Quickfire: Norman Cook's alter ego Fatboy Slim is back with a new single, Slash Dot Dash, and an album, called Palookaville, is due to be released in September.(Forum)

It has been four years since the last Fatboy Slim album. What has been the delay with making the follow up to Halfway Between The Gutter and The Stars?

"I spent about a year promoting the last album and have since been faffing around in the studio on this one. I enjoy making records a lot more than the schlep around the world selling them."

The new album is perhaps more song-based than people would expect from Fatboy Slim. Was this a deliberate move to get away from sample-based tracks?

"The last three or four tracks that I worked on for the record have really shaped the overall sound of the album. They were the missing part of the process There was something in the tea leaves that told me those were the right way to go. There are songs on this album that people wouldn't expect from me, with proper choruses and verses. I worked with Blur on a couple of tracks for their last album, Think Tank. That reminded me about working with people again."

Does that mean you have tired of your trademark Fatboy Slim formula?

"Before, I'd just do chorus, chorus, breakdown, chorus, chorus, bigger breakdown, but I was bored of all that."

The dance music landscape has changed vastly since you last released an album. Has this forced you to change your approach?