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You can forgive Flume for sounding fairly fatigued. 2013 has been a relentless year for the Australian musician following the huge success of his debut album and live shows across the planet. "I've had some bad hangovers, that's for sure," he admits.
We're not here to talk about morning afters though, we're here to talk about Flume's journey to becoming one of the most exciting, sought-after electronic musicians on the scene. Since he was signed in 2011, Flume, (real name Harley Edward Streten), has embarked on a rather remarkable journey. His superb debut self titled album - which Rolling Stone described as "scarily close to perfect" - performed dizzyingly well in his native Australia upon its release a year ago, and he's a superstar there. Slowly but surely, the rest of the world has followed.
Indeed, the highlight of the year has been seeing his album grow internationally. "That's the most satisfying thing," he adds. Unfortunately, his whirlwind year of touring the world has its downsides. "The bad thing is not being able to see family and friends because I've been on the road for over a year now."
Flume is in town to play at London's Coronet, a 2,000 capacity venue - double the amount of people he performed to at his last stint in London, at Heaven. Here, he will, excitingly, premiere some new material. "I hear it's a pretty cool venue, so I'm excited," he adds.
"I've had some bad hangovers, that's for sure."
It's notoriously difficult for electronic musicians to translate their material to a live show. A lack of stage presence and a low-key setup can dial down the thrill-factor, disappointing fans. "Performancewise, I've definitely got more comfortable from when I first started out," says Streten.
What's in store for the future of his live shows? He has a secret weapon in the form of the instrument he's played since childhood - a saxophone. "I've been playing for years and years, so I've been thinking about incorporating that in the future somehow," he reveals. "It's all just ideas at the moment but you'll have to wait and see. My plan now is just to write some new music - I've been touring so much I'm just really looking forward to doing that."
Officially, we're here to talk about the release of the deluxe version of his smash self-titled debut album, which peaked at No.1 on Australia's ARIA charts and won him the Producer of the Year gong at the ARIA Music Awards. Re-releases and deluxe versions often, quite rightly, provoke cynical eyerolls - even from Flume. "I usually think deluxe versions are pretty shitty as it's just a reason to talk about it or whatever," he agrees.
What stands out most about the deluxe version, however, is a whole new selection of updated album tracks. The bouncy 'Holdin' On', probably his best known track, gets a rap feature from Indiana rapper Freddie Gibbs. 'Space Cadet' boasts the talents of Wu-Tang alum Ghostface Killah. OutKast cohort Killer Mike spits on 'Insane'. Etcetera, etcetera.
You'd be forgiven for thinking this is a sign of things to come from the second album, but you're wrong. "That's actually pissing me off at the moment," he groans, when we tentatively float the theory by him. "It's just a bit of fun. I don't want people to think it's a new direction. With 'Holdin' On', in particular, it just felt right to have a rap."
For now, he's most looking forward to his forthcoming collaboration with fellow Australian Chet Faker, another much-hyped artist who's been making waves since his chilled out cover of Blackstreet's R&B classic 'No Diggity' hit the internet. The pair have joined forces for a three track EP, which is due out in "a week or two", according to Streten.
"I'm super-excited about that. It doesn't sound like Flume or Chet Faker - it's unique," he enthuses. "There are three tracks on there and they're all different in their own right. It's warm, crackly sounding kind of stuff." Flume also praises Faker when asked about his tips for 2014. "His record comes out next year and has some big songs on it."
A non-stop year of touring, recording and promoting have left Flume, understandably, a little burned out - but he's more than happy with where he is now. "My real goal was to simply make a living off something I love, and I did that a while ago. Everything now is kind of a bonus," he says. "I just wanna chill out and enjoy the moment for a bit. I've been pushing it constantly for a year and a half, now I'm ready to kick back, write some new music and see what happens with that. That's what I'm looking for."
Chilling out may be the only thing on the 22 year old's mind, but unfortunately for him we sense that's going to be the last thing he has time for as his indominitable brand of uplifting, earworming electronica rapidly spreads across the world.
Flume performs tonight at The Coronet, London. The Deluxe Edition of his debut, self-titled album is released Monday, 18 November.
