Steve Reich found music in a mistake. Two tape loops with a voice recording, started simultaneously, began to slowly drift apart. This "phase shift" created a hypnotic rhythm that became the foundation of minimalism.
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The discovery of the technique happened in 1965 (with the piece 'It's Gonna Rain'), but it was in 'Come Out' that the method reached perfection. Reich used two identical tape loops of a voice on two cheap tape recorders. Due to a tiny difference in motor speeds, the recordings began to slowly drift apart.
At first, it sounded like an echo, then like reverb, and then the rhythm fell apart into complex syncopated patterns. Reich did not compose these patterns — they were born from the process itself. This showed that a simple mechanical error could generate structures of incredible complexity and psychedelic impact.
node.music - an interactive map of the history of electronic sound
From the Telharmonium, which streamed sound over telephone wires at the end of the 19th century, to music written by AI.
Scroll down - that is how you move through time in a straight line. The [INFLUENCE] mode in the top menu shows connections: who begat whom and how concepts shaped each other. To explore the influences deeper, switch to [HORIZON VIEW].
The site makes sound - and you can even play on those sounds. If the sound gets in the way, just turn it off in the top menu.
Black lines are direct links: technology, descent, founding, rivalry.Grey lines are looser: ideas, techniques, collaborations.Hover over a line to see what it connects.
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node.music
Interactive timeline of electronic music history, from the 200-ton Telharmonium (1897) to neural audio.
> SEARCH — Find an event by title or author
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