pretty excited by it because in a way it gives you space to put out ’b’ sides. A lot of the ’b’ sides that I have done so far, have perhaps been pretty experimental or remixes that mates have done. A lot of the times these have been the first step to leading to us working later on together. It is a field where you can experiment. It is an amazing field of commitment as well when you put something on an album. Also, I have been pretty excited about doing videos and working with and enjoying the process with the video directors, it sets me free in a lot of ways. When I was in a band as a teenager it was a lot experimenting but not a lot of ego, and when you done what I do for as long as I have done it, you become quite a specialist in your field, which is why you do it, and it is excellent. But when I do videos, I become a beginner again, and it also all about group work and I really, really enjoy that.

David Toop Interview, 2002