How he does it.
P. Lindquist | Fargo, ND USA | 04/16/2008
(3 out of 5 stars)
"Those who know of Steve Reich and his music will find this DVD enlightening for a number of reasons: We hear him interviewed, get a sense of how he creates his art, and see him interact with other musicians. Steven Reich's music is easily accessible especially when compared with other "modern" composers (Cage, Boulez, Stockhausen, etc).
His techniques of phasing, repetition, gradual changes in chordal structure,with a steady rhymic foundation are well understood through this video. "City Life" is the composition featured here and we see how he takes samples of common street sounds and enfolds them into the music.
One unusual moment comes when he describes sampling sounds from a New York City Fire Department during the "World Trade Center Attack". When you remember that this DVD was made in 1996 you realize that this was not 9/11 but the first bombing of the WTC."