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

Your EDM featured Jenn Vix final yr in our New Artist Spotlight sequence, as the synthwave and rock veteran had begun to dabble in electro with her single “Mr. Strange.” Now with a budding solo profession after working with so many massive 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 with her cowl of Phil Collins’s legendary anthem to anger, “In the Air Tonight.”

When listening to the authentic Collins observe, it’s clear to see that the drummer/songwriter/producer was mild years forward of his time, a lot in order that the manufacturing values of the 1981 prompt traditional maintain up in opposition to something producers are doing in fashionable labs. There’s a heavy component of synthwave in the authentic, thought it’s usually regarded as rock, which makes it appear polished and likewise greater than a little bit ominous.

With Vix being well-known in synth and rock circles of the 80s and 90s, it’s not stunning that she would possibly strive a canopy of “In 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 unique type from the authentic.

With a darkwave beat performed by Vix on v-drums, her model of “In the Air Tonight” opens with Reid’s intense ornamentation on the authentic guitar work, including a stunning dose of blues to the combine and a pitched-up key to match Vix’s vocals. Said vocals have VIx’s telltale deep and maudlin tones which in some way remodel the observe, alongside with the bluesy guitar, into one thing extra unhappy and desolate than eerie and indignant. It’s an attention-grabbing alternative however is smart in the context of each musicians’ work. In some methods it virtually appears as if it’s a response observe to Collins’s authentic, with Vix enjoying the defensive object of Collins’s anger moderately than the vengeful protagonist.

This new narrative is mirrored in the video Vix and her JFIVENINE Media manufacturing firm launched at the identical time as the observe. In it, amongst the photographs of her on drums and of Redi’s virtuosic guitar enjoying, There’s a stark black background at all times surrounding Vix, generally over the water with the moon in the backgrounds and generally wanting like she’s on the run in an LA neighborhood. She seems unhappy and anxious 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 analogous black-and-dark setting, largely with closeup photographs of his indignant face or vast photographs in a small room taking aggressive postures or placing the partitions. Vix hasn’t confirmed this call-and-response vibe was her intention in the music or video, it’s only a idea. Watch and resolve for yourselves.

No matter what the vibe was alleged to be Jenn Vix’s cowl of “In the Air Tonight” is a enjoyable re-work of a traditional that also will get lauded at this time as one of the all-time best 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 submit punk days, and the magic abilities like Collins, Vix and Reid created then.

The “In the Air Tonight” cowl is presently solely accessible on Vix’s YouTube web page however it’s going to probably migrate to Spotify quickly. In the meantime, take a look at some of her different work right here.