© Olly Curtis/Future
As we enter Alex Crossan’s home studio, housed in a modestly sized room at the end of his shady South London garden, we’re politely asked to remove our shoes. This isn’t only to preserve the white carpet, though – the producer tells us that the no-shoes policy is an idea pinched from Rostam Batmanglij of Vampire Weekend, who nabbed it from Rick Rubin. By popping off your shoes, the thinking goes, you invite your collaborators to let their guard down, opening up the creative process to a more loose, playful and unrestricted space.