'Although my roots are on the dance floor, it's a relief to be able to express my influences beyond that,' he says. 'The idea of making 12 breakbeat tunes and calling it an album was about as appealing to me as a hard kick in the nads.'

Although the full band won't be accompanying Freeland at his Lunar New Year gig in Hong Kong next week with South American progressive house master Hernan Cattaneo, his DJ set should appeal to rockers as much as ravers, with tracks such as his cheeky bootleg remix of Nirvana's Smells Like Teen Spirit and cuts lifted off the band's self-titled debut album, such as We Want Your Soul.

Since cementing his reputation in the late 1990s as the face of the style of breakbeat known as 'nu-skool' breaks - which fuse an eclectic range of influences including techno, hip-hop and drum'n'bass - Freeland has had an eventful few years, including a drama with distributors that temporarily shut down his Brighton-based record label, Marine Parade.

'I always grumbled about trying to have a record label and be an artist at the same time, as business and creativity seem to totally conflict with each other,' he says. 'But losing Marine Parade for a while really made me realise that it was my baby and I had to do whatever I could to get it re-established.

'I've learned a lot about the business side now that I always wanted to bury my head in the sand and ignore before, and I've learned how to delegate all the boring stuff to good people who I trust, so I don't need to worry about anything and can get on with having a good time and being creative.'

With Marine Parade back in form with the acclaimed Evil Nine album, You Can Be Special Too - which Freeland says is the best album he's heard in years - he's working on a new album with his band and has also formed a punkish outfit that he says 'scratches my headbanger itch'.

With so many changes to electronic music in the past five years, where does he see the scene being in 2010? 'Judging from the past five years, there'll be a lot of people still recycling the same old crap and a few trying to push something new.

'There's a lot of very cheesy breakbeat music out there, but I think if big, commercial DJs play cheesy breaks to the young crowds, as they mature and start looking a bit deeper they'll naturally want to start finding the good stuff, which has to be good for everybody really.

'I've always had a chip on my shoulder about breaks being seen as backroom music, and refused so many gigs that wanted me to play rooms other than the main room - just because I've always seen the music as big-system, big-crowd music.'

Freeland is now based in Australia and focusing on developing his career in Asia.

'I'm going to Asia about once a month. I'm holding a residency in Taipei and doing four cities in China on this trip, as well as Japan. The region's [music scene] is definitely developing healthily, but I'm not sure the region is becoming the global clubbing capital yet, as I don't think the club scene in Europe is declining so much.

'I love China. I love being there. The food rocks and the culture fascinates me. It's definitely taking off fast and it feels exciting and fresh there at the moment, whereas Hong Kong has had a club scene for years and clubbers can be a little more jaded.'

Apart from showcasing his new rock-influenced sound in Hong Kong next week, Freeland's also planning on treating his tastebuds while he's visiting the city. 'I've played in Hong Kong about five times and I always love it when I'm there.

'I'm big time into my food, and Hong Kong has such a wide variety of great food. My favourites are the small little hole-in-the wall places where you can eat sitting out in the street.'

Renaissance Chinese New Year Ball, Tues, 11pm, Hitec,1 Trademart Dr, Kowloon, Bay, $350, HMV. Inquiries: 6135 7910