The life of (Terry) Riley

Mark J. Prendergast interviews California-born musician Terry Riley, the influential inventor of 'minimalist' music.

Jon Hassell has been at the leading edge of new music for three decades, with major contributions to western avant garde and world music. Following the re-release of two classic albums from the early '80s, Mark J. Prendergast presents a retrospective of Hassell's work.

Philip Glass: Glazed expression

This French-born synthesist describes his experiences with the Synclavier and other digital instruments

The quiet man of systems music tells Simon Trask why his work is so often misunderstood - and why tomorrow's 'serious music' won't be possible without computers.

American trumpeter extraordinaire talks to John Diliberto about horns, electronics and Indian ragas; '60s experimentation meets '80s chic.

Fashionably minimalistic, America's premier avant garde composer recently visited the UK for an all too brief concert tour. He has been cited by many international stars as one of their first influences, yet commercial success has eluded him. Dan Goldstein listens to what he has to say

Despite an outward contempt for technology, Steve Reich has exploited it to create some of the century's seminal works of modern music, and will rely on the latest in digital electronics for his current project. Mark J. Prendergast tries to make sense of it all.

The Making Of A New Music Supremo

Philip Glass is the best known, and certainly the best paid, contemporary new music composer. In London for performances of his music for the films Koyaanisqatsi and Powaqqatsi, he talked to Mark J. Prendergast.

European Son

From artistic oppression under Stalin to contributing to Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey, György Ligeti has remained a true music pioneer. Simon Trask talks to a musical legend.

Inventor of the 'infinite guitar', this Canadian born player's haunting multi-layered guitar parts have graced the works of such luminaries as Brian Eno, Jon Hassell, U2's Edge, and Daniel Lanois, though Michael Brook's own music has yet to receive the recognition it deserves. Mark J. Prendergast reports.

Meanwhile Richard tells me that Richard is a multi-instrumentalist and used to play with Gryphon. Course I knew that cos I've read the piece, but you haven't yet, have you?

Part 2: Mark Prendergast continues his in-depth look at the formation of Eno’s new record company, Land Records, and the use of electronics in his music.

His successful production of U2 has brought musical sage Brian Eno back into the public eye. John Diliberto finds out what's become of his oblique strategies and how he approaches the latest technology.

His career began in punk performance, digressed into a fascination with synthesisers, and now finds him in collaboration with a classical composer. Colin Newman explains performance and musical subversion to Tim Goodyer.

At home in the ice-house with Flying Lizard David Cunningham.

Someone whose career in music began before the invention of the tape recorder will have witnessed a revolution in music technology. Peter Ridsdale shares the experiences of a man who has spent a lifetime composing for pictures.

The Eno collaborator and leading exponent of American minimalist music, Harold Budd, discloses the fascinating background to his new solo album 'Lovely Thunder', his love of the piano and his strange union with the Cocteau Twins. Mark Prendergast attends the masterclass and takes notes.

John Cage eavesdropped on the strange noises coming from his own imagination. Geoff Smith and Nicola Walker Smith eavesdrop on the wise words emanating from the man himself, in one of the final interviews of his trailblazing life and the last in MT's exclusive series on modern American composers.

Minimalist extraordinaire

The Fishman guide to DIY synths

Tubular Bells, Bayou Moon and other stories

Apart from his claim to fame as the co-producer of Mike Oldfield's hugely successful 'Tubular Bells' album, engineer/producer Tom Newman has most recently been making his mark in the New Age music field with two beautifully recorded albums. Mark Prendergast reports.