March 7, 2001 9:14

GIRLS AND FATBOYS

Damon Albarn tells NME.COM to expect a couple of Blur singles this year...

Photo Gallery: Blur

BLUR are planning to collaborate with FATBOY SLIM, NME.COM can exclusively reveal.

Damon Albarn, currently involved with the Gorillaz hip hop project, told NME.COM that Blur will not record an album in 2001. But he added that the band have been writing new material and plan to release one-off singles later this year.

He said: "We've written 10 or so songs and we're going to go into the studio, probably with Fatboy Slim and record a couple of singles over the next few months. But that's it. I'm not making an album, not for a while. There will be a couple of singles this year. I wanna keep it fresh and fun. I don't wanna make an album at the moment."

Asked if he saw Blur heading in a dance direction, Albarn said: "No, but the last single ['Music Is My Radar'] was totally dance."

The Blur singer did not confirm whether Fatboy Slim, aka Norman Cook, would be on production duties for Blur or more closely involved in the song-writing.