You called your album We Can Create, but it was more a case of He Can Create as it was just you, your sequencers and keyboards and your bashed-up analogue recorder in your bedroom. How are you transferring Maps to stage?

"It took a bit of thinking about because, when I was considering doing a tour, I could have gone either way: just have me with the laptop or have a band. But I wanted to have a band as I thought it would be more interesting for the audience, and it's worked out well because it does sound different; it's bigger and it's definitely louder. We try to play as much of it live as possible, but there are sequencers behind it as well."

We Can Create came out in the spring, so will you be introducing new songs to the set?

"It's going to be the songs off the album. I'm still writing when I get a chance, but it's been pretty tough when we have a gig every day - we've done a long European tour, lots of festivals and a mini-tour of the States - and the way I write is to lock myself away, writing over a long time. But I've got a couple of new songs down and a couple more written but not yet down, and I've been busy doing some mixing.

"I'm doing one for Dave Gahan, a track called Use You; and I'm doing one for Goldfrapp, and one for Ulrich Schnauss, Stars off his album, which will be on his new single.

Any more?

Oh, yes, there's M83 from France, blissed-out electronic stuff that some people are comparing with Maps; and I'm doing an UNKLE track as well!"

Presumably the Mercury nomination has been a godsend?

"Oh yeah, definitely. It's made a huge difference. Probably the main thing that's happened has been the album sales, which are now up to 30,000, so that's gone up a lot. I'm getting more attention, playing bigger venues, but I've got to say playing on the Mercury show was the most nervous night of my life."

It puts Maps on the map, as it were. But why did you call yourself Maps?

"I guess it kind of came from before I was Maps. I used to make music under the name Short Break Operator and I was trying to hint at escapism and travelling away, but when I started making different music and got into electronic stuff, I thought the old name was pretty crap, but I wanted to keep the same theme, so? Maps!"

  • Maps, Leeds Brudenell Social Club, Thursday