Keane keyboardist Tim Rice-Oxley has praised Kanye West, who recently spent some time recording with the band.

The two acts began work on a collaboration in December following a chance meeting at a recording studio in Paris.

Rice-Oxley, Keane's chief songwriter, said he regarded West as “one of the great musical pioneers of our age”.

“We’ve done some things together and spent a bit of time together and he’s a very inspiring man to be around,” he told XFM.

“I hope it’s something we do make use of on a record at some point”.

Rice-Oxley has previously revealed how West had re-worked the lead single from Keane's last album, 'Perfect Symmetry', during their meeting.

Meanwhile, the band are set to release a new eight-track EP entitled 'Night Train' on May 10.

The record features collaborations with Somali/Canadian rapper K'Naan and a Japanese Baile Funk MC.

(by Jason Gregory)