With Earth Day coming up in a few days, Brian Eno has called on Mother Nature to give David Bowie’s 1995 deep cut “Get Real” a unique twist using environmental sounds. The remix has been released as part of a global music initiative called Sounds Right, which has made Nature an official artist on streaming platforms to raise money for earth conservation.
Thanks to Sounds Right, a share of royalties from any song that credits Nature as an artist will go to EarthPercent, a charity founded by Eno. The organization will then distribute that money to conservation and restoration projects in the world’s “most precious and precarious ecosystems” under the guidance of the Sounds Right Expert Advisory Panel, a group of world-leading biologists, environmental activists, Indigenous People’s representatives, and experts in conservation funding.
“Throughout my life I’ve wondered — how I can return something to the places I’ve taken ideas from?” Eno said in a statement. “Music started out as the sounds of the natural world, and Sounds Right creates a system to give back to nature, helping to preserve the planet so that it can continue to inspire us for years to come.”
On the reworked version of “Get Real,” which Eno originally co-wrote and co-produced with Bowie, he aimed to make it sound like “Nature has crept into the art,” with animals “coming in through every window and crack between the doors.”
Along with the “Get Real” remix, Sound Right has released a full compilation featuring new versions of songs by V of BTS, Mick Jenkins, MØ, Ellie Goulding, and London Grammar — all crediting Nature as a featured artist. Stream the full playlist below.
Besides founding EarthPercent, Eno has committed to environmental causes by addressing climate change through his music and releasing charity albums featuring artists like Michael Stipe, Peter Gabriel, Big Thief, Jarvis Cocker, and Death Cab for Cutie.