"I'm not really a huge fan of modern minimal," he says referring to the current big fad I European techno, "although, like every genre, there is some great minimal. I'm definitely more into the old school Hood/Mills/Sterac stripped down minimalism, and any of the current minimal which takes it cue from that. The effects driven, wishy washy stuff simply doesn't have any power to it – it's all style over substance. However I think techno is doing alright. It's easy to be disdainful and moan about times past, but that does nothing. You've got to move forward always. There's great stuff coming out, not a huge amount, but quality over quantity always works for me."

With Chymera, Brendan has maintained some links to his metal-past, even going so far as to sample US Prog-Rock giants Tool in one of his tracks. For Brendan, there is a particular correlation between these seemingly disparate musical styles that make them particularly compatible. "There's big similarities for me. The rhythms, the rawness and melodies, there's a crossover. It might not be evident to someone who's not a fan of both however. I still listen to non-dance music all the time and it still influences me."

The past number of years have seen Chymera amass a substantial back catalogue of material released on a variety of labels both at home and overseas, including Ovum, NRK, ORK, Triangle, Morse, Delsin, Mezzotinto, Tishomingo, Urban Torque and Supreme – however, he insists that seeking a particular aesthetic when deciding to work with a label is never a presiding factor when writing. "I never write music with a label in mind. I would like to be able to write a certain type of track on cue, it would certainly make my life a lot easier, but that's just not possible for me. I really just have to go with the flow when making a track. One day it could be a ridiculous techno banger and the next day a blissed out euphoric ambient track.

"The labels work as a filter though. It's quite true to say that most of my releases so far have been along the same lines, sitting somewhere between house and techno with a very melodic feel. I want to get some of my harder stuff out there, because that is how I play when I DJ out and when I play live. It's stepped up for maximum dancefloor punch. But that's dependent on finding the right label and also developing those tracks better. I have the melodic stuff really nailed at this point and I'm trying to mature my production so that I confidently take the harder or more rhythmic tracks and make them into release-worthy material. My experiences have all been great on the labels so far.

"No-one has tried to screw me over or anything…yet. There's some that I find suit me better so I am working again with them. I think it's a good thing if you can find a label and settle down with it, to put it in marketing terms it builds up a brand recognition, but at the moment that's not quite yet an option for me. It would need to be a label that is versatile enough to put out all my music.

With a number of return EPs on existing labels Tishomingo, NRK and Ork, Brendan has also recently signed an EP of, what he describes as "some slightly harder, though still melodic stuff" to Len Faki's label figure, as well as a "real blissed out slowed down Balearic jam to German label Connaisseur Superieur", ensuring that, for the foreseeable future at least, more trying long haul flights beckon for Chymera. But you get the distinct impression Brendan wouldn't have it any other way.

Chymera plays Electric Underground (Liquid Lounge) on Friday, April 4 with support from Kevin Blake, who will also be launching his first EP.

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