In C - Remixed

In 2007, the Grand Valley State University New Music Ensemble, an Allendale, Michigan-based group led by Bill Ryan, garnered much praise for its recording of Steve Reich’s Music for 18 Musicians. In 2009, the group recorded another minimalist piece, Terry Riley’s breakthrough 1964 composition, In C. The compilation album, In C Remixed, includes the ensemble’s take on the classic and 18 remixes of the group’s performance. Nico Muhly, who has collaborated with the minimalist icon Philip Glass, contributes the even keel “In C with Canons and Bass,” which is followed by DJ Spooky’s “In Sea of C,” which sports a rocking backbeat. “In Cognito,” by Phil Kline, creates a mysterious soundscape peppered with birdsong. Mikael Karlsson and Rob Stephenson’s “Xenoglossia” is marked by clusters of sped-up events that tickle the music’s surface. “Simple mix,” by David Lang, presents an eerie assemblage of gliding, glistening tones that move in slow motion: is this what In C sounds like when it dreams of itself? The album closes with the GVSU New Music Ensemble’s fine performance of the Riley classic.