Numan's previous album, "Dance", was an experimental effort that explored and incorporated different musical elements such as jazz. "I, Assassin" operates in a similar vein. Although the fretless bass and some of the jazz elements of "Dance" are still in place, Numan went further with "I, Assassin", exploring funk music and blending it together with heavier percussion and his own familiar electronic sound. Numan recalled that an important factor during the album's recording was the contribution made by fretless bassist Pino Palladino: