I found my first exposure to the music of American minimalist composer Terry Riley (and minimalism as a genre), to be extremely rewarding. As a fan of 1970s progressive rock and electronica, I am a little surprised that I did not explore the genre sooner, given that there is so much overlap between audiences of progressive and minimalism...well, at least there was overlap back when both styles formed part of a "popular avant-garde". At any rate, this 1969 album is excellent and sounds (to my ears) as excit..
That subject pretty much says it all. This pair of pieces sees Terry Riley during the initial period of his experiments with tape delays and electronic organs, where he began to create long, flowing improvisational tapestries of repeating periodic forms. If you're familiar with Indian music, particular Karnatic music, you'll find this especially fascinating, as there's a definite parentage from the Indian subcontinent to this style. The title work is a gentle, melodic, flowing piece which swirls around ..
This is another one of those records that come out very rarely and change the face of music. It has been said by my fellow reviewers that this record basically started the trance/new wave/techno scene. This record also premiered the "Time-lag accumulator", two Revox reel-to-reel tape recorders wired together in such a way as to create a continuous loop of sound. This was the machine that Fripp and Eno used on their groundbreaking "(No Pussyfooting)" album.
