Jamie Lidell Hearts New York

New York City is kicking Jamie Lidell's ass -- and that's a good thing.

"I've really taken to it," says the British-born Lidell, whose forthcoming album 'Compass' was produced by Beck and comes out on Warp Records on May 18. Reached on his cell phone, the city sounds of horns and sirens provided appropriate background chaos.

"It's definitely stepped me up," says the 36-year-old, who recently moved to Manhattan from Berlin. "You can get what you want here if you let your imagination go. You have to really be assertive as a human to get what you want, from food to cabs. I'm really embracing the power of the place."

Embracing is a word Lidell uses a lot. "Maybe because I wasn't so turned on living in Berlin," he says of his love affair with his new environs. "I never embraced the culture or the language as much as I perhaps should have."

A self-proclaimed foodie, Lidell is actively embracing New York's restaurants. In fact, during epic fifteen-hour long studio sessions at the end of mixing 'Compass,' he and Grizzly Bear's Chris Taylor embraced macrobiotic Japanese cuisine to keep their energy levels up. And, so as not get soft around the middle, he's also embracing early morning jogs around the city with his girlfriend.

Appropriately enough, Lidell's fourth album was made at a New York velocity. "This record came together in just five months, which is approaching a hot minute for me," says Lidell, explaining that he's normally quite a procrastinator and tends to mull over details.

'Compass,' which features collaborations with Beck, Feist, Gonzales, Wilco's Pat Sansone and, of course, Grizzly Bear's Taylor, also sees the soulful electronic artist veering more towards epic, personal pop.

Judging by the fact that he sold out New York's Bowery Ballroom and Los Angeles' Troubadour, America is embracing Lidell just as powerfully. Next week, his tour brings him overseas to Europe before a return to this side of the pond. His North American dates include stops in Brooklyn, Toronto, at Montreal's Osheaga festival and at Chicago's Lollapalooza.