Brian Eno will be releasing an exclusive collaboration with former R.E.M. singer Michael Stipe on Earth Day (April 22).
The single, called ‘Future If Future’, will be released to draw attention towards the climate crisis. As reported by the Guardian, Eno is one of 100 artists who will be releasing material exclusively via Bandcamp, with proceeds going to causes at the forefront of the emergency.
Other participants include Anna Calvi, Declan McKenna and Coldplay. Eno has also produced new material with Hot Chip, featuring Savages’ drummer Fay Milton.
“I’m very pleased with the way it’s gone,” he told the Guardian. “It’s a very good song, a very Stipe song. Beautiful lyrics, extraordinary piece.”
Eno recently founded EarthPercent, a charity providing a simple way for the music industry to support the most impactful organisations addressing the climate emergency. He hopes that his Earth Day plans will become an annual campaign, led by the charity.
He continued: “We’ve been trying to say to people, ‘Look, if you want to find a simple way of joining the climate struggle, this might be the answer. We’re a shortcut to a lot of things that otherwise might be fairly hard to do.”
Eno also referenced Coldplay’s ‘Music of the Spheres’ world tour, which places an emphasis on environmental sustainability.
The tour’s eco-friendly measures include cutting direct emissions by 50 per cent compared to the band’s last tour in 2016 and 2017, using 100 per cent renewable energy and having solar installations at every venue.
“Their [contribution] is really important,” Eno said. “They’ve taken the matter very seriously and committed a lot of resources to it. They’re at the front of this in terms of saying, ‘We still want to play to people, so what do we do?’ Coldplay have been very conscientious and intelligent.”
Later this month, AURORA and Eno will sit down in London for a conversation on the climate emergency and how the energy of music can benefit the planet.
The talk is part of the 14th edition of Green Events & Innovations Conference (GEI), which is set to take place at the Royal Garden Hotel in Kensington, London on April 29.
The pair will discuss their visions for “directing the energy of music for the benefit of the planet”, as per the event’s press release.
For more information and tickets, please visit the event’s official website.
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