Cook revealed that his last two singles, ‘Bus Stop Please’ and ‘Role Model’, were born from live performances rather than traditional studio sessions. “They were both things that I made just to play on the side,” he explained. “I had tunes that nobody else had in my set. And that kind of caught on with people when we worked out that we could clear the samples and release them.”

‘Role Model’ caused a stir online due to its use of AI in the music video. The accompanying video featured pop culture figures such as Bootsy Collins and Jane Fonda miming to the track, with fans flocking to Reddit to identify each character. Reception was divided, with one commenter calling it “AI slop,” while another praised it as the “best use of AI in pop culture so far, by a mile.”

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Despite his recent releases, Cook admitted that his passion for producing music has waned. “The thing is, you can’t make music unless you’re absolutely passionate about it,” he said. “For five years, I tried to beat myself up about it and go, ‘You should be doing this.’ But then I thought, ‘Well, everybody likes my DJing and I enjoy that more, so I’ll do that.’”

Saw Fatboy Slim tonight and the screens were just filled with AI slop pic.twitter.com/XB9eoGuLSF — RodentBoi (@RodentBoi69) August 25, 2024

Cook’s decision to focus on DJing aligns with previous statements on longevity in the industry. Speaking to Music Feeds Australia in 2019, he remarked, “Being a DJ doesn’t seem to have the same ageing in it that other styles of music do. Our experience compensates for our advancing years.”

This eclectic career—from punk enthusiast at 14 to bassist for indie icons The Housemartins, and later a pioneer of the UK’s big beat scene alongside The Prodigy and The Chemical Brothers—has cemented his status as one of the UK’s most influential electronic artists.

The event also marked the 20th anniversary of ‘Palookaville’, Cook’s last full-length studio album released in 2004, reissued in October. He previously expressed indifference about releasing new albums, telling NME in 2019: “I’ll probably end up making more music and regain my love for producing, but it probably won’t be an album.”

During the session, Cook reminisced about his schooldays at Reigate Grammar School, where he shared a classroom with Keir Starmer. “He was actually in my class for five years,” Cook said, adding that Starmer played guitar in a school band. “He gave off no whiff of, ‘I’m going to be Prime Minister one day.’” Reigate Grammar’s current headmaster is the son of glam rocker Alvin Stardust and the brother of DJ Adam F.

Cook’s reflections suggest an artist still doing what he loves, the way he wants to. He hasn’t bowed to commercial pressures for twenty years, and that doesn’t look likely to change any time soon.

The new single from @chembros is here! Listen now to ‘Live Again’ featuring @HALOMAUD: https://t.co/y29Bsf069K #LiveAgain #NewMusic @eddychemical #thechemicalbrothers pic.twitter.com/jRc7fOxACS

— The Chemical Brothers (@ChemBros) June 28, 2023

Both tracks will feature in The Chemical Brothers’ upcoming tenth studio album, as yet unnamed, that is due to be released later this year. The album announcement was made back in April, 2 days before their performance at this year’s edition of Coachella.

Listen to “Live Again” below:

“Live Again”, according to an affiliated press release, “begins simply with a descending, filtered riff and a pair of contrasting vocal lines – one razor spliced to pieces and reconstructed, the other an angel’s sigh. And then it all kicks off. What follows is a speeding rollercoaster of skittering rhythm, monolithic noise and blissful harmony, of ping-ponging analogue noise and cascading voices. It’s a perfect Chemical Brothers track – unstoppable, resolutely hopeful and, once heard, utterly unshakeable“.

Quite the introduction, and quite accurate too. The classic Chemical Brothers big beat sound does meet with blissful harmony the wonderful vocal performance of Halo Maud; indeed, her ever present vocals send the pulsating electro walls of music into overdrive, the track in essence a locomotive of noise and splendour.

Big beat pioneers The Chemical Brothers, made up of Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons, formed in Manchester in 1989. Formerly known as The Dust Brothers, they changed their name prior to the release of their debut album, Exit Planet Dust, in 1995. This initial release proved successful, entering the UK Albums Chart at number 9 and going on to sell over a million copies. Signing with Virgin Records soon followed, as did supporting Oasis at Knebworth in 1996.

Their next album, Dig Your Own Hole, released in 1997, furthered the duo’s success, topping the UK Album Charts and cementing their place amongst the best in the UK dance music scene. The Chemical Brothers have gone on to release nine albums in total, six of which have reached number 1 in the UK. Their tenth, scheduled for release later this year, will undoubtedly prove just as popular.

Watch the music video for “Hey Boy Hey Girl” below:

The Chemical Brothers will also be commencing a summer tour, including a headline show at this year’s Glastonbury.

See below for tour date:

06/07/2023 – Bilbao BBK Live – Bilbao
08/07 – AMA Music Festival – Romano D’Ezzelino
21/07 – Electric Castle – Cluj
23/07 – Lucca Summer Festival – Lucca
04/08 – Wilderness Festival – Oxfordshire
12/08 – FEST Festival – Chorzów
18/08 – Caberet Vert – Charleville-Mézières
26/08 – Rock En Seine – Saint-Cloud
09/09 – The Bay Series – Cardiff
26/10 – OVO Hydro – Glasgow
27/10 – AO Arena – Manchester
28/10 – First Direct Arena – Leeds
01/11 – 3Arena – Dublin
03/11 – Utilita Arena – Birmingham
04/11 – The O2 – London

Purchase tickets here.