Between finishing a fourth Pnau album and taking on the roll of as Musical Director for the new Cirque Du Soleil production (opening next year in New York) Nick Littlemore is obviously not busy enough, telling The Music Network that work on a second Empire Of The Sun album has already begun. “I talked to Luke (Steele) the other day; we’re doing a new record,”  “We’ve already written a couple of tunes. You know when it’s right I guess.”

In typical cryptic fashion, Littlemore would say little else about the record, but appeared to put to bed well-publicised rumours of a rift between him and EOTS partner Luke Steele. “All projects, I think they find their way...if you create the environment the record kind of makes itself,” he said before launching into a one minute piano solo. Littlemore has spent the bulk of the last two years in the UK, leaving EOTS touring commitments to Steele as he completed production work for the likes of Robbie Williams and Groove Armada in between working with Pnau partner Pete Mayes and collaborators including Sir Elton John on the fourth Pnau album, Soft Universe.“This has been tonic for the soul, this record,” he says. “It’s been a real emotional journey these past couple of years. I split up with my girl…It’s a real lyrical record, you know? Something akin to an exorcism of emotion and trying to find that hole in the storm, so to speak.”

“It’s really about trying to find some joy. Purely on a personal level, making these songs, it’s given me a will to want to go on, you know? So I’m trying to shed the negativity from the songs themselves. I want to make these as pure thoughts, pure golden moments. I want them to shine; I really want them to connect with everyone in the world.” While Littlemore cannot reveal a release date (“I don’t know any of that crap; everything is always in a state of flux with that stuff”), he does confirm Pnau have just inked a deal with Polydor in the UK, suggesting 2011 may be the duo’s biggest year yet.