Having conquered the globe with killer tracks like the universally flogged We Want Your Soul, Adam Freeland could be forgiven for resting on his laurels for just a little while. But being the sonic-explorer that he is, Freeland has done the exact opposite, testing his creative mettle with a new phase in his career as a part of the live electronic band, Freeland.

With the band’s new album Cope dropping earlier in the June, ITM’s Dave Ruby Howe caught up with the soon-to-be-touring and recently plagiarized Freeland to get the rundown on the new album and why the British whiz thinks his band are the next Pink Floyd.

Hey Adam, how are you doing at the moment?

A: Things are good, but we’re getting hectic and busy right now. The band has just arrived here in England and we’re doing all-day rehearsals.

Now that the album is out, how’ve you found the reaction to it?

A: Well, it’s had the worst and the best reviews out of anything that I’ve ever done. And I guess that’s good in a way. Some people just haven’t ‘got it’, because they expect me to do this one thing and they write the album off, but other people have just been rabid for it, and really loved it.

For those people who you think haven’t ‘got it’ with the record, what is it they’re missing? Is the album too much of a shock for some?

A: Well, this is my second album, and I think the first one was pretty different too. But maybe the journalists don’t remember it because they’re too young or something. I think I made a mistake in calling the band Freeland. I should’ve just called it something else, because it is actually really different from what I do as a DJ. I think people who just listen to straight up electronic and club music see the name and expect for something like my DJ show, and then they don’t get it. But I don’t know what I can do now, it’s called what it is, and I just have to roll with it.

What was it about being in a band that excited you and made you want to work in that setting, having already established yourself as successful DJ and producer? Was there something you could do in a band that you couldn’t before?

A: It was always my intention to be in a band, I just became a DJ along the way. It’s something I’ve always wanted, since I was a kid. Everyone wants to be in a band. The idea of an artist album with a band holds no limitations, you can do whatever you want with it. I also think that because I listen to so much music, and I think in the end I listen to more non-dance music than I do to dance-music, I am influenced by what I hear. For so long I’ve always really loved this kind of droning, shoe-gaze style music, and I always thought it was just going to be my secret passion that I kept hidden from my music. But then I realized that it didn’t have to be that way, and that I could do what I wanted to do.

You brought in a lot extra hands for Cope like Joey Santiago of The Pixies, Brody Dalle from The Distillers and the iconic Tommy Lee, what was the motivation behind opening the album like that?

A: You know, I didn’t want this album to be one of me and a bunch of rockstars, but that’s just how it happened in the end. I moved over to L.A. for a girl and Tommy was the only drummer I knew and Joey the only guitarist that I knew. So I just asked them if they wanted to play on my record, because I didn’t know anyone else! And I’m lucky for that, because they all did it for the love, not for anything else.

Having worked as a solo-producer for the bulk of your career, was it difficult opening up the album to other band members and collaborators, thus relinquishing complete control of the final product?

A: Well really, I always had control of what we did (laughs). No, not at all! Everyone who worked on the album was a valued part of the process, and everyone had their own input into it. Ultimately though, being the producer, it was my responsibility to steer the ship and take the record to a place that I wanted it to go. That was important to me. You know, I’m not a great guitar player or a great drummer, but I know what I like and what works, so I get the best people to work with and I take the best bits that we create together and put them into something that I know works well.

So does that setup change when it comes to Freeland the live band?

A: Of course, that’s a completely different thing. Kurt’s our frontman for the live act, and he’s a really great, charismatic singer. I had Tommy Lee do the drums on the record, but now I’ve got Hayden on drums for touring and he’s the backbone to the whole thing. He’s like John Bonham, he hits the drums so hard, it’s incredible. So compared to them, I’m the weakest link in the live band! I’m up there on the decks and doing samples and electronics stuff. Basically, I’ve got the most that can go wrong, because I’m relying on technology.

Having created a dynamic with the there of you onstage, will that influence future recordings? Will Freeland the group evolve from here?

A: Absolutely, we’re already writing the next record. I’ve got big plans. I want this band to be the Pink Floyd of electronica, and I’ve got no qualms in saying that. To do that, there’s a lot of work involved, so we’ve got to keep moving, keep working and keep learning. That’s the only way.