Music for

18 musicians

Dive into the minimal-music universe of Steve Reich with HIIIT and Het Muziek (formerly Asko|Schönberg). This psychoacoustic trip for 18 musicians marked Reich’s definitive breakthrough in 1976—and in 2025, it still sounds just as potent! In the opening minutes, more torrential harmonies emerge than in all of his previous works combined.

Reich paused his earlier extreme minimal experiments to create a vibrant, energizing composition in which every instrument seems to stake its claim to the spotlight. From the ethereal female voices to the rumbling clarinets and driving percussion, everything seamlessly merges. What unfolds is a hallucinatory tapestry of rhythmic pulses and powerful melodic lines that never let go of your attention. Music for 18 Musicians is proto‑techno: a tight, swinging trip that pulls you deep into its fold.