Today I’m laying the seven questions on Adrian Collier, the man behind the electro powerhouse that is Auto-Pilot. The new album ‘Freak Electric’ was reviewed here a few months back when it was released, we loved it. I’ve wanted to catch up with Adrian ever since.
There have been several Auto-Pilot albums and I was hooked in a few years ago by the 80’s-inspired album “8-Zero” but that was the tip of the iceberg as Adrian’s music encompasses much of the electronic genre.
1. Please tell us who Adrian Collier is and how Auto-Pilot came to be.
I’m from Barnsley with an obsession for good music, I just love listening and creating sounds. I’ve been a musician since the late 70’s when I was a little kid in secondary school. I started on trumpet at 11 and by 13 I’d moved on to the bass guitar (was a shit trumpet player btw).
I dabbled with 6 strings until discovering the synthesizer in the mid 80’s. Fast forward to the late 90’s, I was playing bass in a band called the Fokker Pilots, great band but struggled to get noticed (don’t we all). I had a bunch of electronic tracks I’d made on the Atari ST so I hit on the idea of forming a support project for our gigs (called Auto-Pilot) which would be mostly synth driven (as opposed to electro/rock). It gathered a lot of attention very quickly including label interest so, with two other Fokkers we ran with it, no brainer really.
2.Looking around at bands & artists that have emerged over the last decade, if you were starting out now who, if anyone, would be influencing you?
I’m drawn to bands that just doing their own thing regardless of what’s ‘the in thing at the moment’, there’s a lot out there. Off the top of my head, ‘The Ocillation’ float my boat, I like what they do.
3.What would your answer be if a major label came knocking and why?
Yes, because they have muscle in the industry and push through with a publicity machine that indies can only dream of. It would mean more exposure but I’d resist the expenses as much as possible because that trap door is lethal.
4.On the basis of what you now know through your experiences in & around the music scene, what advice would you give to your teenage self as you were just starting out?
Party less, work harder, even the smallest of success is hard gained, there’s nothing in the music business that’s a sure thing, take nothing for granted and grab every opportunity with both hands.
5. Given that there have been massive changes in the whole infrastructure of the music industry over the last two decades, what are the challenges for independent artists?
I think most changes are like a double edged sword. The internet is a very powerful tool but it is also over populated with people doing and wanting the same thing. Standing out and being noticed is hard but then again it always has been.
Streaming media services have turned the industry upside down, it’s easier to get your music out there but its killing the industry. Gary Numan recently said he had a song with over a million plays that earned him about 37 quid.. Certainly challenging for any new artist so the hard copy and merch at gigs is essential (says me who always forgets to bring em).
6. If you could collaborate with any musicianthroughout history who would it be and why?
Captain Beefheart because I’d hope that whatever was cooking inside his head would rub off on me in some way. Also Mick Karn, the bass player from Japan would have to be up there too. Just a massive fan and such an opportunity would have been amazing.
7. What’s next for Auto-Pilot? Any post-pandemic live shows or podcasts planned?
I have a few tracks finished but with no real plan as yet, this pandemic is great for studio work but I’m not thinking of anything live. I’d like to release another album with Broque, it’s a cool label, lovely peeps. Would love to do another ‘Atlantic Machine’ type thing.
Facebook page – https://www.facebook.com/theAutoPilot
Reverbnation – https://www.reverbnation.com/theautopilot
Website – www.auto-pilot.co.uk
Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/artist/2qc6R0I0drrxDIrJKp5Ccv?si=l1gbFyXEQfGpYyjzNZiHMA
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