Sessions in Paris alongside Para One and New York with Nick Hook were also hugely significant in the recording of Neon Dreams (both lend additional production on the album), enabling James to mentally zero-in on this fresh direction he'd been further exploring through remixes for Cassius and Round Table Knights earlier this year. The production process was further aided by self-imposed restraints that James had placed upon himself at the outset: all of the sounds on Neon Dreams were composed exclusively using hardware gear, taking in an array of classic synthesizers along with the Roland TR-707 drum machine which features on each of the 15 tracks.

As is the case with James's outlook in general, Neon Dreams uses house music as a platform from which to explore a multitude and styles and textures. These veer from the Franco-flourishes and full Javeon McCarthy vocal of first single "Lost in Love", to vivid narrative numbers like "Play It Cool", the darker recesses of "The Beach", through to late-summer slow-jam "One More Day". Although during the process of recording Neon Dreams James extended himself far beyond his initial idea to produce a 'futuristic Chicago house record', what does remain is a level of honesty and openness that was so symptomatic of house music's formative years in the city. By distancing himself from the functional requisites of club music, Neon Dreams sees James revelling in unbridled artistic expression.

"In the late nineties the likes of Daft Punk, Chemical Brothers and Basement Jaxx defined the art of the dance music album," says James. "Their albums transcended time and any musical fads, but most of all they took you on a journey. Creating Neon Dreams for me was about recapturing these elements that made me fall in love with dance music all those years ago."