Nick Bracegirdle (Chicane)

​You’ve always been open about learning and creating in different ways. Has that shaped the way you approach your work as an artist?

Reading has never been one of my best attributes. As a dyslexic — which is deliberately impossible to spell — I read very little. But because of it, I followed the much-trodden path to art college and onwards into music. I should read more and write, but with computers, I find I can type quite well. My handwriting now looks like that of a gerbil…

“As a dyslexic — which is deliberately impossible to spell — I read very little.”

People assume musicians live inside sheet music, but you’ve said that’s not your world. How does being self-taught shape your creative process?

I still cannot read music. I’ve practically self-taught most things in life.

You’re constantly travelling. When you’re between cities, planes, trains — what does unwinding actually look like for you?

I spend a lot of time reading EVO Magazine because I’m a complete petrolhead. And I always have my headphones on, working on something. Music is like a jigsaw — the pieces don’t fit at first, and it takes time to get everything into the right place.

“Music is like a jigsaw — the pieces don’t fit at first.”

If music hadn’t been the path, where do you think you’d have ended up instead?

Something in motorsport… or, more likely, in film, directing, creating chaos.

Your break into the industry — was it luck, graft, or sheer refusal to quit?

I realised early on — after hundreds of demos came back with standard rejection letters, starting when I was about 12 — that if I were going to get noticed, I’d have to do it myself. So, I put out my first records, blagged a mailing list, and made it happen. No one else was going to. Unless you strike lucky with someone who recognises talent, this is how the world works. The industry is full of sheep jumping on something that already has a buzz. Taking risks isn’t fashionable. So yes — it’s very hard to achieve, and even harder to keep going.

“If I were going to get noticed, I’d have to do it myself.”

If someone dreams of a music career, what’s the one piece of advice you’d give them?

Retrain as a fishmonger…

You’ve worked with so many distinct voices. Which moment stands out the most?

They’re all memorable, honestly. Tom (Jones) and Bryan (Adams) are obvious highlights, but recently working with Lisa Gerrard on the album The Sum of Its Parts was very special. She’s absolutely unique — there’s no one like her. She sings in her own tongue and infuses a piece with such emotion. It took me four years to put that collaboration together.

Any regrets along the way — or do they all serve a purpose?

A few — but not really. Mistakes shape you. They make you more focused the next time. There’s nothing I wish I hadn’t done, except maybe spanking my Hillman Imp into a tree. It was my first motor, and it was utterly diabolical. It needed crashing — just maybe not quite that scarily.

“Retrain as a fishmonger…”

Your debut album flowed like a journey. How intentional was that structure?

Very conscious. I always had an idea of the opening and closing tracks, and something banging for the middle. Then I’d fit everything else around it so it all sat right.

Nick Bracegirdle, better known as Chicane, is the electronic musician and producer behind tracks such as Offshore, Saltwater, and Don’t Give Up.

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Interview by Carl Marsh