When I first heard Piano Phase by Steve Reich I though I was tripping. I said things like, “this shit is tripping me out” and “guys, I don’t want to alarm anyone, but, I’m tripping on this right here”.  Seriously, mind blowing. I’m still discovering all of Reich’s music.  If you’re new to Reich, his work can be described as minimalist composition that transformed modern music completely. In the 60′s he was making multiple tape loops of instruments and speech and playing them simultaneously and out of phase creating a lush choral effect of monotonous pulses and melodies that seem to repeat endlessly but in fact gradually evolve into a completely whole other thing. It’s like the first prog music.  To hear is to believe, so check out “Music for 18 Musicians” to see it done live.  Man, I could go on and on about Reich. It’s such amazing music.  From Talking Heads to Sonic Youth Reich has influenced many and many musicians. The more you listen to Reich, the more you realize the shit he came up with.  Retooling instruments, feedback recordings to ???. There’s a cool mini doc about him here. And NPR has a set up to listen to Double Sextet and 2×5.  If you made someone listen to Four Organs with it’s crazy counterpoint, you’re definitely making out with that person.

In an age where music is trying to hit you in the face within the first 33 seconds of a song, Reich’s music is welcome relief. You have to listen to a whole piece of his to get what’s happening, to feel what is intended.  Put down those Black Eyed Peas mp3′s and ride the Steve Reich WAV.