"The individuals in this band are a blessing and a curse, because everybody has", Battles' Tyondai Braxton struggles to find the right words. "very profound voices.

"And how do you neutralise all these voices and not have total masturbation on stage? It's a case of trying to find a balance and a way of neutralising everyone's identities."

The band's extraordinary debut, Mirrored, deservedly became a feature on albums-of-the-year lists on both sides of the Atlantic.

It's an intricately constructed, dizzyingly inventive masterpiece, distinguished by the deft interplay between the four band members and the organic employment of cutting-edge technology.

Reviewers generally described the record as "math rock" but it's a term the group dislike, preferring to simply call themselves "a modern experimental band".

That their music defies easy categorisation is born out in the range of concerts Battles are playing this summer, with dates at jazz, techno and rock festivals across Europe.

"I'm really happy about it," says Braxton. "It shows people appreciate different elements of the band and different angles. It's nice to feel included in different communities.

"I think the nature of the music leads people to believe we've taken a lot from the jazz frame of mind, which isn't true in the way people think. While we share some philosophies of that elasticity, most of the ideas are more fixed than people think."

It's remarkable that such strong musical personalities have gelled so well. Braxton is signed to Warp as a solo artist, while Ian Williams and Dave Konopka played in acclaimed post-rock groups Don Caballero and Lynx respectively.

The anchor for these three multi-instrumentalists is provided by the rhythms of John Stainier, formerly the drummer with US hardcore legends Helmet.

"Everyone in the band is established and very aesthetically focused on what we want," Braxton explains. "In order to get to the place where the band could exist as this entity, the four of us had to be able to have our own ideals and goals embedded in the fabric of the band. So there was no way you could come into it with a masterplan."

Brighton is privileged to host Battles' only non-festival UK date of the summer - a result of the group enjoying last year's Concorde 2 gig so much.

Battles have been on the road for the past 18 months and while Braxton says each of them has ideas for a second album, the demands of touring have so far prevented any new material being completed.

"We're not even close," he admits. "We're not a band who can write on the road. It's not that style of music. So it's going to be a while before the next record."

  • 7.30pm, SOLD OUT, 01273 673311