REVIEW: Various Artists, Reich Remixed (Nonesuch)
- Chris Hill
A gem in a sonic landscape littered with ill conceived or executed tribute projects, Reich Remixed is a quality effort on all counts: the subject is honor-worthy, the artists chosen are uniformly at the top of their fields, and the redone pieces are aesthetically superb.
Named as one of the most important composers in the latter half of the 20th century, Steve Reich is a vanguard in the minimalist tradition, a position he holds alongside Philip Glass, Terry Riley, and LaMonte Young.
The minimalist form, composed of ideas examined in minute, repetitive detail, is unlike traditional Western classical structure, which is directional, guiding a piece towards a climax. Minimalism is directionless, and cyclical or static in design. The form lends itself to attentive listening - the changes occur gradually, audibly, like a tide moving in and out.
Reich pioneered "phasing" while experimenting with two spoken word tape loops playing in tandem. He delayed one incrementally, pulling it out of phase with the second, until it eventually returned to sync, but one beat behind, creating a tactile aural vibration in the process. This technique guided many of his early works, first using spoken word manipulation for structural clay, then moving to acoustic instruments like violin, piano and organ.
"Drumming", composed after a three month study under a Ghanian master drummer, expanded upon his phasing style, by playing with subtactile beats - the spaces between the tactile, heard beats. Rests are substituted for beats over time, then reintroduced, creating a negative space as apparent as the positive. Much like a 3D poster, relaxed concentration inverts the rhythm, bringing the background to the foreground.
His later works move from strict minimalism, wedding orchestral elements to his penchant for recording and sampling everyday sounds of the cityscape.
Track listing: "Music for 18 Musicians (Coldcut remix)", "Eight Lines (Howie B remix)", "The Four Sections (Andrea Parker remix)", "Megamix (Tranquility Bass remix)", "Drumming (Mantronik - Maximum Drum Formula)", "Proverb (DJ Takemura remix)", "Piano Phase (D*Note's Phased and Konfused Mix)", "City Life (DJ Spooky that Subliminal Kid (Open Circuit))", and "Come Out (Ken Ishii remix)".
Each version is faithful to the original, while artists seamlessly blend in elements of their individual areas of strength (turntablism, house, trip- and hip-hop, ambient house, techno, and more).
Particularly wonderful are the palate cleansing "Megamix", a sinuous assortment of the various themes and ideas found on Reich's resume, including 1966's "Come Out" and 1996's "City Life" (found further on the stack), and "Piano Phase" - a well chosen combination of artist and selection. Ideal for experimental dance act D*Note, the co-mingling of synthesizers, percussion, and piano evolves over five minutes into an ideal modern dance accompaniment.
"Come Out", remixed by techno artist Ken Ishii is yet another standout. Backed by simple rhythmic instrumentation, the phrase "I had to, like, open the blues up, and let some of the blues blood come out to show them" is dissected, repeated, and phased: tape manipulation from 1966 that predates hip-hop sampling by decades.
Granted, this is only a cursory overview - exhaustive essays and information are available on the web, both on Reich and the artists involved, which makes for fascinating reading, and a true picture of Reich's impressive influence on music. Begin with http://www.slis.keio.ac.jp/~ohba/srhome.html and http://atlantic-records.com/steve_reich for Reich.
