Photo:

Toro Y Moi is responsible for one of 2013's most innovative dance albums so far, his third release, Anything In Return. The US star has been blending R&B and club beats years before it became cool to do so, and in 2013, producer Chaz Bundick is finally receiving the attention he deserves.

Toro Y Moi returns to the UK this summer for a number of live shows and a performance at Parklife festival - even if he isn't a fan of festivals himself. We caught up to discuss his festival fears, love for Marks & Spencer, and why he reckons he can 'compete' with Daft Punk - but not Beyonce...

You're in the UK this summer for a number of of live show, including Parklife. Is a festival setting the best place to experience your music?
No! The best place to hear my music is probably in a club, a nice intimate club rather than a festival. We always play all the bangers, we don't like to play much slow stuff, just the standouts - when it comes to festivals.

What's your favourite thing about visiting the UK to play shows?
The breakfasts. American breakfasts are good, but England has awesome baked goods - and pies. I like Marks & Spencers a lot.

Are you a festival-goer yourself?
No. I'm not into festivals. There's too many people for me. I'm used to playing festivals, but camping and hanging out is not for me. Lollapalooza was amazing though, that was a once in a lifetime experience. That one I've known about since I was a little kid and it was so cool to play it. It was one of the biggest crowds we've ever played. Our crowds in the states are the biggest we have, so it was cool to see 15-20,000 people watching us.

Have you had any really bad festival experiences to put you off?
The worst are the ones in the rain that no one attends. That happened once and there was a couple of hundred people watching. It stopped raining and I went to see The Strokes, and there were 10,000 people watching that - and I had no idea where all those people had come from. The worst thing that can happen at a festival is rain.

Watch Toro Y Moi's 'Say That' video below

Your music sounds very '2013' but you've been doing it for several years. Do you think that the music industry has finally caught up with what you are doing?
Maybe. In the mainstream music industry, there's no fine line, but now there's just loads of kids my age making music, and we're all influenced by artists of all genres. Whether its an indie band or a mainstream artist, everyone can access it now. Lots of indie musicians sound mainstream and lots of mainstream musicians sound indie, that's just the way things are now. I think that's the problem, when you try to appeal to too many audiences at once, that's when you get preppy garbage.

Your music blurs genre boundaries brilliantly. Do you think strict music genres are a thing of the past?
I think there are genres still but there are a lot of people who do multiple genres, like me. With me, you'll have afrobeats, a bit of disco and then there will be an R&B thing. It can be cool - but sometimes it can go very wrong. It's people's tastes that have changed and opened up, and that's how it should be. Music should appeal to everyone, and if you're trying too hard it will be obvious.

There's been a huge surge of interest in soul influenced music thanks to artists such as Frank Ocean, Solange and The Weeknd bringing a more classic sound back to the mainstream. Are artists such as these making the genre cool again?
Definitely. It's a different type of R&B now, it has its own sound for sure and I really enjoy it. I think the sonic quality of R&B these days is a lot more interesting than it used to be.

Watch Toro Y Moi's 'So Many Details' video below

Who would you rather tour with - Beyonce or Daft Punk?
I guess I'd have to say Daft Punk. Just to see their show every night, that would be amazing. I can't really compete with Beyonce, but I can compete with Daft Punk. Beyonce's presence will make you starstruck no matter who you are, Daft Punk I'd be down to meet and hang out with. Beyonce I'd just be intimidated by.

Do you think the return of Daft Punk will have a major impact on the dance world?
I guess what they're doing is progressive, and it is long overdue. A lot of music has been over-processed and computerised, it's nice that they're finally taking their own music out of the computer and playing live instruments. I think what they're going to do is make other producers realise that you can't just make music on a computer.

He will perform at The Parklife Weekender in Manchester on 8-9 June, 2013. Tickets available from parklife.uk.com and Unknown Festival, Croatia, 10-14 September, unknowncroatia.com.

Toro Y Moi's full summer tour dates are as follows:

Jun 4, 2013 LONDON, KOKO w/ Ryan Hemsworth
Jun 5, 2013 BRIGHTON, Concorde 2
Jun 6, 2013 BRISTOL, Thekla
Jun 7, 2013 BIRMINGHAM, Academy 2
Jun 8, 2013 GLASGOW, The Arches
Jun 9, 2013 MANCHESTER, Parklife Weekender (Now Wave Arena)