5. Steve ReichDesert Music
I could have picked from any numbers of bits of music – something by Philip Glass or Michael Nyman or John Adams… basically, all those minimalist people that came from that experimental 60s stuff. I guess I was introduced to that music through electronic music, in a way, like Kraftwerk. The repetitive nature of their music draws you in and then gradually changes, and they obviously do that brilliantly.
When I first joined the Mode I had my eyes opened to electronic music, which I didn’t know much about at the time. That would have led to discovering about Philip Glass, and I heard about him before I learnt about Steve Reich, but Reich is a bit more interesting; there’s something about the combinations of sounds that he uses that are just a bit deeper.
Did I get more into minimalist and avant-garde music through Depeche and then with Recoil? I think it was just growing up generally, and listening to more and more music. I’ve always tried to keep an open mind, so I like anything that ranges from good pop music to really avant-garde stuff. I try to put all of those things into what I do. I’m definitely interested in sound and depth of production, and records that you listen to and discover something new each time. All the best albums are like that. I guess you would say that’s the common thread in all of my choices. It’s not just about the songs and the words.
