aworks :: "new" american classical music

Electric Counterpoint (1987). Steve Reich /jonny greenwood version/

Jonny Greenwood of Radiohead plays a mellow version of Electric Counterpoint: 

Electric Counterpoint (1987). Steve Reich /contemporary stylings courtesy pandora/

I'm listening to my Pandora Philip Glass station this morning. After some puzzling tracks by Nielsen, Howells, and Mozart, now it's Steve Reich's Electric Counterpoint. As Pandora explains:

we're playing this track because it features contemporary stylings, a chamber ensemble, modal harmony, minor key tonality, and a well-known composer.

I couldn't define "contemporary stylings" but that was the ingredient missing from the prior tracks. Does this mean electronic equals contemporary?

And why is there a "well-known composer" gene? Pandora in theory would be ideal to discover lesser-known composers.

Electric Counterpoint (1987). Steve Reich /hmm.../

And with less innocent intent, LAist suggests a use for Steve Reich's other guitar piece, Electric Counterpoint. Here's a YouTube video with the work as background:

Electric Counterpoint (1987). Steve Reich /stand down/

At the end of a long LiveJournal photo post about some kind of "end of school" girls celebration, Eleanor adds this surprising postscript:

PS: DOWNLOAD MINIMALISM. especially stuff by steve reich.
it's ace to listen to, it's very clever, and it relaxes you aussi. it's good if you're stressed about exams and stuff.
Electric Counterpoint (Fast 1): Steve Reich = ♥

Minimalism is relaxing and clever.  Hmm, that may be right. And to make me feel old, I see that this Reich CD was released fifteen years ago...

Jackson Black also comments on Electric Counterpoint:

   ...absolutely mesmerizing.

 

Electric Counterpoint for Guitar and Pre-Recorded Tape (1987). Steve Reich

I Love Music has a thread on sampling of classical works in pop music.  Several mentions of The Orb's "Little Fluffy Clouds" sampling of Electric Counterpoint.  That work is not a major work in my opinion but it is pleasant and does sample well.  Coincidentally, last week, I was listening to The Orb's Adventures beyond the Underworld, and lo and behold, the guitar of Steve Reich, or more precisely, the jazz guitar of Pat Metheny playing Steve Reich, popped up.

In the same thread, NickB suggests...

John Wall, who basically builds ALL his music out of samples of Xenakis, Nono, Schnittke, Feldman etc.

Mark mentions Ekkehard Ehlers...

Ekkehard Ehlers' album Betrieb is based on samples of Ives, Shoenberg, some others.

I tried tracking this down before but haven't actually heard Ehlers.  Arguably, Ives was a sampler as well, using the well-spring of American vernacular music.