Like many serious musicians, Chicane mastermind Nick Bracegirdle is unhappy with the travesty that is the current UK chart. "I am fed up with bad dance records and pop records with no substance just being churned out one after the other," says the writer/producer/musician, who most famously deposed Madonna on the way to the #1 slot with his 1999 classic 'Don't Give Up.'

"That is what drove me with my new album ['Easy To Assemble']," he continues. "I wanted to create something that was different - not only to what else is around at the moment - but also to my previous albums, which were more conceptual with a beginning, middle and end. This one is more a collection of vocal songs, lots of strong melodies. Not too much down-beat stuff, it's all pretty much up."

Amiable, laid-back and passionate about music, Nick's demeanour is far more diamond geezer than diamond encrusted pop star. In fact the only thing about Nick that clearly points towards such a lifestyle is his collection of sports cars - his garage boasts an Audi RS4, both monstrously powerful and extremely rare, as well as a Ferrari 355 which can speed comfortably off into the distance nearly 200 mph.

With the success of 'Don't Give Up' (which featured vocals by Nick's long-term friend Bryan Adams), Nick found himself equally lauded by both the dance and pop press whilst becoming a regular fixture on TV and radio. He released his second album 'Behind The Sun', which hit the Top 10 and proved to be a major success across Europe.

It's been almost three years since Nick hit the top spot and now he's back with some of the best new material of his career. First single 'Love On The Run', which hit the Top 30 earlier this year, featured D:Ream's Peter Cunnah on vocals.

"That's probably the most commercial cut on the album. It's the track that marks the transition between the last album and this one," says Nick. "We were looking for someone to front the song who had a really good voice. Peter Cunnah ...