Steve Reich - Four Organs / Phase Patterns

Shandar - LP

France, 1970

Released on one of the best French avant garde labels to ever grace this country - the Fondation Maeght-related Shandar I recently wrote about - Four Organs / Phase Patterns are groundbreaking recordings from a giant of modern American music, still in the early stage of his career. Composed and interpreted by Steve Reich in 1970 at NYC Guggenheim Museum and Berkeley, joined by none other than Philip Glass, Jon Gibson and long-time collaborators Steve Chambers and Art Murphy, "Four Organs" and "Phase Patterns" both have that free and raw attitude that brings the music closer to psychedelic rock and free improvisation, than the level-headed world of concert halls, so at ease with "Music for 18 musicians" or "Six Pianos".

The sensuous, Terry Riley-like "Four Organs", whose maracas echoe the still sea on the LP sleeve, used to be my go-to. But recently things changed. What used to be slightly too gritty for my ears, turned out to be Steve Reich at his most disarmingly simple and efficient : Phase Patterns gives us to hear the lo-finess, DIY-ness of his music, as it is played on 4 untamed electric organs. Creating complexe music with the most elementary elements, and moreover, sparking a meditative state out of an electric mess. If there's one record that gets us to understand the influence of Steve Reich on Today's underground scenes, it's probably this one. (VG+/VG+)