Phil Collins as Electro? One for the GenXers with Jenn Vix’s Cowl of ‘Within the Air Tonight’ [Video]

Your EDM featured Jenn Vix final 12 months in our New Artist Highlight collection, because the synthwave and rock veteran had begun to dabble in electro together with her single “Mr. Unusual.” Now with a budding solo profession after working with so many huge names of the 80s and 90s like The Cure and The Psychedelic Furs, it was solely a matter of time earlier than she’d thumb by her rock legend Rolodex and popping out with a killer collab. Such is the case together with her cowl of Phil Collins’s legendary anthem to anger, “Within the Air Tonight.”

When listening to the unique Collins observe, it’s clear to see that the drummer/songwriter/producer was gentle years forward of his time, a lot in order that the manufacturing values of the 1981 immediate basic maintain up towards something producers are doing in fashionable labs. There’s a heavy factor of synthwave within the unique, thought it’s usually considered rock, which makes it appear polished and in addition greater than a little bit ominous.

With Vix being well-known in synth and rock circles of the 80s and 90s, it’s not shocking that she may attempt a canopy of “Within the Air Tonight,” however it’s a enjoyable shock to be taught who she selected to work with on this stripped-down, pseudo-darkwave model. It’s none apart from Vernon Reid, the Grammy-winning guitarist from the wildly profitable 90s band Living Colour. Reid lends his superb guitar abilities to this cowl as Vix reveals her chops on the drums, and the observe thus takes on fairly a special model from the unique.

With a darkwave beat performed by Vix on v-drums, her model of “Within the Air Tonight” opens with Reid’s intense ornamentation on the unique guitar work, including a shocking dose of blues to the combo and a pitched-up key to match Vix’s vocals. Mentioned vocals have VIx’s telltale deep and maudlin tones which in some way remodel the observe, together with the bluesy guitar, into one thing extra unhappy and desolate than eerie and indignant. It’s an fascinating selection however is sensible within the context of each musicians’ work. In some methods it virtually appears as if it’s a response observe to Collins’s unique, with Vix taking part in the defensive object of Collins’s anger reasonably than the vengeful protagonist.

This new narrative is mirrored within the video Vix and her JFIVENINE Media manufacturing firm launched similtaneously the observe. In it, among the many pictures of her on drums and of Redi’s virtuosic guitar taking part in, There’s a stark black background all the time surrounding Vix, typically over the water with the moon within the backgrounds and typically wanting like she’s on the run in an LA neighborhood. She seems unhappy and apprehensive as she sings, once more as if she is responding in protection to some unseen individual past the fourth wall. Collins’s video had an identical black-and-dark setting, principally with closeup pictures of his indignant face or broad pictures in a small room taking aggressive postures or placing the partitions. Vix hasn’t confirmed this call-and-response vibe was her intention within the music or video, it’s only a principle. Watch and determine for yourselves.

It doesn’t matter what the vibe was speculated to be Jenn Vix’s cowl of “Within the Air Tonight” is a enjoyable re-work of a basic that also will get lauded in the present day as one of many all-time biggest tracks of the 80s and 90s. With Vix herself and 90s legend Reid on this observe, one can’t assist however be nostalgic for these early synth rock and put up punk days, and the magic abilities like Collins, Vix and Reid created then.

The “Within the Air Tonight” cowl is at the moment solely accessible on Vix’s YouTube page however it should possible migrate to Spotify quickly. Within the meantime, take a look at a few of her different work right here.