12. Steve ReichMusic for 18 Musicians

JH: This record is a massive influence on me. It’s funny because a lot of the songs on I’m All Ears are texturally inspired by the way he layered motifs on Music For 18 Musicians. For example ‘I’ll be Waiting’ has three riffs that layer over each other and that we got that idea from Steve Reich. I like the idea of using contemporary classical techniques, but in pop music.

I don’t really understand music theory aside from the basics. But I always found minimalism easier to approach. I like how it was a response to serialism, where people were just like ‘Let’s all bash keyboards and make really weird shit’.