[Column] Expanding trajectory of Minimal Music: Aesthetics of repetition and change as seen from Techno, House, and Rock

Column en House Minimal Rock Techno

05 Nov 2025

[Column] Expanding trajectory of Minimal Music: Aesthetics of repetition and change as seen from Techno, House, and Rock

Prologue: Between silence and repetition

Text: mmr｜Theme: “Aesthetics of Repetition and Change”—A cross-sectional interpretation of minimal music, the richest expression of music achieved through “scarcity,” from classical to techno to contemporary Japan.

A single sound rings out, then disappears silently. The next sound appears again, at a slightly different angle. By the time that series takes shape, we are listening not to the music’s “story” but to its “existence itself.” –That was the beginning of minimal music.

Minimal music was born in America in the 1960s. Abandoning the drama and emotional expression that traditional Western music has pursued, Instead, it has transformed into an art that allows us to listen to “time and structure” itself. Terry Riley”s “In C”, Steve Reich”s “Piano Phase”, And Philip Glass’s “Einstein on the Beach”—— They elevated the repetition of sound to a meditative experience rather than a boring experience.

Eventually, this philosophy permeated the world of electronic music. In the constant rhythm of TR-808 and 909, A slight change in the filter or misalignment of the hi-hat gives it life. It”s the same idea as Reich”s “phase shift” on the piano. It is the minute differences within repetition that create the sense of musical time.

In this paper, we will explore how this “aesthetics of repetition” can be extended and Classical, techno, house, rock, and even Japanese electronic music. We trace how it became a single sensual and philosophical trend that pervades a variety of genres.

Minimalism is not just “striping down.” It is an act of looking at the ““eternity’’ that resides in the smallest unit of sound. An infinite fluctuation that is born between silence and rhythm. In this environment, people sense “presence” through hearing.

Chapter 1: The origins of minimal music - Terry Riley and Steve Reich

In 1964, Terry Riley’s In C premiered. This piece had an unprecedented structure, with the performers freely repeating 53 short note patterns. Each phrase overlaps with a slight shift, creating a sound that seems to continue indefinitely. This ““free repetition’’ is an idea that would later lead to electronic music and DJ culture.

Structural analysis

Element	Content
Basic materials	53 phrases (in 1-2 measure units)
Tempo	Any (generally around ♩=120)
Repetition method	Each player moves to the next phrase at their own timing
Effect	Polyrhythm effect due to phase shift

Steve Reich’s next work, Piano Phase (1967), strictly controlled the “discrepancies” in repetition. By having two pianists play the same phrase and one accelerating the tempo slightly, The sound pattern gradually shifts. This “Phase Shifting” is what It foresaw the aesthetics of loop structures in later techno.

Chapter 2: Philip Glass and the “beauty of construction” – between machines and humans

Philip Glass elevated repetition as ““structural order.’’ The opera Einstein on the Beach (1976) is a five-hour acoustic architecture. While changing the same phrase step by step, the voice, organ, and violin are played. Continuing to draw geometric sound patterns.

Characteristics of repetitive structure

Addition/subtraction in module units (Additive Process)
Advantage of “pulse” over pitch
Fluctuations of emotion based on numerical regularity

Glass’s method also influenced post-rock and electronica from the 1980s onwards. For example, the influence of Grass’s ““sustained rhythm’’ can be seen in the compositions of Tortoise and Sigur Rós.

Chapter 3: Minimalism in Techno and House - From Detroit to Berlin

Detroit Geometric Minimalism

Minimal techno was created by Derrick May, Jeff Mills, Robert Hood and others. It was a ““mental construct’’ based on rhythmic abstraction. Robert Hood’s ““Minimal Nation’’ (1994) is played by the TR-909 drum machine. Creating extreme tension from minimal patterns.

Track Composition Analysis (Robert Hood - “Rhythm of Vision”)

Element	Content
Beat	4/4
BPM	128
Sound composition	Kick, Hi-hat, Snare, Sub bass
Changes	Psychological fluctuations due to minute changes in filters and loss of rhythm

Reconstruction of Berlin’s atmosphere and repetition

In the late 1990s, Basic Channel and Maurizio (Moritz von Oswald, Mark Ernestus) Established ““Dub Techno’’ with dub echo. Low frequency repetition and reverberation created an acoustic experience that expanded the sense of time.

Chapter 4: Rock and Post-Minimalism - From Brian Eno to Radiohead

Brian Eno’s Music for Airports (1978) It is not only the father of ambient music, but also the origin of ““static minimalism.’’ The accidental overlapping of loop tapes expanded the auditory timeline.

Later, in Radiohead’s ““Everything in Its Right Place’’ (2000), Repeating synths and vocal loops bring a Reichian sense of phase to pop music.

Comparison table: Repetition structure in Eno and Radiohead

Works	Technical features	Effects
Brian Eno - Music for Airports	Asynchronous playback of tape loops	Accidental overtone generation
Radiohead - Everything in Its Right Place	Digital sampler phase shift	Emotional separation/dream feeling

Chapter 5: Japanese minimalism - the intersection of electronics and the environment

Isao Tomita: Symphony in the electrons

Isao Tomita used a synthesizer to reconstruct classical music in ““electronic repetition.’’ In “Moonlight” (1974), subtle modulation fluctuations shape the sonic space. This sense of “electronic persistence” also applies to later techno-ambient music.

Ryoji Ikeda: Minimal data and frequency

Ryoji Ikeda’s works transform pure frequencies, numbers, and data into music. “dataplex” (2005) repeats and divides ultra-high frequency sounds that test the limits of human perception. The acoustic space was presented as “digital minimalism”.

List of Japanese minimalist artists

Artist	Main works	Features
Isao Tomita	《Moonlight》《Planet》	Electronic classical music/acoustic refinement
Ryoji Ikeda	《dataplex》《test pattern》	Mathematical/frequency minimalism
Alva Noto + Ryuichi Sakamoto	《Vrion》《Summvs》	Fusion of electro acoustics and piano
Rei Harakami	《Red Curb》《lust》	Warm repetition of Lo-fi electronics
Asa-Chang & Pilgrimage	《Flowers》	Intersection of minimalism and human voice

Chapter 6: Chronology - Evolution and divergence of minimal music

timeline title Minimal Music Chronology 1964 : Terry Riley "In C" 1967 : Steve Reich "Piano Phase" 1976 : Philip Glass "Einstein on the Beach" 1978 : Brian Eno "Music for Airports" 1988 : Derrick May "Strings of Life" 1994 : Robert Hood "Minimal Nation" 1996 : Basic Channel "Phylyps Trak" 2001 : Alva Noto + Ryuichi Sakamoto "Vrioon" 2005 : Ryoji Ikeda "dataplex" 2020 : Max Cooper "Yearning for the Infinite"

Conclusion: “Change” is born through repetition

Minimalism is not just about “less”. It is the art of discovering the greatest freedom within limitations. This lineage continues from Terry Riley”s “In C” to Ryoji Ikeda”s “dataplex”. While changing form from analog to digital, from the body to data, Even now, he continues to “experiment with sound and time.”