Daniel Lanois is a talented man. Songwriter, guitarist and producer, his own albums have included the acclaimed "Acadie" (1989) and "For The Beauty Of Wynona" (1993).

His latest album, "Here Is What Is", is a suitably atmospheric collection for a man who has produced respected albums by Bob Dylan, Emmylou Harris and U2, among others.

In this interview for Music News, he talks to songwriter and journalist Miles Cain about the elements that are needed to produce great music, and how Bono has been acted as his "agent".

Tell me about the new album.

I am assuming you are asking me about my new record Here Is What Is. Here Is What Is is made up of songs that kick at the shin of wonder and wander. Here Is What Is is a sort of Jamaican proverb, a closer look at ones immediate surroundings, living life to it's fullest even if you're standing on a small patch of grass. This time around I tried an experiment, which is to include some philosophical dialogue exchanges with Brian Eno. They are in fact extracts from the companion film Here is What is. Eno talks about how the tiniest seed in the right setting can become the most beautiful forest. A reminder of how hopes and dreams are always there at the forefront.

When was the first time that you became really excited in making original music?

I've always been interested in original ways of building music. The recording studio has acted as my laboratory for ways of providing original expression in works. For the longest time I was satisfied with my originality to exist in the sonics of records I was making for other people. At a pivotal point of travel, ie. I was in New Orleans a lot and also working in Europe a lot, I was able to see my past in Canada as fertile story telling material. That's when I started writing my songs.

Your work is often seen as atmospheric - do you agree with that - and what are you aiming for in that atmosphere?

Early on my atmospheres were largely ethereal as can be heard for example on Brian Eno's Apollo record. It's easy to spot the atmospheres in my work of that time. The term atmosphere has changed for me, creating an atmosphere now means setting a mood or tone. You can think of it like preparing a room for a toast, the clinking of a glass, offering tranquility or preparing your canvas for that one bold stroke that will allow the moment to be a standout. Atmosphere no longer means texture.

Bob Dylan is very complimentary about working with you on "Oh Mercy" in his "Chronicles" book - what are your memories of that project?

I love Bob Dylan, he has rocked my world on many occasions prior to my involvement. I was not meant to make a Bob Dylan record, I was just hanging out in New Orleans broadening my scope. I was down there to learn about the bottom end of music, because you see I have never been to school. But that doesn't mean I am uneducated, I put hours aside everyday to build my education. I could hum you my 50 favorite bass lines, just like Bob Dylan could likely resite his favorite 50 couplets. My agent Bono is responsible for introducing Dylan and I, I believe that he felt that the timing was right for Dylan and I. My level fo commitment at the time was ready for a full 12 rounds, when Dylan walked into my room wearing a hood I knew that he would also go the twelve rounds.

Is inspiration hard to come by ? Is it just about working hard to get things right, or is more illusive than that?

This morning I spoke to the young Ukranian girl downstairs at the coffee shop, she had braces on her bottom teeth. She talked about reliable sources of uncontaminated foods, she talked about wanting to study in New York City about becoming a doctor. Her lust for life and quality was a great inspiration to me, inspiration lives at every corner of every corridor.

I'm assuming that you think that music should have an element of mystery and wonder contained within it - a lot of the projects you have worked on seem to point in that direction...

I like multi-dimension, it comes from my having appreciated the mystery in photographs. I like to imagine that there is something hidden in the dark corner. I like for the extreme focus of the center to be undermined by a blurry hand that you can't quite make out. What's hidden the heart? What has led up to the moment of humor? I like to think in photographic terms, I like depth of field, you don't want to give it away all at once.

As you look back over the last 30 years or more of your career in music, what are you proud of?

I had a conversation yesterday with a friend about generosity. I've never had a regret regarding generosity, but I have had regrets regarding selfishness. Some of the most depressed people I have met have not found a way to give. On a level of music I feel that I have given a lot to other people's records, enough to balance out the selfish fuck in me.

What do you like about "Here Is What Is"?

I like the song Here Is What Is. I like the line "Spiral on down to your sweetheart", sweetheart is a broad term for your first love. The film Here Is What Is provided me with a license to include a melange of what I do, my taste is broad and normally I have to leave out songs that are not stylistically connected, Here Is What Is afforded me a strange brew.

What are the elements / conditions that most help the creative process for you ? And what are the ones that are most likely to threaten it?

People are always of the core of creative force and exchange. What gets said in the car or the bar room or at the gathering will be just as important as what tools and equipment we choose to use.

Why is your steel guitar a "church in a suitcase"?

My steel guitar eases my mind. My experience with church when it was good was such that it made think about others. Simply put church was a way of getting out of my own head. The steel guitar with its harmonic interplay forces me to pay attention to it's power of harmony. Much like singing in a quartet for example, where ones voice has to blend with the other three. It's a giving moment and congregational moment. The steel guitar goes with me wherever I travel and if I take the time to play it, that same old fashioned feeling is reliably with me.